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The Shawangunk Ridge is facing a number of threats. Below are a list of some of the ones we are monitoring. Please review and check our "what you can do" section of each of the below threats.
  • Seven Peaks Development in Mamakating
     A major development called Seven Peaks, on 650 acres along the top and both sides of the Shawangunks, is proposed in Mamakating. (Updated March 29th, 2010)

  • Basherkill Subdivision
     Orange County Holding Company, LLC is proposing to build 354 single-family units, two retail developments, and recreational facilities on an undeveloped site of 636 acres adjacent to the Basha Kill Wildlife Management Area. The development, known as the Basherkill Subdivision, is bounded by Route 211, Route 62 and Port Orange Road in the Town of Deerpark. (Updated August 26, 2008)

  • Williams Lake
     A plan to build a gated community on 1145 acres at Williams Lake in Rosendale threatens to end public access to long-accessible natural resources and change the social fabric of the community. Local citizens opposed to the project as planned have organized as Save the Lakes.
    Visit their website to stay current with this issue. (Updated July 07, 2008)

  • Kingwood Subdivision Targets Ridge Towns- Scaled-down plan calls for 999 Sullivan homes. (Updated September 21, 2007)

  • A City Proposed for Mamakating! - Developers get set to propose a planned community — a city from scratch — on a 450-acre site that once was home to the Homowack Hotel near the Sullivan/Ulster County border. (Updated September 17, 2007)

  • Catskill Casinos Threaten Ridge - Three casinos authorized for the Catskills by the NYS legislature and Gov. Pataki pose a major threat to our region's environmental integrity: increased traffic, increased road and home building, increased commercial development, decreased importance of ecological values. (Updated January 6, 2008)

  • Basha Kill photo by Kerry ClairMushroom Plant - Basha Kill - Local citizens and groups in and around Mamakating are working to stop the approval of an 825,000+ square foot mushroom plant that would adjoin both the upper reaches of the Basha Kill and the historic D&H Canal Linear Park. This major development proposal will have very serious environmental impacts on the Basha Kill watershed and the Ridge if it goes forward. (Updated April 2, 2009)

  • Powerline Could Impact Shawangunks - Plans Killed in 2009
    New York Regional Interconnect (NYRI) planned to build a $1 billion high-voltage power line from Utica to Orange County.     Among the most active of the local groups is SayNo2NYRI, based in Otisville, a community that would be among those most seriously disrupted by the powerline. Please also see related news articles. (Updated October, 2009)

  • Large Retreat Complex Planned in Cragsmoor — A Tibetan Buddhist group, Dharmakaya, Inc., has acquired a 91-acre site in Cragsmoor on which they intend to build the Mahamudra Buddhist Hermitage. Their plans include 17 buildings, totaling 78,000 square feet. The retreat is designed for long- and short-term retreats and larger gatherings of day guests six to eight times a year. The size of the project, unexpected by most, has become a source of concern for many Cragsmoor residents. Some of the issues revolve around number and size of buildings, design and placement, scope of programs, traffic and parking, water supply from drilled wells, sewage treatment, visual impact, and access from Cragsmoor Road. The Cragsmoor Association and the Preservation League of New York State in December 2005 submitted comments to the Town of Wawarsing Planning Board (lead agency) about the Scoping plan for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). Both called on the board to require the applicant to complete a rigorous DEIS. Stay tuned. Click here for more information. (Updated February 26, 2007)

  • Basha Kill photo by Kerry ClairWurtsboro Airport - The 480-acre Wurtsboro Airport in the Town of Mamakating, long a favorite for fans of gliders and soarplanes, is being eyed for more intensive development. A potential developer has an option to purchase the land, but his plans for it are not yet known. Some residents of the town would like to see the glider-oriented facilities at the airport continue with the remaining acreage devoted to a town park for residents west of the ridge. The town made an offer for the property, which, though it was the higher bid, was refused by the landowner. The possibility that the town might use its power of eminent domain to secure the land was discussed, but the board dismissed that option at its meeting on December 27, 2005. Stay tuned. Click here to read recent news article. (Updated January 13, 2005)

The Shawangunk Ridge Coalition needs your help. You donations make it possible for us to keep our work going to protect the beautiful Shawangunk Ridge.


Contact: Shawangunk Ridge Coalition, 156 Ramapo Valley Rd., Mahwah NJ 07430;
201-512-9348 x25; Email: info@shawangunkridge.org