Michael Kudish
Michael Kudish is an author, railroad historian, forest historian, botanist, and retired emeritus professor. He received his Ph.D. in botany in 1971 from the State [University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry] at Syracuse. His dissertation, on the history of Catskill forests, was the beginning of a lifelong study. It was later expanded and published in book form as The Catskill Forest: A History. His previous degrees included a B.S. from the City College of New York, and an M.S. from Cornell University.
As a professor in the Division of Forestry at Paul Smith's College, he has written three books on the flora of the Adirondacks, including Adirondack Upland Flora, as well as a vast number of articles on forest history of both the Catskills and Adirondacks. As a railroad historian, he wrote Where Did The Tracks Go?, an initial description of railroads in the Adirondacks, followed by Railroads of the Adirondacks, for a long time considered the definitive work on the subject. He has since retired from Paul Smith's College, moved to the Catskills, and has completed a four-volume set on the Mountain Railroads of New York State. It updates Railroads of the Adirondacks in the first three volumes, and adds a fourth volume covering the Catskills.
The Michael Kudish Natural History Preserve in Stamford, New York, is named for him.
Dr. Kudish's Catskill notes are