We have been the recipients of targeted harassment and have chosen to step forward, take a stand and fight back against those who harass and bully. This latest incident of harassment and bullying is not an isolated incident and seems to be prevalent in the Catskill hiking community at this time.

Fortunately, the Catskill 3500 Club provides all members the ability to make a complaint through their Catskill 3500 Club Code of Conduct for Members and have their concerns investigated and acted upon.

In our case, the relevant section was the Anti-Harassment section. We urge you to read the entire Catskill 3500 Club Code of Conduct for Members on the Club’s website which outlines the process that the Club is required to follow once a complaint has been raised.

Anti-Harassment

The Catskill 3500 Club is committed to ensuring that members and affiliates (aspirants, volunteers, attendees, visitors) have an environment free from unwelcome or inappropriate speech or conduct and is committed to taking seriously any complaints of harassment of any kind, including activities on social media and other virtual platforms.

Sign the Petition - We ask that you sign our petition against bullying and harassment in the Catskills.

Come Forward - We urge anyone who has been a target of any inappropriate behavior, bullying or harassment by members of the Catskill 3500 Club, or has observed such behavior directed towards others to raise your own complaint by email to the Club President.

Reaffirm Commitment - We urge all Club Officers, Directors, Committee Chair Positions and Other Non-Voting Board Positions to sign our petition to reaffirm their commitment to abiding by and enforcing the Club’s Code of Conduct.

Our formal complaint regarding this latest incident was submitted by email to the Club President on Monday October 16, 2023. We expect nothing less than a full and thorough investigation and all appropriate sanctions taken against the offender, their partners and their enablers. For your reference, here is the process that must be followed as specified in the Catskill 3500 Club Code of Conduct for Members.

Reporting and Investigation Procedure

1. Any member or affiliate who believes that they have been subjected to harassment should report the act immediately to the Club President, any board member, trip leader, or event organizer.

2. Any party to who is made aware of an allegation of possible sexual harassment has an obligation to forward this information to the Club President.

3. The Club President and/or their designee will initiate an investigation of all the pertinent facts related to the incident. The question of whether a particular action or incident is interpreted as prohibited behavior or as a purely personal, social relationship without a discriminatory affect will require a determination based on all of the evidence collected.

4. The investigator(s) of the incident will attempt to maintain confidentiality; however, complete anonymity may be in jeopardy due to the nature of the investigation.

5. All investigations will be conducted through interview with written statements from all parties involved. Failure to cooperate with the investigation will result in disciplinary action, up to and including expulsion.

6. Parties involved will be notified of the investigation results in a timely manner and of any disciplinary actions that have been taken.

7. Further investigation(s) may be conducted at the discretion of the investigator(s) to ensure that there is no retaliatory action against the alleged victim(s).

8. Any substantiated retaliatory treatment against the victim(s) will result in immediate expulsion from Catskill 3500 Club.

We will inform you here as best we can as the Reporting and Investigation Procedure progresses. Let’s look forward to a near term future where we can all access, enjoy and feel welcome in the Catskills and have an environment free from unwelcome or inappropriate speech or conduct.

Sarah Ye Zheng #3853 W1458

Tom Martone #2454 W1010