Next year's budget relies on $250 million in workforce savings across the state. Part of those savings will come from the DEC, which is laying off 140 people and about 45 of those people work at the Belleayre Ski Mountain. Our Beth Croughan attended a rally protesting those layoffs.

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"It would feel very strange not to be coming to work up here," Bush said.

And 30, for Michele Wooton.

"I spent a lot of time on the mountain, I've put a lot of hours in," Wooton remarked.

But those hours have been cut back. Wooton and Bush are just two, of about 45 who have been laid off. Their permanent positions, made seasonal.

"If I understand correctly, we'll be cutting down to 32 hours a week. So you'll be losing a whole day, plus whatever you’re losing initially off the top of your pay," said Bush.

For Bush, it's about $4 an hour; which means thousands less each year that he'll have, to spend along the Route 28 corridor.

"Belleayre means everything. It's our cornerstone business. It's our industry that helps develop all season business. It affects everything that goes on here," explained Carol O'Beirne of the Central Catskills Chamber of Commerce.

And that message rang loud and clear at a rally Friday.

"When we talk about don't mess with Belleayre. We do it for a reason, because we are fighting for a region, we are fighting for an idea, but most importantly, we are fighting for people," explained Ulster County Executive Mike Hein as he spoke to the crowd.

It's a message local, state and federal officials will take to Albany in the New Year.

"We'll continue the fight to restore these jobs, with the new governor and the new budget process," said State Senator John Bonacic.

Jobs that locals say are limited in their region. "Between the state ownership, the city ownership, the watershed regulations that are imposed upon us, we're very limited in our development opportunities," said Town of Shandaken Supervisor Robert Stanley.

So, since 1949, the area has relied on Belleayre, a mountain that draws about 180,000 people to the region each year.

"The place is packed today, so we're having a great day," explained Joe Kelly, the Chair of the Coalition to Save Belleayre.

And a mountain that's means a lot to people like Donald Bush.

"I've actually been coming up here since 1959. My father worked here for 38 years, my kids have all worked here as they were going through high school," he explained.

We reached out to the DEC for a response to the rally and were directed to the Budget Division.

Spokesperson Erik Kriss provided this statement, "Belleayre's ski operation will continue through the 2010-11 winter season, attracting skiers to the area and maintaining the economic stimulation they bring. The 2010-11 State Budget that was enacted by the State Legislature relies on $250 million in State workforce savings, so we must reduce workforce costs. Like other agencies, the Department of Environmental Conservation had to make hard choices, but the decision to offer full-time Belleayre employees seasonal positions will allow the mountain to maintain undisrupted operations while still helping to achieve necessary savings."