Meet the Belleayre Beast

Beast Tales - November

It didn’t snow very much so far, but the hills of Belleayre still look WHITE and frosty. It seems like there’s no snow anywhere but Belleayre! I bet the Beast has something to do with this. People say they can hear him roaring day and night, but nobody has seen him yet. What could he be doing up there? What does the roaring mean?!

The loud roaring and the white clouds could mean only one thing… The Beast is making SNOW! As soon as it’s cold, the Beast begins, making snow for the good little boys and girls all around the world. Even if it’s not snowy near you, the Beast is working hard so you can come visit for CHRISTMAS. He can’t wait to play!

The Beast remembers how important it is to have snow for Christmas. When he was a tiger cub, he used to build snowbeasts (snowbeasts are snowmen shaped like tigers) and throw snowballs with his tail. When he got COLD, the Beast went into the Discovery Lodge for some hot cocoa and a cookie.

The Beast wants YOU to have fun just like a tiger cub – but he needs your help to do it! So if you REALLY want it to snow then close your eyes. Imagine a snowflake. Imagine a hundred snowflakes. Imagine a big, cold, BLIZZARD!! Now open your eyes and ROAR!!

If enough children roar this Christmas season, the Beast is sure to have all the help he needs. And if you roared really loud, the Beast himself probably heard you. He’s going to prepare some snow especially for you. Hope you brought your mittens!!

History of the Beast

For hundreds of years the mighty and majestic Beast roamed freely across all of New York State. His domain was huge as he covered hundreds of miles per day eating fruits and berries and visiting with his bear and deer friends. He visited the beaches of Long Island but the waves were a bit scary, the high peaks of the Adirondacks but he had a fear of great heights. His favorite place was the Catskill Mountains. Even the name made him feel at home. They were friendly mountains, not too tall, not too small. The Beast felt safe and secure in the dense cover of the forest.

He enjoyed many uninterrupted years playing in the snow during winter, floating down cool rivers in the summer. While he enjoyed summer, winter was his favorite time of year. He and his friends would slide down the mountains on tree limbs till they wore paths through the trees. These trails still exist today at Belleayre Mountain.

He coexisted for many years with the other creatures of the forest and even tolerated man. It never crossed his mind that one day there might not be enough room for everybody to share. But as more and more men began building houses and roads he had less and less room to roam and enjoy the Catskills. Luckily, even the men realized the need to set aside land that would be untouchable to development and so they created the Catskill Forest Preserve. Still, this didn’t seem like enough. There were still houses and roads through the preserve so they set aside even more land within the preserve, land that had no houses or roads. This they declared Forever Wild. This is where the Beast has made his home. He has become Champion of the Environment while peacefully watching over his precious domain making sure it remains pristine and unspoiled..

Read on...more articles about the Belleayre Beast and see photos of the beast doing what he does best ... being a beast at Belleayre Mountain!

More about the beast at myspace.com/beastofbelleayre.

You can email the beast at
beast@belleayre.com

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