Save the Shawangunks - Letters to the editor

Wallkill Valley Times
February, 2004
Ann Taylor Cerone

A third major issue the board dissected was an argument that has been raised again and again by Awosting Reserve itself.

"The applicant raises that there's another section of the code that encompasses the Ulster County Health Department regulations, which says if you have a realty subdivision that's more than 50 lots, that it has to have a central sewage system and that trumps everything else," Young summarized. "They then supplement that by saying that the Ulster County Health Department code (was derived from) state law, which supercedes local law."

Yet, it is possible that Otis's interpretation is not inconsistent with the county and state laws; "it's just two separate sets of regulations," Young said.

Ultimately, the ZBA postponed its decision in return for more time to mull over the many issues, and to answer two questions it asked its attorneys to further research and report back on: the precise definition of a sewage disposal facility", which -- acording to Young, could mean anything from a septic system to a central sewage treatment plant -- and the interpretation of the use table for the ARR-200 district, which does not clearly delineate what the viable septic options are for single and multi-family homes in the ARR-200 district.

"I think we still have some investigating to do," said Hansen, an opinion his fellow board members shared. "I think we need more information.
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No link to developer
Times Herald Record
December 19, 2003

I enjoyed reading your recent article (Nov. 30) on the Shawangunks and I absolutely agree that it is one of the most beautiful ecosystems in the world. It contains magnificent vistas, rare communities, such as the globally important dwarf pitch pine, and an incredible and largely pristine habitat, ideal for numerous species of birds and other wildlife.

I'm writing, however, to clear up one aspect of the article that suggested that the developer Chaffin/Light Associates has "worked with the Audubon Society and been recognized for its land stewardship." Please be advised that there is a group, Audubon International, which certifies golf courses and housing developments. It has no connection, legally or philosophically, to the National Audubon Society, which works throughout the nation to protect birds and other wildlife, and their habitats. Audubon New York, the state program of the National Audubon Society, has worked with our 30 local chapters in New York state and has identified the Shawangunks as a high-priority resource protection area.

We have not worked with the developers. Quite the contrary, based upon a view of their preliminary plans, we have joined a coalition of conservation-minded organizations that will work to defeat such a damaging assault upon this fragile and irreplaceable ecosystem. Again, I wanted to make certain that National Audubon Society's position in opposition of this proposed development project was clear.
David J. Miller
executive director,
Audubon New York

Ridge concerns
Times Herald Record
December 17, 2003

After reading "Battle for the Ridge" in Sunday's Record (Nov. 30), I wonder if development of the Shawangunk Ridge is part of the aims of the Sullivan County Partnership for Economic Development. Can this be part of the balanced, thoughtful growth they speak about in the Sullivan County Business Perspective for December 2003? (Included in the TH-Record, Nov. 28). Since Partnership President Michael Sullivan seems not to have met a developer he didn't like, I can't help but wonder.

Are those who are concerned with saving the ridge, and in Mamakating, development that would harm the Basha Kill "anti-development zealots"? I think not. Also, using words like "Volvo-driving(?)" and "well educated" to describe people who are concerned about growth and how to control it, I find divisive and polarizing.

Although I see few Volvos in the Mamakating area, I will admit there are people here guilty of the "sin" of having a college education. However, you don't need a degree to care about the environment or to be concerned about the direction Mamakating will take in 2004.

It's regrettable that our supervisor, Fred Harding, wasn't re-elected. When it comes to balanced, thoughtful growth, he not only talks the talk, he walks the walk.
Ron Cushing
Wurtsboro

Save us from short-sighted planning
(NP Times letter header)
Two years ago, on a summer evening on the Shawangunk Ridge, my 11-year-old son and his friend saw a bobcat. This was an exciting and memorable experience for both of them and they have not stopped talking about it since. I think it is a good metaphor for why it is so important to protect the Ridge and stop efforts to develop the Awosting Reserve.
This is a natural paradise less than two hours from New York City. Do we really want to abdicate this precious piece of land for a few more homes when it is one of the prime attractions to our area? Do we want to look back and say to our kids: "Sorry, who knew?"
Politicians who would make this a partisan issue are missing the point. This is an issue for all of us and one we need to have the foresight to handle the right way.
My understanding is that some candidates understand this and are supporting the protection of a great natural resource and economic driver. I hope that Messrs. Zatz and Bialecki and Ms. Lemmon will follow through, if elected, to save us from short-sighted planning.
Scott Randall Cragsmoor

Vote to save ridge
Times Herald Record
October 28, 2003

I am a Highland resident who is very concerned with Gardiner elections this year.

I am also a Highland resident who takes weekly shopping trips to New Paltz and beyond, just so I can gaze at our magnificent Shawangunk Ridge. When I have out-of-town guests, a scenic drive through our Shawangunks is one the first places I take them to show off our beautiful Hudson Valley. I say "our" Shawangunks because this spectacular resource belongs to all of us in the Hudson Valley as well as those who come from all over just to hike, climb, stroll, bike or vacation at Mohonk Mountain House. Yes, it belongs to all of us and the responsibility to protect it belongs to all of us as well.

I encourage Gardiner voters to vote for those candidates who support the "Save the Ridge" platform this election. They are Carl Zatz, Nadine Lemmon and Matt Bialecki.

Please forget about their party affiliations and just focus on where they stand on this crucial issue. There is a lot at stake and you can do us all a favor.
Elise Viola
Highland

Wallkill Valley Times
October 1, 2003

Wake up ye residents of Orange and Ulster Counties before it is too late; the Shawangunk Ridge you save may be your own. It is a desecration to plunder the beautiful planet which the Lord has given us to enjoy. This reminds me of the foreigners from Europe and other areas who simply plundered the land in America where the Native Americans were living because they were searching for gold in those days. The lovely flowers, trees and animals meant absolutely nothing to them. The tale of Pocahontas told about this decimation in no uncertain terms. The Native Americans could not understand those people who did not revere their land as sacred or treat bodies of water such as the Hudson like brothers.
These developers who bought the land surrounding the Ridge several years ago could build on another parcel very easily, such as the farms for sale in Orange County. They would still have the Shawangunk Mts. in the background to enjoy and would not destroy the view and "pristine beauty" of the Ridge. Otherwise these septic systems could turn the whole area into a cesspool and further destroy God's beautiful universe.
Several years ago, a Save the Oak Committee was formed in Westchester County to save the Town of Bedford's historical symbol - the 500-year old White Oak - from development encroaching. A developer also wanted to build several homes in this area after he bought the land for such a purpose. Many of us felt that the stream that fed the Oak for 500 years would become toxic and would eventually kill the tree. There was a big outcry through letters and the media, so the Oak was saved for future generations to love. We won the battle by raising $38,000 to buy the land around the Oak within two weeks.
This example shows that "unity is strength," and I feel this type of thing can also be utilized to "Save the Ridge" and keep "the pristineness which is a treasure" for everyone to enjoy according to the Nature Conservancy.
Elisabeth B. Joshi Ellenville

New Paltz Times
September 25, 2003

Open Letter Responding to Save the Ridge (NP Times letter header)
Thank you for the opportunity to address your electoral issues platform inquiry.
1. Your request for me to "oppose" the Awosting Reserve development project is not legally possible for me to agree to. The application for the Awosting Reserve development, which was presented to the Town of Gardiner, has to be given "due process." It is entitled to be considered. Any action that would deny the applicant "due process" could expose the Town to legal liability. An adverse legal ruling could cost the Town an enormous amount of money. I have spoken to Senator John Bonacic, who has advised me that the land in question has been added to the New York State Open Space acquisition list. I will support any efforts of the State of New York to acquire this property.
2. Your request to create a "Ridge Protection Zone" is already being considered by the Town Planning Board. I asked the Planning Board earlier this year to consider creating a "Critical Environmental Area" in the Shawangunk Ridge area. This request is being incorporated in the Master Plan Review Committee proceedings.
3. With regard to undertaking an "open space" inventory, this will be part of the Town's review of the Master Plan which is underway. I participated in the Town of New Paltz Open Space Inventory study. The Town has authorized the Town of Gardiner Environmental Conservation Committee to continue to conduct groundwater resource surveys. The Town has a comprehensive groundwater survey and is expanding on it. The Town has applied for a grant from the New York State Department of Conservation to enlarge the scope of these surveys. I have personally approached the Towns of Shawangunk, Marlboro, Plattekill, Lloyd and New Paltz through the Southern Ulster Alliance to assess the interest in conducting a regional shared survey.
4. As stated above, I actively participate in the Southern Ulster Alliance (the above-named Towns) to create relationships that foster intelligent and coordinated response to growth and open space issues. I am also active in the Ulster County Town Supervisors' Association and I have formed a committee of "Ridge Towns" to address concerns of development on the Shawangunk Ridge on a more regional level.
5. The prohibition of development in environmentally sensitive areas is addressed in a number of sections of Town Zoning Law and the Comprehensive Master Plan. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the Ulster County Health Department further regulate development.
6. In the matter of securing funding to purchase critical open space, I have introduced the idea of enacting legislation to create a "Transfer Tax" that would add a tax to real estate transactions, which would be dedicated to the purchase of open space or threatened lands. I have worked closely with Supervisor Al Valk of the Town of Montgomery. Supervisor Valk has been working with a number of Towns in Orange County to initiate this process. The Town of Gardiner Board passed a motion to support Supervisor Valk's initiative. I have had discussions with surrounding Ulster County Towns to consider joining with the Orange County Towns to create a regional approach to this effort.
7. The development of viewshed standards will be addressed in the Master Plan review. It is also being addressed by the Shawangunk Mountains Scenic Byway Steering Committee, which I actively participate in. The Scenic Byway group is committed to the preservation of area viewsheds.
8. The Town of Gardiner has a very restrictive cell tower law in placed at this time, and it addressed viewshed protection.
I hope this information will be helpful to you and your members. I share your concerns about protecting the wonderful Shawangunk Mountains.
Jack Hayes, Supervisor Town of Gardiner

September 24, 2003
Funny arithmetic

The recent action by the Gardiner Town Board to stop a moratorium on major subdivisions is a serious error. Gardiner is now facing subdivision applications that would create over 400 new lots, yet Supervisor Hayes and his Planning Board continue to say we have no building boom.

How? It's simple, just don't count Awosting Reserve! In a remarkable case of political arithmetic, apparently, the approximately 330 lots in the Bradley project don't count because the DEC is doing the SEQR, the developer withdrew his initial application, and the lots will be phased in over time. No lots from Awosting Reserve, no building boom, no need for a moratorium.

Unfortunately, those building lots will exist. Bradley will refile his application, and the Zoning Law allows similar subdivision throughout the town – a first step towards suburban sprawl from ridge to river.

It was concern over the future of Gardiner that prompted over 1,000 residents to sign the petition for a moratorium. We need one in order to take a breather and update the Master Plan and Zoning Law before Gardiner is all bulldozed and built out. Hayes and his board have tried some convenient math to pretend we don't have a problem with growth and sprawl. Don't be fooled. Protect Gardiner's future. Vote Bialecki, Lemmon and Zatz on the Democratic/Independent line.
Matthew Bialecki
Democratic/Independent Candidate
for Gardiner Town Board

New Paltz Times
September 4, 2003

Has anyone else noticed how quiet the Awosting Reserve has become? My guess is that they are awaiting the outcome of the Gardiner election: Republicans equals green light; Democrat/Independent equals red light.
Vote!
Angela Sisson, Gardiner

New Paltz Times
September 4, 2003

I have been reading with interest the many letters concerning the saving of the ridge, zoning and a proposed building moratorium in the town of Gardiner. I, as a child, can remember being able to hunt, fish, swim and explore almost anywhere merely be asking for permission from the many friendly farmers in the area. We knew almost everyone in town and our neighbors were our friends.
If you needed help, it was usually there for the asking. In the village were small stores where you could purchase most of the necessities of life in the country. Traveling peddlers would supply that which was not readily available locally. A trip to New Paltz, Kingston or Newburgh was occasionally necessary.
You could take a Sunday drive down the endless miles of wooded roads and enjoy the pristine beauty of what the country used to be. They say you can't stop progress. As a person who has lived here from the early 1940's, only a stone's throw from my childhood home where our family prospered, I feel that I have the right to express my opinion which is that the moratorium on subdivision and home building is 50 years too late.
George Smith, Gardiner

New Paltz Times
September 4, 2003

Dear Supervisor Hayes: On behalf of our 500-member organization, I wish to voice our objection to the proposed Awosting Reserve development on the Shawangunk Ridge. We regularly schedule weekend getaways to hike the ridge because there is no other place like it. We enjoy your town. We spend our money in Gardiner's motels, restaurants, delis, gas stations and shops. We gladly contribute to the local economy.
As Long Islanders, we know all too well how sprawl spreads across the land like some creeping disease. We cannot preserve thousands of acres of open space on Long Island; it's too late for that. Consequently, our conservation efforts often focus on small amounts of acreage. But the Shawangunks are a paradise not yet lost. How we wish it were so here in crowded suburbia!
The proposed Awosting Reserve development would be devastating to the environmentally sensitive northern Shawangunk Ridge; not only to the parcel of land targeted for development but the surrounding properties as well. It would drastically diminish the quality of life for those who live in the immediate region, and it would diminish the recreational experience of one-half million annual visitors to the area.
This proposed development is inconsistent with a smart growth philosophy of development. Audubon New York's 2003 book of Conservation Policy Resolutions includes an important resolution regarding smart growth on pages 30-31. The resolution decries the urban expansion that has devastated municipalities and created environmental hardships in New York State, and it calls for the reuse of existing infrastructure and the redevelopment of previously developed lands. We need alternatives to sprawl and the eradication of open space it brings. We need tax incentives that encourage developers to reinvent infrastructure and tax penalties for those who would tap relatively unspoiled lands.
Please ensure that the environmental review, to be conducted by the Department of Environmental Conservation, receives very careful and thorough attention. We also strongly support the moratorium on development; a plan for your town's future will spare you the mistake we have made on Long Island.
In an age of ever multiplying greenhouse gasses, the preservation of our trees is a matter of more than mere aesthetics. We seek your leadership in these matters, and we very much need your help. Thank you for your thoughtful consideration. We look forward to hearing from you soon.
Guy Jacob, Conservation Chair
Nassau Hiking & Outdoor Club, Elmont, NY

New Paltz Times
August 14, 2003

I read the last column by Sadie Penzato (7/31) with dismay. Her capacity to be charmed by John Atwater Bradley's preposterous sales pitch for this sprawling decimation of a four-mile stretch of the Ridge is regrettable. I really don't think that his "years of care, concern and stewardship of that mountain" suddenly entitle him to trash the place in the name of "sharing this gorgeous area." The hypocrisy of his self-serving logic is truly mind-boggling.
I urge Ms. Penzato to put her loyalty aside and seriously look into why every major environmental group and a vast number of concerned area residents and visitors to the Gunks are against Bradley's narcissistic dream. Trying to hear Bradley out with the idea that she will "enlighten us and lessen the animosity" is simply naive. Bradley's arrogance cannot be disguised and will never be forgotten. Just think: If he had collected all those parcels and sold them in sincerity to real conservation groups and/or the state, he would've been held a true local hero in perpetuity, and a monument to his family would have been revered by all. However, if his plan goes through, future generations will have every right to ask, "How could this have happened?"
Ms. Penzato is so out of tune with our concerns that she brands us all as "environmental zealots." She is also off in her understanding of history and the pioneering conservation efforts of the 19th century nature-respecting Americans whose courage led tot he creation of State and National Parks. A brief study of the Hudson River School of painting and the written works of Thoreau and others would bring the Save the Ridge campaign into perspective as the continuation of a long and patriotic tradition that remains vitally important. As a lifelong resident of the area, she should know better.
Martin Knowles, New Paltz

New Paltz Times
August 14, 2003

I first want to comment the New Paltz Times for providing a forum for Mr. Bradley to personally air his views about his proposed development of the Awosting Reserve. While I certainly appreciate Mr. Bradley's candor, I find his remarks both disappointing and disturbing.
It appears that Mr. Bradley prefers to defend his position the same way the Bush Administration often justifies its own -- by radicalizing his critics under the guise of "moral clarity." Some recent examples: If you are not for us, then you are against us. If you are not for Bush's tax cuts, then you are against economic recovery. If you are not for the bombing of Afghanistan, then you are against the war on terror. If you are not for the exploration of oil in the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge, then you are against energy independence.
In the case of Mr. Bradley, his arguments are: if you are not for my proposal, then you are against progress; if you are not for my right to build on my land, then you are against individual freedom; and if you are not for commercial development, then you are against free-market capitalism. If only this issue were that simple. I shall address each statement in order.
Mr. Bradley stated in this interview that he has only altruistic motives in mind, that, through his development, he only wishes to allow others "to have the privilege of living on my mountains." Thus, anyone opposed to his plans wants, in his view, "to prevent others from sharing this gorgeous area." Ah, such moral clarity -- either you are for Mr. Bradley's development or you are against public philanthropy.
If Mr. Bradley, truly wishes to allow others-- all others -- to share this gorgeous area, then all he needs to do is return the land to the way it was before he acquired it. That way, anyone with a good pair of hiking boots, rather than a huge endowment, can enjoy "his" mountains.
Mr. Bradley also stated in this interview that, to the extent there will be any impact on the area, it will be limited. Most of the buyers, he asserts, will not have children needing local schooling and will only visit on the weekends (just like, I suppose, in the Hamptons with its endless weekend traffic jams and overcrowded streets, stores and restaurants). The moral message here is: either you are for the addition of these homes or you are hopelessly (or conveniently) xenophobic.
Putting aside the difficulty of reconciling Mr. Bradley's argument that the buyers, who he claims will be just weekenders and will somehow "appreciate and care for the land" more than full-time residents, I do not think the measure of the impact of his proposed development will have on the surrounding area can be limited to its effect on a few classrooms. There is much more at stake here, as the EIS, when ultimately drafted, will most certainly confirm.
Finally, Mr. Bradley said in his interview that, with the influx of people his homes will bring, "all shall be better off." More jobs will be created and businesses will prosper. Once again, moral clarity -- either you are for 350 homes, a golf course and a sewage treatment plant in Gardiner or you are against economic growth, wealth and prosperity.
Obviously, those values are very important, of not most important, to Mr. Bradley. However, what he fails to take into consideration are the values of this community -- as previously expressed in its local zoning laws, as currently expressed in public debate, and as to be expressed in the town's master plan. There are things more important to many of us, especially in this area, than exploiting land for its maximum return on investment.
Mr. Bradley could have stopped there, but he then when one step farther and, like the Bush Administration does when critics would question the efficacy of its actions, Mr. Bradley resorted to childish name-calling. Just as quickly as France and Germany became "Old Europe" and anti-American and ingrates, Mr. Bradley's opponents became "Nazis" and compulsive protesters ("the kind who protest anything . . . just for the sake of protesting") and selfish ("those who want to maintain . . . their own little piece of heaven").
I am a member of the Save the Ridge organization. I have attended many of their meetings and met many of their members. And I can assure Mr. Bradley that we are not Nazis (a term, partly on religious grounds, I find patently offensive) or compulsive protesters or selfish. We are simply trying to represent and defend the values that were established long before Mr. Bradley made his money and acquired "his mountains."
Before concluding, I would like to respond to an argument that I have heard all too often from Mr. Bradley's supporters. And that is, if you recently purchased a home in this area, then you of all people have no right to challenge development, for if it were not for such development, you would not even be here.
What Mr. Bradley's supporters fail to realize, or choose to ignore, is that none of Mr. Bradley's critics would deny him his right to develop his land. What I and all others opposed to his plans object to is the scale and composition of his development. It is all a matter of degree.
I recently purchased a new home in this area. It is a simple two-story colonial on two acres of land, constructed in a matter consistent with community laws and standards. I do not see how that disqualifies me (or others similarly situated) from opposing the construction of 350 homes, a sewage treatment plant and a golf course on a far more visible and valuable parcel of land, in a manner that current laws and standards do not allow.
And so I ask Mr. Bradley and his supporters not to radicalize their critics, not to engage in clever semantics, but rather to engage in a meaningful and productive debate without resort to insults, invective and innuendo. That way, even if we never agree on what is best for this area, at least we can respect each other and ourselves for what we tried to achieve.
Scott A. Klion, Gardiner

New Paltz Times
August 14, 2003

As a Gardiner resident for over 14 years, I have found the proposed Awosting Reserve very disconcerting. To the overwhelming majority of residents, this issue is a "no-brainer." I don't get how the proposal ever got as far as it did. While I understand it has been withdrawn for the time being, I am certain that the well-financed development corporation will return with perhaps a scaled-down version of their original. They appear to be, at the very least, impervious to public opinion. I only hope the government of the Town of Gardiner is not.
Our beautiful, unspoiled mountain ridge and surrounding wilderness are one of the main attractions to all of us who live here and to the many tourists whose visits our local economy depends on. We do not want it to be ruined simply because some ruthless developer took advantage of the naiveté of a few of his neighbors and/or their heirs and bought up all their land over the years.
Note that in all the preceding years that this land was owned by others, no such plan was ever conceived. As a former resident of the neighborhood where the proposed development was to be built, I have had the privilege of hiking through much of that land. Gone are the days when my husband and I could knock on a door and secure the landowner's blessings for our hike through her hills and woods. There was an implicit respect between owner and those who "borrowed" the land for an afternoon for their own pleasure, that it remain unscathed by anything more permanent than a footprint. And so it did -- for many, many years!
Many voices have already spoken about the myriad problems even a smaller-scaled development would create. Its impacts included traffic congestion, erosion and road runoff, depletion of groundwater and extensive environmental destruction. The latter includes the damage to the habitat of wildlife such as the bobcat and timber rattlesnake (which are currently endangered) and the devastation of various species of plants -- some that are unique to this area, like the dwarf pine forest growing on bedrock, which is the largest of its kind in the world. Moreover, the lavish views of the Shawangunk Mountain ridges would be forever disrupted by huge houses, roads and the "gates" that separate them from the rest of us.
All of these are irrevocable changes forced upon a rural, bucolic community that does not want to be altered. If you want to join in opposing these changes, please support those who have organized Save the Ridge. Contact them at 895-5577 or www.savetheridge.com.
Wendy K. Rudder, Gardiner

Time to be deliberate
Times Herald Record
July 30, 2003

I have previously written in support of a moratorium for Gardiner and in opposition to the "Awosting Preserve" sham.

A lawsuit would be the only responsible response to the town's refusal to have a moratorium at this time. A 25-year-old plan that is not consistent with our own zoning laws is embarrassing and reckless at a time like this with the pressure to develop our beautiful piece of this wonderful area.

Let's not pit Gardiner resident against Gardiner resident. A slow, thoughtful, fair deliberation will help insure our town's continued well-being, gentle lifestyle and pleasant neighborly atmosphere.

We must carefully consider our future before any more work can be done on a proposal of the size and impact of a 350-home development on the most scenic icon of our region. Others are in the wings waiting to see how you respond. Our town's whole essence is at stake.

Let's take the time to do it right.
Steven and Ginny Levinsky
Gardiner

Don't pave paradise
Times Herald Record
July 16, 2003

The plan is to build a gated community, access restricted to residents of the development. The Shawangunk Ridge is designated as "one of earth's last great places." This means the world, not just one area. Where do we go when our air and water are deemed totally useless?

The impacts of this development would be loss of a huge piece of mountain slope that should be accessible to all, not just a selected few. School groups, geologists, ecologists and others that study the area find that it holds many endangered species of all kinds.

The runoff from extra sewage and lawn chemicals would be very detrimental to the environment. When people complain about the "smells" of the farms and dairies, do they think that products just magically appear on the store shelves?

We cannot be so greedy as to think we can build and take over any area. California homes slide down the cliffs and beach-front homes are swept back into the ocean; don't forget that old saying "Don't mess with Mother Nature."

Remember the song "Big Yellow Taxi"? We cannot stand back and watch our paradise get paved over and put up a parking lot.
Lola Kusumoto
Newburgh

Protect the Ridge
Times Herald Record
July 16, 2003

I've lived in the Town of Gardiner for two and a half years now, and I must say, it's a great town to live in. It's a small community, and everyone is so friendly.

I'm writing in regard to the proposed hotel and large housing project on the Shawangunk Ridge. I see signs all over, "Protect the Ridge." I hope with enough pressure, the ridge will be protected. I'm sure the readers will agree with me. Save the Ridge.
Eileen Vidal
New Paltz

Special thanks
Times Herald Record
June 26, 2003

Many dedicated Save the Ridge volunteers have been working diligently over the last several months in an effort to protect the magnificent Shawangunk ridge from the Awosting Reserve luxury development – a proposal for up to 350 houses with a golf course in the towns of Gardiner and Shawangunk.

I want to thank two special people who donated their exceptional talents to the cause.

Brenda Bufalino, a world-renowned tap dancer, gave a fund raiser for Save the Ridge on May 10, at the Backstage Studio in Kingston. She tapped to the jazz accompaniment of her band and singer Jay Clayton before a sold-out audience in a stunning tour-de-force.

Daniel Brownstein, an award-winning geology teacher, led a protest hike for Save the Ridge on May 17 in Minnewaska State Park. He drew upon his impressive and thorough knowledge of the topography while showing a group of 120 hikers the area that would be developed by the Awosting Reserve and Chaffin/Light. His impassioned pleas reminded us of the potential devastation that this unique and fragile resource is facing.

These wonderful people, in giving so generously of their time, energy and remarkable skills, encourage and empower all of us to fight the good fight and save the ridge.
Angela Sisson
Coordinating Committee
Save the Ridge
Wallkill

SPECTACULAR GORGE LOST TO DEVELOPMENT
Public Will Be Denied Access to Palmahgatt Kill Gorge if Awosting Reserve Becomes a Subdivision STR Press Release
April 18, 2003

SHAWANGUNK, NY (April 18, 2003) – The most spectacular gorge in the Shawangunk Mountains, which The Nature Conservancy has called "One of Earth’s Last Great Places," would be permanently lost to area residents and thousands of tourists per year if the proposed development of Awosting Reserve to a private gated community were to become a reality. According to Pete Conde, a member of Save The Ridge, a citizens group opposing the development, residents would prefer to see the 2660-acre tract become part of Minnewaska State Park Preserve.

“The shale gorge of the Palmaghatt Kill is unique for its extreme narrowness and great depth – 250 feet deep near its upper end,” Mr. Conde said. “It can be seen from miles away as a dark, winding ravine flowing down the mountainside through the cleft that separates Gertrude’s Nose and Hamilton Point. Further along its path, the Kill passes over two waterfalls, each about 50 feet high, and in wet weather, a tributary brooklet plunges over the side of the gorge at the point of its maximum depth.”

According to Mr. Conde, the proposed development calls for a road and several houses overlooking the west side of the gorge for much of its length, and two road crossings of the kill in the wetlands above the gorge. Many of the proposed houses lie in this watershed area, a high, level valley that separates the two ridges of the mountain where the Palmaghatt Kill flows before its steep descent through the gorge. “Vegetation and water quality will both be compromised by development, and the wilderness character of this priceless scenic resource would be destroyed,” warned Mr. Conde.

Attack on the Gunks
Times Herald Record
April 6, 2003

The Bradley/Chaffin Light gated community subdivision of 350 luxury homes proposed for the Shawangunk Ridge is extraordinary as it will exploit and destroy the very scenery we in the Shawangunk Valley and untold visitors enjoy. More importantly, it will set a precedent if approved, create an environmental nightmare and strain community resources without community benefit.
Here are major issues:

There is no topsoil, only clay hardpan and boulders over shale.
Drainage is by runoff, there is no percolation. Disturbance equals erosion.
Steep grades up to 30 percent. How will cutouts, ditches and roads be stabilized? How can porous material over nonporous material for roads stay in place?
Is there water under the rock to support houses, lawns and pools? Consider drought and fire.
Chemical and salt from the lawns and roads will wind up in designated wetlands.
Traffic impact to Shawangunk and Gardiner roads, deterioration of property values.
Sewage treatment plant discharge into intermittent stream classified as a trout stream, which will flow into protected wetlands below.
Endangered species like the Eastern rattler need to be considered.
Many issues surround this subdivision. See www.savetheridge.com, for information and please write the appropriate people.

Stephen Aumick
Wallkill

Leave Ridge alone
Times Herald Record
April 2, 2003

My family and I hiked the Shawangunk Ridge many times over 35 years ago, before Mr. Bradley moved to the community. It belonged to the Girl Scouts, and it was enjoyed by many people.

I had to laugh when Mr. Bradley made a comment in The New York Times (Dec. 7) about how the hikers were making deep ruts in the ground. Just what does he think will happen when they blast, dig, carve roads and cut trees to build 349 homes? Mr. Bradley has called himself a conservationist, as opposed to an environmentalist.

I don't think this development is an act of conservation. Maybe he should consider becoming an environmentalist and do what is right for the land – leave it alone.
C. Torchio
Shawangunk

Judge for yourself
Times Herald Record
March 12, 2003

Ralph Erenzo (Letters, March 1) knows very well that the bulletin board on the Save the Ridge Web site is open to anyone (otherwise he wouldn't be able practically to monopolize it as he has), and he knows, as we have explained to him there and personally, that statements that have offended him have nothing to do with tactics of Save the Ridge. Marching on people's homes? Thanks for the idea, Ralph, but it's not ours; you can have it back.

We do not understand why he is working so hard to discredit us on the bulletin board itself and now in your newspaper. We are a sincere, principled group of people who are working hard, peacefully and legally, to implement the desire of the stunningly large majority of people who live near or care about the Awosting Reserve section of the Shawangunk Ridge.

As the Letters column of your paper attests, that desire is that the ridge not be desecrated by a huge gated subdivision stretching from Gertrude's Nose to Mud Pond, valley floor to ridge top.

We invite readers to check out www.savetheridge.com, visit our meetings announced there and judge for themselves.
Patty Lee Parmalee
Save the Ridge Coordinating Committee
Shawangunk

Hinchey a leader on Awosting issue
Poughkeepsie Journal
March 17, 2003

Thanks to U.S. Rep. Maurice Hinchey for attending the meeting held at Wallkill High School on Feb. 6 regarding the Awosting Reserve.

His remarks echoed the feeling of many attendees. We are very concerned about the impact this project may have on our towns. We appreciate his recognizing the federal role in this matter. He accurately identified the Shawangunk Range as an area encompassing three states: New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. This tri-state geography lends itself to a federal approach.

As he so aptly pointed out, our small towns are ill-equipped to process a development application of such magnitude and complexity. We commend his enthusiasm in volunteering to help us in our time of need. His background in environmental matters makes him eminently qualified to provide leadership in protecting this national resource. We are sure he can cut through the red tape that so often creates delays in actually realizing some sort of relief.

We are sure he can assist us in questions concerning individual property rights, identifying the actual area to be protected and drafting the regulating legislation needed to protect this magnificent mountain range.

We understand there are a number of other congresspersons and senators who will have to agree on the federal level. We will do our part to enlist the support of town supervisors and county officials in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Jack Hayes, Town of Gardiner Supervisor
John Valk, Town of Shawangunk Supervisor
Richard Craft, Town of Wawarsing Supervisor

Development will drain life – and magic – from ridge
My View
Times Herald Record
March 12, 2003
By Dave Colavito

The development threats currently looming over the Shawangunk Ridge, if left unchecked, will drain its lifeblood and deprive all who care about it from the physical, emotional and economic well-being that they derive from their intimacy with this place. The process will continue along that familiar trajectory of incremental compromise. And at each point the ridge will move further away from its vibrant past towards some insidious threshold, destined to become one more address in the largely manufactured world of "Rancho Anywhere" – fully appointed with pockets of refugia for trophy homes and golf courses, coming at the expense of the landscape and those who hold it dear.

This outcome will owe itself to the fact that the magic of this living place is due in large measure to its wholeness, just as surely as the loss of a limb would cause you or me to behave very differently.

The conservation biology is well-documented and compelling. Continued fragmentation of core habitat reduces genetic exchange, producing island populations of wildlife that are not biologically viable over time. In addition, the rapid spread of noxious invasive weeds into areas disturbed by new development further taxes wildlife's ability to respond to environmental stresses such as a harsh winter, disease and wildfire – purple loosestrife, though most beautiful to look at, is all but useless to natives.

A healthy ridge permits genetic exchange with adjacent core regions of the Catskill Park to the north and Hudson Highlands to the south. And the health of this combined region is critical in providing linkage corridors even further north and south throughout the Appalachian system extant.

Foresighted conservationists at the beginning of the last century understood the human spirit's need for wild places and solitude. I think maybe we have forgotten some of their hard- learned lessons. I remember as a younger man when gasoline was in short supply; reports of price gouging made regular news. Did we say that a service station proprietor should be able to "strike while the iron is hot," "make a killing" at the expense of those who needed fuel?

As you may recall, we did not. There was a sense of fairness that took priority over someone's desire to simply make a buck. Gasoline was viewed as essential, and you didn't jack around with that.

It's hard for me to explain; that feeling of a hard late autumn storm, pressing against my body, as I move through blinding snow while traveling along the ridge; the sight of the Leonids exploding off the eastern face, as I make my way through the inky blackness beneath the night sky; or the gratitude I feel for the gift of deer, that comes to me from a wild place and helps sustain me through the coming year.

And although on clear days pockets of development can be seen in some directions from the ridge, a sense of solitude can still be found. Let's face it; we simply don't have the vast expanses of designated wilderness found in western states. But we're grateful for what we do have. It's an essential resource – and we shouldn't jack around with it.
Dave Colavito lives in Rock Hill.

Save the ridge
Times Herald Record
March 12, 2003

Shame on John Bradley for preaching conservation and protecting natural resources and then proposing a major housing development on a critical environmental area.

I attended a meeting last night and was shocked to see where he wants to build this major development.

Please visit www.savetheridge.com and sign up to help save this pristine environmental area.
John W. Scott
Walker Valley

Plans are a joke
Times Herald Record
March 9, 2003

The plans proposed for the Awosting Reserve by landowner John Bradley and Chaffin Light Associates are a joke! Their vision of a community of wealthy families living harmoniously on the Shawangunk Ridge with minimal impact to the sensitive ecosystem is just not realistic.

Bradley and CLA have portrayed themselves as conservation-minded people who want to do what is best to preserve the character of the community and landscape. In reality, they are only interested in obtaining the maximum amount of MONEY for the land.

If conservation was a primary concern for this land, why would Bradley have turned down offers from organizations like The Nature Conservancy to buy the land and have it added to Minnewaska State Park? Why couldn't he create his own private nature preserve and charge a modest fee for membership and environmental education? The answer is simple. They can make so much more money selling off 2,000-plus acres for multimillion-dollar homes and creating a playground for the rich.

The Shawangunks are a rare and special place and should be protected at all costs. To lose such a large portion of the ridge to such senseless urban sprawl would be a crime not only to us but to future generations as well.
Christopher J. Kuhlow
Port Jefferson

Preserve the Ridge
Times Herald Record
March 8, 2003

The huge gated housing project proposed for 2,660 fragile acres on the Shawangunk Ridge is bad for our towns, bad for our mountain.

Previous generations – the Esopus and Lenape tribes, the huckleberry pickers, woodsmen and hikers – left no footprint there. The 349 McMansions planned for construction (which developers Chaffin/Light claim will be invisible and prophecy will be bought by childless environmentalists who will only be around on weekends) would, in contrast, assault our senses, injure our souls, deface the slope and mock our distinctly ungated rural communities for all generations to come.

The Awosting Reserve parcel, owned by John Atwater Bradley (JAB!) is privately held and not accessible to the public. Located in the center of Shawangunk Ridge, it is nonetheless crucial to view-shed and wildlife corridors and integral to the thump of joy a proximate wilderness imparts to the overcivilized soul.

Apparently, Mr. Bradley wasn't reserving Awosting "Reserve" for its peerless natural attributes, but merely as a monetary commodity of prosaic barter. Shame on him for the pretense of his "stewardship."

Shame on Chaffin/Light for their eagerness to erect a principality in our midst.

Shame on us all if we allow it to happen.
J. Hershberger
Pine Bush

Readers oppose building on Shawangunk Ridge
Times Herald Record
March 4, 2003

The Awosting project to create a gated community on the ridge has introduced us to Plan A. Plan A is designed to be so terrifying, so overwhelming, so destructive, that the peasantry runs for cover. Well, Chaffin/Light's plan for the Gunks was all of that. But, mirabile dictu, we're not cowering.

Plan A was overkill; it was met by a fire wall of community opposition. At a meeting at Wallkill High School, Rep. Maurice Hinchey and a very bipartisan audience joined to blow Plan A out of the water. This is not political; Chaffin/ Light insulted ALL OF US.

Now is the time for Plan B. This might consist of a little tweaking; knock off that "cottage" sitting at a 75-degree angle on that cliff face. Or, perhaps more seriously, Awosting LLC agrees to sell some set-asides (on terrain you couldn't build on anyway) to a conservation group; then, using the money, start blasting away for "retreats."

As my nonna from Sicily used to say, "That dog won't hunt."

When we get to Plan Z, remember when Roger Beck said that something was going to be built on the ridge, even if it was just a "teepee and a putt putt"; when we get to THAT plan, let's talk, guys.
Gioia Shebar
Gardiner

Readers oppose building on Shawangunk Ridge
Times Herald Record
March 4, 2003

How dare the out-of-state developers, Chaffin/Light, whose proposed 349 houses, golf course, private restaurant and sewage plant, would desecrate Shawangunk Ridge, pose as "eco-friendly neighbors?"

Their specialty of searching the globe for environmentally fragile places to put houses and golf courses in is as loathsome as it gets. And good neighbors do not require gated communities. They can dress it in a tutu, but it's still a pig.

The only eco-friendly, neighborly decision is for the developers to leave our "Shongums" as they found them – just a forest, a simple miracle, a priceless heritage from the elders present to the generations unborn.

Not blasted. Not paved. Not draining sewage.

Let Chaffin/Light, unenlightened as they are, move on to the next paradise they would desecrate for dollars. The fight for our Gunks will never end.

Save the ridge.
Michelle Chinnery
Hamlet of Wallkill

Readers oppose building on Shawangunk Ridge
Times Herald Record
March 4, 2003

As a rock climber, skydiver and Ulster County resident, I am appalled by the proposed Awosting Reserve housing development.

Shawangunk Ridge is our greatest community asset. It soothes our souls and makes our hearts beat fast, and it must not be exploited for the benefit of a superrich few.

Stop the Colorado developers from despoiling our beloved ridge.
Deedra Kaehler
Hamlet of Wallkill

Readers oppose building on Shawangunk Ridge
Times Herald Record
March 4, 2003

The world definitely functions in cyclical patterns. Here we are some 15 years after the Marriott Corp. was stopped from building, due to environmental and water concerns, on what is now Minnewaska State Park property. Now history repeats itself, with similar development interest percolating with the Awosting Reserve group wanting to develop the Shawangunk Ridge and lands adjoining Minnewaska State Park. With the purchase of the Phillips property by the state, Minnewaska State Park was born and one of the most beautiful places in the world was saved from mutilation by builders.

My husband and I have been residents of Gardiner for the past eight years, choosing to relocate in the shadow of the Shawangunk Mountains, an area of unparalleled beauty, wildlife, streams, cliffs and mountains. The Shawangunk Ridge is an area that has to be saved for the generations to come to view, walk upon and to be able to regenerate their spirit so they can steward the land.

There is no greater gift that we can give ourselves, our children or their children, than an unblemished expanse of trees, mountains, streams and wildlife to embrace and sustain in a world of uncertainty environmentally, economically and politically. It is not too late to help save the ridge from development.
Lynne Svenningsen
Gardiner

'Gunks development proposal a travesty
Poughkeepsie Journal
March 4, 2003

The huge gated housing project proposed for 2,660 fragile acres on the Shawangunk Ridge would be bad for our towns and our mountain.

Previous generations -- the Esopus and Lenape tribes, the huckleberry pickers, woodsmen and hikers -- left no footprint there. The 349 McMansions pplanned for construction (which developer Chaffin/Light claims will be invisible and prophesy will be bought by childless environmentalists who will only be around on weekends) would, in contrast, assault our sense, injure our souls, deface the slope and mock our distinctly ungated rural communities, for all generations to come.

The Awosting Reserve parcel, owned by John Atwater Bradley, is privately held and inaccessible to the public. Located in the center of Shawangunk Ridge, it is nonetheless crucial to viewshed and wildlife corridors and integral to the thump of joy a proximate wilderness imparts to the over-civilized soul.

Apparently, Mr. Bradley wasn't reserving Awosting Reserve for its peerless natural attributes but merely as a monetary commodity of prosaic barter. Shame on him for the pretense of his ''stewardship.''

Shame on Chaffin/Light for its eagerness to erect a principality in our midst. Shame on us all if we allow it to happen.
J. Hershberger
Pine Bush

Ridge must be saved
Times Herald Record
March 1, 2003

Resistance to the development of the Shawangunk Ridge is not NIMBY (Not in My Back Yard).

Let's coin a more accurate acronym: NIMBUS (Not in Majestic Beauty – Unspoiled and Sacred).

This aggression will not stand. In the 19th century, Henry David Thoreau said that all universities should be situated at the base of a magnificent mountain so that at least the mountain would be remembered. These ridges are not merely remembered, but revered by those who have touched and been touched by them across centuries. Preservation of this undeveloped national treasure for unborn generations outweighs the aspirations of the few, or the one. This aggression will not stand.
Donald Kerr
New Paltz

Save the 'Gunks from greedy developers
Poughkeepsie Journal
Friday, February 28, 2003

How dare out-of-state developers Chaffin/Light, whose proposed 349 houses, golf course, private restaurant and sewage plant would desecrate Shawangunk Ridge, pose as ''eco-friendly neighbors''?

Their specialty of searching the globe for environmentally fragile places to put houses and golf courses is as loathsome as it gets. And good neighbors do not require gated communities.

They can dress it in a tutu, but it's still a pig.

The only eco-friendly, neighborly decision is for the developers to leave our ''Shongums'' as they found them -- just a forest, a simple miracle, a priceless heritage from the elders present to the generations unborn.

Not blasted. Not paved. Not draining sewage.

Let Chaffin/Light, unenlightened as they are, move on to the next paradise they would desecrate for dollars. The fight for our 'Gunks will never end.

Save the Ridge.
Michelle Chinnery
Wallkill

Playground for the rich
Times Herald Record
February 27, 2003

The gated community presented by the Awosting Ridge Plan will flow far beyond the fortress of its walls. If this plan becomes a reality, the Awosting Preserve will become a playground for the rich, with a pool, tennis courts, fitness center and an 18-hole golf course, and spreading 349 houses across 2,600 acres, leaving only small portions untouched.

The beatnik community of New Paltz and the quietness of Gardiner will be impinged upon due to the demands of an over-indulgent community. People living in urban areas will no longer have this place to become exposed to the influences of nature. The fauna and flora that reside there will be driven out or eradicated. This is a tragedy for the environment, for the people who love it and for the species that rely on it.

As a resident of the area, I am wholeheartedly opposed to development of this area and feel that the land should be handed over to the Minnewaska Preserve for protection.

Some things are better left as they are. Sometimes the need to capitalize should be passed by. Sometimes the need for natural beauty is most important. Please help preserve one of the last great places on Earth.
Tobi J. Krause
New Paltz

Ridge must be saved
Times Herald Record
February 26, 2003

As the sun slowly returns each day, my thoughts turn toward spring. Last month, while skiing on the ridge at Minnewaska, I was awestruck by spiny leaves of pine and spruce encased in cones of ice. A translucent blue-green color shone through, giving the trees an almost tropical glow. The contrast to the backdrop of snow-covered mountains confirmed the beauty of our universe.

On Dec. 23, a developer filed plans to build 349 houses for wealthy buyers. The community is up in arms about this and is mobilizing to save the ridge. For centuries, the history, economy and the ebb and flow of life in this part of the Hudson Valley has been intimately connected with the Shawangunk Ridge. This remains true today.

To allow 2,600 acres to be developed for the exclusive use of a few hundred people at a major cost to tens of thousands of residents and visitors is a travesty. Once this land is destroyed, the quality of life here will be forever depreciated. Please contact "Save the Ridge" at www.savetheridge.com or call 895-5577. This treasure has been preserved for us. Our efforts now can ensure that it will be around for generations to come.
Bruce Schneider
New Paltz

Issues neglected
Times Herald Record
February 23, 2003

Your reporter's article of Feb. 7 regarding Chaffin Light Associates' presentation of their planned development of the Awosting Reserve was of little benefit to anyone wishing to learn the details of what Chaffin Light proposes.

By deriding Rep. Hinchey's comments and the zealous response of the crowd, your reporter wrongly avoided providing readers a substantive account of the Chaffin Light plan and of the thoughtful responses from local residents.

Chaffin Light's presentation was polished and very informative. And yes, some in the audience allowed their emotions to run high in what was to be an opportunity for thoughtful give and take.

However, while the apparent intention of the presentation was to persuade the community of the supposed benefits of the development, ironically it appeared to reinforce the widely held sense that the Awosting Reserve project would have an overwhelmingly negative impact. This was reflected in the comments and questions that followed the presentation, a fact somehow not compelling enough for your reporter's article.

I believe your reporter's focus on Rep. Hinchey's speech opposing Chaffin Light Associates' plan to build housing along the Shawangunk Ridge exposed his own bias – at the expense of more relevant issues.
Joseph D. Yeomans
Hamlet of Wallkill

Protect the ridge
Times Herald Record
February 18, 2003

The developer calls the plan "a conservation-based community," "dedicated to the preservation and enjoyment of the unique natural and scenic resources of the Shawangunk Ridge." But the existence of this development would reduce the Reserve's significant natural resources to a fraction of what they are today.

The developer's conservation verbiage masks the significant impacts of this project. Facts belie the words. "Exploitation" better describes the plan. No matter what earthy color the 300+ houses are painted, their presence will significantly mar our view.

Effects of this project would be far-reaching and long term. The New York Staten Open Space Plan states: "The protection of the northern Shawangunks is critical to maintaining the input of high quality water to the Rondout and Wallkill Valleys," describing the Ridge as "one of the highest priority areas for biodiversity conservation in the northeastern United States."

As one of the region's most significant natural resources, the Shawangunk Ridge is not an appropriate site for this development. Surely we can be responsible stewards of the land, plan development in less sensitive areas, and protect the best of our region's natural heritage.
Karen Schneller-McDonald
Pine Bush

Keep development out
Times Herald Record
February 18, 2003

I am writing to voice my outrage at the plan that has been proposed to develop the Shawangunk Ridge in Ulster County. Over 2,700 acres would be altered in the building of a gated community that would contain over 200 houses and a golf course. This would be extremely detrimental to New Paltz, Gardiner and the surrounding towns. Preservation of this area is very important for the environment.

The Nature Conservancy has called it "one of the Earth's last great places." Surely that sheds some light on how valuable "the Gunks" truly are. As a student at SUNY New Paltz, I have grown to love this town as my own.

It breaks my heart to think of coming back here in five or 10 years and finding the mountains covered in houses. I know that there are lots of people around here who don't want to see that happen. If everyone does his or her part to speak up, the development can be stopped.
Jacqueline Lehmann
New Paltz

Choice seems obvious
Times Herald Record
January 21, 2003

Recent plans for development in the Shawangunks has become of great concern for local residents and visitors who frequently come to this area to enjoy its unspoiled beauty and solitude. The debate among residents, environmentalists, John Bradley and developers on how best to use the land will no doubt become heated and lead to difficult decisions.

When I'm faced with a difficult decision, I compose a list of all the pros and cons to help me make a more informed decision. So here goes.

The cons: loss of habitat for globally and locally rare plants and animals, fertilizer and pesticide runoff from the golf course and private properties would contaminate ground water, open spaces created by development and new roads would allow invasive plant and animal species to invade into pristine areas and change the character of the existing ecosystem, further strain on local water supplies, the continued presence of people would adversely affect wildlife, the scenic beauty of the ridge would be permanently marred, etc.

The pros: John Bradley and Chaffin Light Associates will earn millions of dollars, and 300-plus wealthy individuals will own land in one of "The Last Great Places on Earth."

Isn't the choice obvious now?
Chris Kuhlow
Port Jefferson/Newburgh

Save The Gunks
Times Herald Record
January 9, 2003

It is with great concern that I have learned about the proposed development of 349 houses by landowner John Bradley along the Shawangunk Ridge in Gardiner.

The Shawangunk is home to a wonderful biodiversity, which includes four rare natural habitats and 27 rare plant and animal species. It is also a destination of thousands of tourists and residents who like to hike, bike and rock-climb on and around the cliffs. It is imperative that the community members, from close and afar, get involved in this course of action.

We must conserve this beautiful and natural resource for generations to come. Participate in town meetings to voice your opposition. Log on to www.savetheridge.com and see how you can make a difference in this process.

I hope that those who enjoy the unspoiled ridge will feel the urge to get involved and join others who, like them, want to preserve one of the wonders of the earth.
Myriam Bouchard
New Paltz

Can't put woods back
Times Herald Record
January 8, 2003

Once touted as a "Forever Wild" nature preserve, the Bradley parcel now turns out to be just another REIT (real estate investment trust). Professionals have been brought in to make the development plan palatable to us yokels.

"We had to destroy the town to save it," rings in my ears from another era.

One thing is certain: When all the golf carts, helicopters and sewage plants come, you cannot put the woods back.

These people have nothing but exploitation for the mountain and everyone in the valley is going to have to live with it.
Ed Hershberger
Gardiner

Leave the Ridge as is
Times Herald Record
December 29, 2002

I am writing to express my horror at the prospect of building 350 houses on the Shawangunk Ridge. Mr. Bradley contends these homes will be eco-friendly. Even the dullest among us knows that is impossible. He claims to love the Ridge and loves breathing the mountain air (New York Times, Dec. 7). Is this why you want to build homes on it? To improve the air?

We must do everything possible to stop construction on the Ridge. Let's keep the air as it is.
Tim and Charlotta Phillips
Pine Bush

View is endangered
Times Herald Record
December 22, 2002

The anticipated proposal to develop the Shawangunk Ridge by John Bradley has become an issue of immense concern to the community in and around Gardiner. (For information on some of those concerns, see www.savetheridge.com.) The property at issue is a pristine, undeveloped sweep, no buildings, no roofs, no lights, nothing – just the view. A concept called "view-shed," likened to a watershed, where the public has certain view "rights," would apply to this property.

In the coming months, many questions will be raised: Does a property owner have the right to develop his property as he sees fit? What happens when development conflicts with the rural character of the community? What about adverse affects on local water supplies, drainage, salt run-off, increased traffic, school taxes and stresses on other community services?

These and many related issues need to be addressed and researched. Although I can't begin to think of all, let alone answer the questions now, this much I know is true: For the thousands who enjoy the view today and for the millions who would enjoy it in the years to come, a development on the ridge would render the view gone – gone forever.
Angela Sisson
Town of Shawangunk

New Paltz Times
December 12, 2002

A recent article describes a large-scale housing project to be located at the very heart of the protected portion of the Northern Shawangunk Ridge. This letter is a truncated and feeble attempt to provide citizens with a short list of what we stand to lose. The Northern Shawangunks are a fragile wild landscape and maybe half of the wild land is protected in an approximately 25,000 acre core with some kind of forever wild status. This core includes Minnewaska State Park Preserve, Mohonk Preserve, Sam's Point Preserve, and a few other parcels. All the rest of the wooded land adjacent to the ridge and visible from those spectacular views is privately owned. This core of protected land is much too isolated; both by geographic features like cliffs and rivers and much more by human features like roads, lawns and subdivisions. Small developments constantly nibble at this protected area but this project is more equivalent to losing a limb.

Studies have shown that many small animals, vertebrate and arthropod will not travel across an opening in the canopy. You know, like the one that occurs when you arrive at a road, the long one that acts as a wall for these species. Roads also act as execution grounds for small animals, particularly reptiles and amphibians. This causes fragmentation of the habitat for these species and isolates their populations. The more isolated a population, as you will remember from high school biology, the weaker the genome and so the weaker that population. Populations are left vulnerable because of this and species start to disappear in a process called ecosystem decay. Why should we care about these small creatures? If the argument that everything has a place in nature is not adequate, then note that these small animals are an important part in the daily lives of the big stuff, trees and other plants, larger animals... Just as you can't digest your food without the symbiotic bacteria that lines your gut, these are the pollinators, the pest eaters and the seed dispersers. Our forests are already in a weakened state because of this decay. Every tree species faces some disease or insect pest, some are so far winning the battle and some, like the American Elm and Beech, are vanishing.

The wetlands of the Palmaghatt Ravine are unique because they are relatively undisturbed. There is no monoculture of Phragmites or purple loosestrife there as in so many of our wetlands. Even if these wealthy "environmentally concerned" homebuilders choose to landscape with native plants the very roads they use for access will introduce invasive species. The recent ice storm toppled many trees and wrenched large limbs from them. This creates openings in the forest with opportunities for new plants to grow. This is a natural forest process. Today, most of the species around to colonize these openings are native species. But the buffer that protects this place is tiny. A housing development in the heart of the Shawangunks will introduce exotic species simply because of the road building that must accompany it. Not to mention the exotic plants that people are likely to plant in their yards.

Bird feeders in such a place are likely to attract things other than birds. Feeders spread disease among wild living birds. Black bears love bird seed. Our small population of resident bears, like the pair that I saw during a school program a few weeks ago, is wild. They are not nuisance bears that associate people with food. A great way to create a nuisance bear is with a bird feeder, garbage or human occupation of their space. Of course, such homeowners will not tolerate these "problem" animals in their yards even if they did create the problem. And so they will be shot...legally...in any season by a homeowner who has the right to do so.

The pets people keep are a huge problem for wildlife. I would not like to see our last breeding pair of hooded warblers disappear down the gullet of some pampered house cat. Or our bobcats run off by someone's terrier. A fragmented woodland is an anemic shadow of a red full-blooded wilderness. Our eastern forests are not true wilderness but they are recovered from the last episode of major disturbance a hundred years ago. There is a continuum of wildness depending upon the level of disturbance. What happens with fragmentation is that you get these smaller and smaller islands and you lose large wildlife. We have no moose, no elk, no mountain lions, and no wolves. In the Shawangunks we have many species such as a deer and coyote that are not dependent on high quality, intact forest, that is diverse and mainly comprised of native species. The Shawangunks do harbor species that are dependent on intact forest like fishers, porcupines and bobcats. Will we lose these?

Despite a recent uninformed diatribe in this column regarding the role of SEQRA in local governmental process what we need to know is that with a project adjacent to state land as this one is, we all have standing under SEQRA. That state land belongs to all of us, it is held in our trust and so it is as if we are all adjacent landowners. This project will definitely impact the view from Minnewaska State Park Preserve. It will be clearly visible from Millbrook Mountain, Castle Point and Hamilton Point and their adjacent carriageways. These are the spectacular views that have inspired thousands of people.

The owners of such properties should be people who recognize what they have. People who recognize more than dollar signs when they enjoy their properties. They cannot replace what we lose; they cannot create what nature has made. These places should be left as havens for fishers, bobcats and mountain ash trees. Please leave space for nature to do its work. Please be a very great human being and leave this place free of human dwellings and big machines.
Hatti Langsford

Land Should Be Saved!
Times Herald Record
December 7, 2002

The Awosting Preserve is a large, pristine stretch of land on the Shawangunk Ridge that, by virtue of its location and topography, should logically be a seamless extension of Minnewaska State Park. Incorporating this property into the pre-existing park would benefit the many people who annually trek along the ridge seeking the retreat of an unspoiled wilderness, and whose visits would be marred by a view cluttered by a subdivision containing hundreds of homes.

Acquisition of this land by the state or some other nonprofit organization from the present landowner for a fair and equitable price would forestall such an intrusive development and would permanently ensure the ridge's character.

I therefore encourage Mr. Bradley to take the enlightened step of accepting the offer tendered to him by the Nature Conservancy and sell his property to this civic-minded organization.
Irwin Cantor
Wallkill

Loot over legacy
Times Herald Record
December 1, 2002

John Bradley s plan for development on the Shawangunk Ridge is an obscenity. The self-declared steward of his Awosting preserve, Mr. Bradley has apparently concluded that clearing, paving and populating the forest is good conservation policy, an act of stewardship. It is an act of greed.

His out-of-state developer s likely marketing strategy will be: Get YOUR piece of one of the last great places on the planet! Housing development is not, obviously, evil in and of itself but on the beloved Shawangunk Ridge, it constitutes assault on a tangible heaven.

Thousands of people behold the Gunks every day: Hearts sing because of it. But gashed by roads, pocked by structures, infused by waste and cacophonous with SUVs and cocktail parties, it will no longer be that Last Great Place. It will be like anywhere else and nothing at all like heaven.

Those who truly love the ridge must now unite forcefully in defense of its priceless, endangered wilderness.

It is said that Mr. Bradley wants a Bradley monument to be erected on his land. It would presumably be located near the sewage treatment plant featured in his development plan.

He has chosen loot over legacy.
Janet Kern
Pine Bush

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