LIVINGSTON MANOR, NY — “Aileen is a tireless defender of the Upper Delaware River and a lifelong conservationist,” said Jeffrey Skelding, executive director of Friends of the Upper Delaware (FUDR), an organization which, in the words of their mission statement, is dedicated to “protecting and restoring this magnificent cold water ecosystem and the communities that surround it.”

On Friday, October 11, the Catskill Fly Fishing Center & Museum (CFFCM) hosted a reception in the Wulff Gallery for retiring NYS Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther. It honored her decades of service to the causes of environmental conservation, which particularly focused on protecting the pristine waters of upstate New York.

“She was the primary force in the New York State Assembly in securing a dedicated source of funding for the future protection and restoration of the Delaware River watershed,” Skelding said. “This is the first time in history the state of New York has dedicated an ongoing source of conservation funding for the Delaware River, and it was Aileen who made it happen. She will be missed, and we are so glad we got a chance to celebrate the long and stellar career as a New York State Assemblywoman.”

Terry Shultz is an avid fly fisherman who has traveled the globe in search of the ever-elusive perfect finned denizen of the deep. He’s been to 25 states in the U.S., most of the Canadian provinces, Indonesia, Mongolia, South Africa, South America and Europe. He said, “Aileen has always been a strong supporter of the Fly Fishing Center, and over the years she’s done a lot to help our programs.”

“It’s always ‘catch and release,’” said Shultz, a decades-long member and former director of the CFFCM. “Except in salt water, when you’re taking some time for dinner.”

Ali Abate, executive director of the CFFCM, said of the center’s close working relationship with Gunther “over the past multiple decades… She was always very supportive of our work… Her outstanding conservation leadership spann[ed] more than two decades in the NYS General Assembly.”

A brief conversation with NYS Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther

Gunther was elected to the NYS Assembly (District 100) in 2003 in the aftermath of the untimely passing of her beloved husband, NYS Assemblyman Jake Gunther III. At the age of 50, he passed from this earth after a brief battle with cancer.

Described as “a fierce advocate for the people she represents,” Gunther worked tirelessly for increased funding for local schools and fire departments, and for access to health care for all residents of the Empire State. Working closely with former NYS Gov. Andrew Cuomo, she helped lower taxes for the middle class, shaved a $15 million deficit, reduced state spending, and in 2011 helped pass ethics reform “to restore public trust in government.”

Prior to serving in the legislature, she worked as a nurse and HIV counselor at Catskill Regional Hospital in Harris, NY, now part of Garnet Health Medical Center.

In a press release announcing her retirement from the state legislature, “As your Assemblywoman—an elected voice for our community,” the daughter of a public-school teacher and police officer, said, “I will do everything I can to ensure our community remains such a great place to live.”

Sitting on a wooden bench outside the Wulff Gallery during the celebration of her years of public service, Aileen Gunther reflected on what she considered to be her major accomplishments while in office: passage of the Safe Staffing for Quality Care Act, securing funding for mental health services, and securing “ongoing funding for the Delaware River Watershed” in the state budget.

The retiring Assemblywoman said reflectively on local government, “I knew we could really make a difference, and I think I did.”

On the topic of working to ensure that the upstate waters remain pure, she said, “We made sure they had what they needed to keep them clean.”

“I was a fighter, and worked with some good people over the years,” she said of the “more than 100 bills that have been turned into laws” affecting upstate New York.

“I worked day and night in Albany, and back home, people gave me ideas for legislation. It was something I loved to do. I am a people person.”

In her tenure in state government, Gunther was a member of eight committees, including the Committee on Environmental Conservation. 

Asked about her plans for the future, where she might go after politics, she explained that she still has her nursing license. “It gave me so much empathy, knowing that it was something that helped people,” that she might find some way to continue helping folks.

And of her interest in conservation and the environment, as a member of an eighth-generation family living along the Rio River, Gunther said, “Preserving our environment has always been important to me, and I’m very verbal about it.”

The Catskill Fly Fishing Center & Museum is located at 1031 Old Rte. 17, Livingston Manor, NY 12758. For information, write to P.O. Box 1295, Livingston Manor, NY, 12758; call 845/439-4810; or email office@cffcm.com.