A New York State Non-Profit 501(C)3 Educational Corporation
Researching Archaeoastronomy and Landscape Archaeology in Northeast America and Beyond
Preserving and Protecting
Environment – Culture – Community
CELEBRATING our 11TH Year!
Stewarding a Manitou Achsinal (Spirit Stone) preserve in Woodstock, NY.
From 10 years ago, this video shows the birth of OMC’s ultimately successful effort to protect lands in Lewis Hollow on Overlook Mountain
Identifying, documenting and protecting Native American Ceremonial Stone Landscapes (CSL) as Important Resources of Cultural Significance.
“Let the Landscape Speak” ~ Doug Harris – Dep. Tribal Historic Preservation Officer (THPO) Narragansett Indian Tribe of Rhode Island (retired)
Overlook Mountain Center (OMC) creates and conducts programming throughout the year, including guided hikes, interpretive tours, camp-outs, lectures, workshops and research.
Our focus is on Archaeoastronomy and Landscape Archaeology, as well as documenting and preserving Native American Ceremonial Stone Landscapes (CSL), in northeast America and elsewhere.
Current, upcoming and past OMC programs appear below
Sept. 17th 2023 – Mysteries of Mink Hollow Hike
Aug. 20th 2023 – Lewis Hollow Walk & Talk
Join Overlook Mountain Center (OMC) for a walk and talk in Lewis Hollow, with DEC guides Glenn Kreisberg and Dave Holden. Explore the many stone features known as manitou achsinal (spirit stones) in Algonquin, including dry stacked stone mounds (cairns), serpent/snake effigy walls and associated springs.
Dress for a summer walk in the woods and bring lunch or snack and water. Wear sturdy footwear and bring bug repellent and sunscreen as required. Hike is about 1.5 miles. Call 845 417 8384 or email overlookmountaincenter@gmail.com to register or for more info
July 23rd 2023 – Westkill/Spruceton Valley/ Halcott Mountain Trek, including Diamond Notch Falls
Join OMC and NYS DEC guides this Sun. 7/23, to explore the manitou achsinal (spirit stones), effigies (serpents and turtles) and other features found on public lands in “Deep Clove” and Spruceton Valley.
We’ll meet at 9AM, in the parking lot of the Catskill Visitors Center on Rt. 28 in Mt. Tremper, before heading up to the Halcott Mountain site, and then on to Spruceton Valley and Diamond Notch Falls. Total hiking is 2.5 miles on mixed terrain, though much is off trail on wet, uneven ground. Wear sturdy footwear, and dress for the forecast and a mid summer walk in the woods. Bring water, lunch or snack, and bug repellent and sunscreen as needed. Event lasts from 9am to 2pm.
Please call 845 417 8384 to register.
Event is free, but donations are welcome.
Overlook Mountain Center is a NYS 501(c)3 educational non-profit.
June 25th 2023 – Bonticou Crag Summer Solstice Sunrise Hike
Description: Rock scramble to summit calendar stones & light phenomenon
Location: High Falls, NY
Date: Sun. June 25th
Time: 6 am – 9 am
Duration: 3 hrs.
Difficulty: Moderate/Difficult
Meeting place: Spring Farm Trailhead* parking https://maps.app.goo.gl/RHHbGNm5WzJYDnkt9
*Note: Access requires day pass or Mohonk Preserve membership.
For more information and to register for these programs please call 845 417 8384 or email overlookmountaincenter@gmail.com. You can also visit www.overlookmountain.org
All programs are free. Donations are welcome.
A NYS Dept. of Education Registered 501(c)3 non-profit
Monument Ridge Site Visit
Description: View stone mounds and wall, glyphs and light phenomenon
Location: Fleischmanns, NY
Date: Sun. May 21st
Time: 10 am – 2:00 pm
Duration: 4 hrs
Difficulty: Easy
Meeting place: Call 845 417 8384 for address
Sun. April 23rd – Turtle Rock Ridge Site Visit
Description: View turtle effigies and rock shelter, glyphs and inscriptions.
Location: Plattekill, NY
Date: Sun. April 23rd
Time: 10 am – 2:00 pm
Duration: 4 hrs.
Difficulty: Easy/Moderate
Meeting place: Call 845 417 8384 for address
Bard College Lifelong Learning Institute (LLI)
Session 1: Lecture
Intro to Archaeoastronomy and Landscape Archaeology
Date: Weds. June 7th
Time: 11 am – 12:30 pm
Duration: 1.5 hrs.
Difficulty: N/A
Meeting place: Zoom link to be provided. More info and to register
Bard College Lifelong Learning Institute
Session 2: Lewis Hollow Site Visit
Description: View stone mounds and effigies, some dated to the 1500s AD.
Location: Woodstock, NY
Date: Weds. June 21st (Summer Solstice)
Time: 10 am – 1 pm
Duration: 3 hrs.
Difficulty: Easy/Moderate
More info and to register
Meeting place: Bradley Meadows parking lot
https://maps.app.goo.gl/uRXmiMP6GLfXsmrR7
Winter Solstice Sunrise at Lewis Hollow
Sunday December 18th @ 7am
We’ll meet on the Woodstock Village Green at 7am, to watch the sun rise aligned with Mill Hill Rd. Then we’ll head up to Lewis Hollow to visit the Manitou Hassannash (spirit stone) walls and mounds identified as a ceremonial stone landscape (CSL).
Dress warm head to toe, and bring water (tea, hot coco) and a snack.
Event is weather dependent.
Call 845 417 8384 or email overlookmountaincenter@gmail.com to RSVP or for more details.
OMC Camping Among the Cairns
Saturday October 15th @ 2pm – Sunday October 16th 2PM
We’ll meet in Westkill, NY and camp at the Spruceton Valley cairn field then hike to Diamond Notch Falls on Sunday.
Please bring proper footwear, food, water and dress for the forecast.
Make sure you’re prepared with your own tent, sleeping bag, camping equipment and meal provisions, for Saturday dinner and Sunday breakfast and lunch. Keep in mind this is a carry in/carry out area. The camp will be less than 1/4 mile from the end of the road” trail head.
Call (845) 417-8384 to confirm attendance for Sat. campout and/or Sun. hike and receive rendezvous details. Event is weather dependent.
Manitou Tour to Westkill Ceremonial Stone Landscapes
Saturday October 8th @ 10am-3pm
Join Overlook Mountain Center (OMC) to visit two ceremonial stone landscapes consisting of stone walls, cairns and effigies, considered Manitou Hassannash (spirit stones) to Native Americans. We’ll also visit Diamond Notch Falls in Spruceton Valley.
Event Duration: 5 miles, 5 hours
Level of Difficulty: Easy-Moderate
Leader(s): Glenn Kreisberg
Bring: Proper footwear, food, water and dress for the forecast.
Group size is limited to 12 people so register early.Event is free.No dogs allowed.
Questions about this event can be directed to: overlookmountaincenter@gmail. com or (845) 417-8384
Please be COVID conscious!
Registration required by 10/07/2022. Use the link below to register:
https://catskillslark.org/
OMC Huckleberry Point ‘Equinox’ Hike
Sunday Sept. 18th from 3PM to 7PM
Pass through a large cairn field with a short east/west wall which points to the Equinox sunset, an alignment we hope to witness and document, if weather and time permits.
Moderate difficulty 4.5 mile (round trip) hike requiring proper footwear, food, water and proper clothing for the forecast.
Meet 3PM at the Huckleberry Point Trailhead DEC parking lot off Platte Clove Rd.
https://goo.gl/maps/3mcD8JDskZQkVtXG7
Indicate ‘Going’ on FB or call 845 417 8384 to register or for more info.
OMC is a 501(c)3 non-profit which offers free programming and accepts tax deductible donations.
Starting Aug. 29th and running thru Oct. 10th
Community Reading & Discussion Program
Join Overlook Mountain Center (OMC) & Humanities New York (HNY) for a free, four part Community Reading & Discussion group program, exploring Echoes of the American Revolution and the fallout we all still feel today.
OMC & HNY presents Echoes of the American Revolution: Land, Liberty and Loss. A free, public reading and discussion program will be offered during four, 2hr sessions, with special guest speakers and reading topics for each session.
The project is grounded in the historical and ongoing intersections between racial justice, including the centuries-long deprivations endured by Indigenous and Native Americans, and the evolution of the American landscape. “Land, Liberty, and Loss” is meant to prompt reflection on assumptions about the human connectedness between the natural and built environments, and to allow us to reconsider in a holistic sense how the Revolution that resulted in the United States connects to or disrupts indigenous histories, our use of natural resources, political development, and national expansion.
Full program link here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HCKyQO5juk6N5cJfitbqMUsYbISa165bZ4faQNOc_WA/edit?usp=sharing
Program location: West Hurley Public Library
42 Clover Street
Werst Hurley, NY 12491
Directions: West Hurley Public Library
(845) 679 6405
https://maps.app.goo.gl/znW6fxrxFeeA8Z916
Program Dates, Times & Details:
(program subject to change, except dates & times)
Mon. 8/29, 7pm – 9pm
Session 1 Title: Land Lost: Lost Landscapes & Legacies
Facilitator: Glenn Kreisberg
Speaker: Evan Pritchard
Reading Assignment: William Cooper’s Town: Power and Persuasion on the Frontier of the Early American Republic by Alan Taylor
Mon. 9/12, 7pm – 9pm
Session 2 Title: Liberty Lost: Acknowledgements & Land Back Movements
Facilitators: Jonathan Vaughn & Susan Sweeney
Speaker: Michael Keropian
Reading Assignment: Land Heist in the Highlands: Chief Daniel Nimham and the Wappinger Fight for the Homeland by Peter Cutul
Mon. 9/26, 7pm – 9pm
Session 3 Title: Matriarch Lost: Past, Present & Future
Facilitator(s): Jonathan Vaughn & Glenn Kerisberg
Speaker: Heather Bruegl
Reading Assignment: Recentering Indian Woman in the American Revolution, by Sarah Pearsal, from Why you can’t teach United States history without American Indians (edited) Pg. 57 – 70
Mon. 10/10, 7pm – 9pm (Indigenous Peoples Day)
Session 4 Title: Echoes of Loss; Lost Culture, Language, Art & Science
Facilitator: Glenn Kreisberg
Speaker: Chief Vincent Mann
Reading Assignment: Across the Great Border Fault by Kevin T. Dann
To register for one or all of the program sessions, please send an email to: overlookmountaincenter@gmail.com
Include your name, a contact phone number and the session(s) you wish to attend.
Please put: Echoes Program, in the subject line.
You may also call 845 417 8384 to register.
Guest Speakers Bios:
Evan Pritchard – Author, scholar
http://www.algonquinculture.org/
Michael Keropian – Artist – sachem Daniel Nimham memorial
https://www.keropiansculpture.com/biography.html
Heather Bruegl – Stockbridge-Munsee/Oneida
https://www.heatherbruegl.com/
Vincent Mann Tribal Clan leader – Ramapough
https://sasn.rutgers.edu/chief-vincent-mann
Reading list:
“Land, Liberty & Loss: Echoes of the American Revolution – HNY” https://humanitiesny.org/our-work/programs/reading-discussion/land-liberty-loss-readings/
Additional suggested readings
Indigenous Peoples History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee by David Treuer
For more program info please see links below.
https://humanitiesny.org/land-liberty-loss-echoes-of-the-american-revolution/
Land, Liberty, & Loss: Echoes of the American Revolution (ft. Alan Taylor)
https://youtu.be/IQpMiDnu0E8
Land, Liberty, & Loss: Echoes of the American Revolution (ft. Melissane Schrems)
Sun. August 21st – Mysteries of Mink Hollow
Join OMC guides Glenn Kreisberg and Dave Holden Sun. 8/21 from 10 am to 1 pm, to explore the mysterious stone constructions found in Mink Hollow, including “Manitou Hassunnash” (spirit stones), mega walls, cairn fields, possible effigies and alignments. Who built them, when and why?
Wear appropriate footwear and dress for a summer walk in the woods. Bring lunch or snack and water. Sunscreen and insect repellent suggested.
Hike departs from Sunflower parking lot (in front of bank) at 10 am and lasts approximately 3 hrs.
Admission is free but donations are welcome.
For more info or to register call 845-417-8384
Join OMC Guides Glenn Kreisberg and Dave Holden on Sunday, July 17, for an excursion to view the cairns, great cairns and effigy walls found in Lewis Hollow. Great Cairn #4 (pictured) was recently dated to 1590 AD!
Sat. June 18th – Summer Solstice Sunrise & Sunset Events
Second Event 8pm-9pm Comeau property, Woodstock
Join OMC for Summer Solstice gatherings. First event is at Mohonk to summit the Bonticou Crag and view the Bonticou Summit Stone summer solstice alignment. Meet at the Spring Farm trailhead parking lot at 5am. Hike will last about 2 hours. Bring water and snacks.
Sat. April 21st/22nd – Lewis Hollow Hike & Camping in the Quarry
OMC Lewis Hollow Hike and Quarry Campout Sat. April 21st., 2pm – 5PM Hike with optional campout in the quarry until 10 am Sun. April 22nd.
Saturday, May 21st join NYS DEC Guides Glenn Kreisberg and Dave Holden, to discuss local history, lore and the possible ancient origins of the Lewis Hollow site.
Sat. April 7th @ 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – Mysteries of Monument Ridge Site Visit.
Join Overlook Mountain Center (OMC) to explore the mysterious stone constructions found on “Monument Ridge”, located off Basil Todd Rd., in Fleishmanns, NY. Our host is Todd Pledger, the property owner, who discovered and has been researching and documenting these unique stone monuments. Aligned to water, earth and sky, the features make up a suspected Native American ceremonial stone landscape. Wear sturdy footwear, dress for the forecast and bring some food and water. For more info or to RSVP for directions contact Glenn at 845 417 8384 or Todd at 845 464 6733.
Sun. Mar. 20th @ 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – Spring Equinox Lewis Hollow Hike
Join OMC Guides Glenn Kreisberg and Dave Holden on Sunday, March 20th, for an excursion to view the cairns, great cairns and effigy walls found in Lewis Hollow, including Great Cairn #4 which was recently dated to 1590 A.D.
JOIN OMC on the Woodstock Village Green, to watch the winter solstice sun rise up Mill Hill Rd., at 7:20am, on Sunday morning. Bring your coffee, tea and bagel or muffin, etc. After sunrise, we’ll hike up in Lewis Hollow (driving, then parking and walking) to visit the Native American great cairns, and solstice altar site. More info at https://www.facebook.com/theOverlookMountainCenter or call (845) 417-8384.
Sun. Oct. 10th @ 10:00 am – 2:00 pm – Indigenous Peoples Day Hike
Catskills Lark in the Park Indigenous Peoples Day Hike. As an alternative to Columbus Day join us to celebrate and honor the first people to inhabit the Catskills by visiting several Manitou Hassennech (spirit stones) sites, consisting of dry stacked stone cairns, stone rows, effigies and aligned boulders, all expressing and ancient, sophisticated belief system. Wear proper footwear and clothing for a fall hike and appropriate for the forecast. Bring lunch or a snack and water. Meet at Woodstock Community Center parking lot, Rock City Rd. Woodstock. More info at www.overlookmountain.org.
To register https://catskillslark.org/park_events/indigenous-peoples-day-hike-sunday-october-10th-2021-10-am/
For more info: https://overlookmountain.org/interpretive-tours/2021-omc-programs/
Sat., Sept. 18th & Sun. Sept. 19th 2021
Overlook Mountain Center (OMC) Spruceton Valley site visit, with overnight camping option.
2023 Scheduled OMC Hikes & Programs.
All outdoor events are weather dependent and program schedule is subject to change.
Please call (845) 417 8384 for more info.
Please check back for updates, added workshop and lecture events.
Contact OMC: 845-417-8384 | P.O. Box 1278, Woodstock, NY 12498
Contact OMC: 845-417-8384 | P.O. Box 1278, Woodstock, NY 12498
Administrator: Glenn Kreisberg
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