Thirty-Fifth Annual Meeting
Of the Basha Kill Area Association
Sunday, October 21, 2007

What an active, challenging, productive year the BKAA has just experienced!

BKAA Board: Our board is comprised of extremely industrious, committed individuals, who are passionate about the environment and whose diverse talents yield an assemblage well qualified to administer this multi-faceted organization.

Certainly fitting this prototype but also contributing her own personal style and experiences is our newest board member, Jackie Broder. Jackie is a trained environmental educator whose knowledge and creativity will undoubtedly augment our nature programs and associated outreach venues.
Welcome, Jackie!

While relinquishing her position as treasurer after another two year stint, this one fraught with additional complexities due to increased fundraising, Susan Erny thankfully will remain on the board. Fellow board members applaud Susan's willingness these last several years to assume a role that necessarily compounded her BKAA obligations. Happily, Jon Reed will become our new treasurer.

The entire BKAA family grieved over the passing on 9/11/07 of long-time (20+ years) board member Florence Rothauser who was only the second recipient of the prestigious Great Blue Heron Award. Florence's passion for the Basha Kill and her relentless efforts to preserve and nurture it stand as a singular legacy and an imposing benchmark for the rest of us to emulate.

Developments in the Basha Kill Watershed:
After confronting countless improper projects whose impacts would negatively erode the Basha Kill landscape, it became apparent that those undertakings constituted not only today's hard reality but also that of the future. Ventures that precipitated the greatest expenditure of BKAA resources this year and presumably in the coming months entailed: Yukiguni Maitake, New York Regional Interconnect (NYRI), Casinos, Annexation, and the Kingwood, Fordham Estates, Homowack mega-enterprises.

Yukiguni Maitake

• March 8, 2007 - County Supreme Court Judge Robert A. Sackett ruled against the BKAA and Jodi Rubenstein in their Article 78 lawsuit against the Mamakating Planning Board for approving Yukigumi Maitake's special use permit and site plan.
• June - The BKAA filed an appeal with the Appellate Division of Judge Sackett"s ruling on the Yukiguni Maitake site plan/special use permit lawsuit.
• October 9 - Sometime after this date, the Appellate Division will schedule a meeting to hear oral arguments relating to the BKAA's appeal.
• To the best of our knowledge, Yukiguni has not fulfilled any of the numerous conditions imposed by the Planning Board when the latter rendered conditional approval of the applicant's site plan and special use permit on August 22, 2006. The developer was given 18 months from the time of approval to meet all requirements.

Casinos

• February 13, 2007 - A coalition of community and conservation organizations ( Natural Resources Defense Council, Sullivan County Farm Bureau, Catskill Center for Conservation and Development, and Orange Environment) filed a lawsuit in Federal Court in Manhattan, challenging a decision by the Bureau of Indian Affairs that developers did not need to perform an extensive environmental review of the project.
• February 19 - Governor Eliot Spitzer signed a comprehensive agreement allowing the St. Regis Mohawks to build a casino at Monticello Gaming and Raceway.
• The above referenced lawsuit is "on hold" until Secretary of the Interior, Dirk Kempthorne decides whether or not to take 30 acres of raceway land into trust for use of the Mohawks as sovereign territory. Despite being heavily lobbied by New York's political elite, Secretary Kempthorne has avoided taking a stance.
• Visit www.catskillmountainkeeper.org to sign a petition urging the Secretary to reject the land into trust scenario.

New York Regional Interconnect (NYRI) Power Line

• May 19, 2007 - Jon Reed represented the BKAA at an information - rally in the Town of Wallkill sponsored by Congressmen Maurice D. Hinchey and John Hall.
• June 9 - Paula Medley presented BKAA testimony before Congressman Hinchey's public hearing on the Department of Energy creating a National Interest Electric Transmission Corridor (NIETC) in New York. Jon Reed and Marcia Briggs Wallace also attended.
• July 1 - Jon Reed represented the BKAA at a public hearing on the NIETC matter, which was sponsored by Congressman Hall and held in Otisville.
• October 2 - The Department of Energy decided to site an NIETC in New York State which would award NYRI authority to initiate eminent domain proceedings and avoid obtaining all necessary state approvals when building it's power line.

Annexation

• November 2, 2006 - Paula Medley represented the BKAA at a joint public hearing before the Mamakating Town Board and Bloomingburg Village Board which had to resolve whether to approve annexation of several town properties into the village.
• The BKAA's statement requested that the hearing remain open until residents had a complete file to study.
• Furthermore , we maintained that annexation and the ensuing enormous development (100 luxury homes, 18-hole golf course, restaurant) should be co-analyzed in a Generic Environmental Impact Statement so that cumulative effects could be understood before an annexation vote.
• Despite our protests, both boards approved annexation the night of the hearing.
• The BKAA Board determined not to take further action with any expansion facilitated by this annexation as it would not be located within the Basha Kill Watershed.

Kingwood

• This proposition has undergone significant alterations these last several years.
• Initially, the plan called for 49 single family residences and a 200+ acre business park to be constructed adjacent to Wurtsboro Hills.
• Later, the project encompassed 560 dwelling units and 31 potential business center lots.
• Presently, the number of dwelling units proposed for Mamakating has increased from 560 to 641 while the size of the business park remains unchanged.
• Currently the Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner is considering whether the Town of Mamakating Planning Board or Town of Thompson Planning Board will assume the lead agency role for environmental review of this undertaking.

Fordham Estates

• This parcel, located adjacent to Mt. Vernon and Fordham Roads, is in Summitville.
• It embodies 563 acres divided into 234 single family lots.
• The lead agency role for this project has not yet been determined.

Homowack

• Construction of a city is proposed for the 450 acre site of the former resort.
• Development sponsors have not appeared before any Mamakating board.
• Nevertheless, the BKAA is currently informing its members and others concerning the potentially devastating environmental impacts of this immense enterprise.

Supervisor Penna's Outrageous Tactics
During his entire tenure, Mr. Penna has waged an unrelenting campaign to undermine and invalidate the BKAA's credibility. In the process, he has capitalized on residents' fears and evoked significant conflict within Mamakating. Mr. Penna's inflammatory methods produced the most heat in March when the supervisor placed an extremely provocative three page anti- BKAA diatribe on the Town's website (www.mamakating.org) as well as in handouts left at post offices , convenience stores, and in other businesses throughout the municipality.

Concurrently, Mr. Penna verbally "muscled" BKAA member Maryallison Farley off of the Mamakating Parks and Recreation Advisory Panel and endeavored to sabotage Phillipsport Community Center's efforts to acquire a Sullivan Renaissance grant.

Public indignation at Mr. Penn's misuse of his power and position was overwhelmingly expressed at a Town Board meeting on March 20. Subsequently, the four remaining town board members passed a resolution dictating that no personal views nor political statements could be placed on the town's website without board approval.

Mr. Penna remains unrepentant regarding his anti-BKAA mission, so our organization persists in being ever vigilant and will introduce stronger interventions if necessary.

Networking
Throughout this past year, the BKAA carefully nurtured new contacts and constantly rejuvenated our connections with long standing friends and supporters. These priceless collaborations, with their myriad resources, positively influenced numerous BKAA accomplishments.

• Jon Reed continued providing invaluable assistance to the Wurtsboro Renaissance as the BKAA's representative.

• The BKAA closely cooperated with the Wurtsboro Board of Trade (WBOT) by having Nature Watch volunteers disperse WBOT brochures to visitors inquiring about local stores, restaurants, and other services as well as linking the two organizations' websites to one another.

• Now affiliated with the Sullivan County Visitors Association (SCVA), the BKAA is currently listed on SCVA's website, while our programs are delineated in SCVA publications such as the Sullivan County 2007 Travel Guide.

• We enjoyed consistent endorsements from loyal partners like the Sullivan County Audubon Society and Andy Helgesen who represents several Delaware and Hudson Canal groups.

• Being part of the outstanding assemblage of groups which comprises the Shawangunk Ridge Coalition (SRC) Executive Committee has furnished the BKAA with one of its richest sources of environmental expertise and support. Along with coordinator Georgette Weir, members include the Cragsmoor Association, Inc., Friends of the Shawangunks, Mohonk Preserve, Inc., Nature Conservancy, NY/NJ Trail Conference, Open Space Institute, Orange County Land Trust, and Save the Ridge. At SRC's December meeting, the BKAA sponsored a power point presentation by artist Lilith Jones on the work and artistic process for the BKAA's publication: The Basha Kill Wetlands: A Field Guide.

• On May 18, the BKAA joined the Orange County Open Space Alliance thus acquiring crucial contacts from an entirely different geographical region.

• Paula Medley represented the BKAA at an environmental roundtable sponsored by the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Region 3 Director, Willie Janeway. DEC Commissioner, Pete Grannis was the featured speaker at this session held on September 7.

• Representing the BKAA, Paula Medley met with leaders of a new regional environmental group, Catskill Mountainkeeper, who will Cooperate with us on several matters of mutual concern.

• In our endeavors, we also networked with local politicians and obtained inestimable assistance from Congressman Maurice D. Hinchey and his Sullivan County District Representative Chris White, as well as from Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther and Legislator Kathy LaBuda. Especially beneficial has been Ms. LaBuda's forceful public support of the BKAA's agenda. We appreciate her treating our organization as an asset rather than a liability!

• Bill and Carol Lucas, Richard Morris, Andy Weil, and Eileen Haworth Weil were difficult to ignore as they persistently admonished municipal officials to follow legal processes and introduce greater transparency To government.

• Utilizing Paula Medley and others, the BKAA advised multiple fledgling citizen action groups surfacing locally and regionally on environmental strategies. This has evolved into an increasingly common role for the BKAA as development pressures multiply.
  Shawangunk Ridge Unit Management Plan
  On May 30 in Ellenville, Jon Reed and Paula Medley represented the BKAA at a Department of Environmental Conservation Open House/Scoping that addressed the Shawangunk Ridge Unit Management Plan.
  Department of Transportation (DOT) Route 86 Exits Update
  On behalf of our organization, Maryallison Farley, Lorraine Haring, Jon Reed and Paula Medley attended a DOT Open House on June 19 in Rock Hill, which focused on proposed alterations to exits emanating from future Route 86. At the open house, it was learned that Exit 114 would be reasonably upgraded, enabling westbound ingress and egress, an arrangement that is acceptable to the BKAA. Originally, DOT touted only two options for this exit, which generated significant controversy. One plan Involved creating an elaborate cloverleaf design while blasting the ridge. The second entailed completely closing Exit 114, which was resisted due to safety and economic concerns.
  Town of Mamakating Meeting Coverage
  Paula Medley normally monitored all Town and Planning Board sessions. Zoning Board meetings were attended on an as needed basis.
  Local Environmental Activities
  
  • In a truly cooperative project, the BKAA, guided by Maryallison Farley, coordinated the installation of a new purple martin house and pole at the Basha Kill Wildlife Management Area this past. May. Kudos to Pat Vissering of the Department of Environmental Conservation; the Orange County Audubon Society with members Lynn Barber, Scott and Paula Baldinger; the Sullivan County Audubon Society, especially John Haas, Valerie Freer, and Arlene Borko as well as the guys who performed essential hands on work - Teddy Brebbia, Ed Morse, and Mike Medley.

  • Maryallison Farley volunteered on the Mamakating Parks and Recreation Advisory Panel as the BKAA's representative. Under very trying circumstances and encountering arduous resistance, she nevertheless attempted to share our organizations' resources and knowledge with another community group. Throughout, for herself fand the BKAA, Maryallison epitomized grace and class.

  • September 8 - Jon Reed and Paula Medley were the BKAA's representatives at the Wurtsboro Board of Trade "Back to School" event. numerous children flocked to our exhibit and a few became BKAA "groupies", constantly returning to our table, bringing their friends and others to identify wetland animals and plants. It was great fun!

  • Whenever possible, the BKAA assisted Mamakating's municipal boards with information about local natural resources and how best to protect them. For instance, on October 2, Nature Watch Director of Volunteers, Patricia Diness appeared before the Town Board at a workshop session and effectively summarized the Nature Watch mission, particularly underscoring the program's favorable consequences for the local economy. Patricia was ably supported by the presence of a half dozen Nature Watch volunteers.

  Campers
  The BKAA selected and partially funded Brandon Hummel from Livingston Manor for this year's NYS DEC Environmental Camp.
  For the first time, our winner chose a camp situated outside the local vicinity, spending his week at Camp Rushford in the Genessee River Valley.
  Jack Orth Scholarship
  The BKAA persists in offering scholarship opportunities to deserving students attending Sullivan County Community College.
  Water Testing
  We have collected another year of water quality data for the Basha Kill (specifically fecal coliform readings from five wetland sites). Thanks to Stephen Erny for meticulously managing a vital BKAA responsibility.
  DEC Update
  As an official steward of the Basha Kill under DEC's Adopt-A-Natural Resources program, the BKAA honored our commitments to conduct an annual cleanup, retrieve water samples from throughout the Basha Kill Drainage area, and to initiate on-site educational activities.
  Basha Kill Walks and Educational Presentations
  These activities are notable components of the BKAA's core work, which teaches others I about the value of the Basha Kill and surrounding area along with ways to safeguard these precious resources.
  • Maryallison Farley once again performed yeoman services establishing the BKAA's educational agenda for 2007 and assembling the talented group who implemented it. Bob Fiore's very popular star gazing venture inaugurated the year's itinerary.

  • Scott Graber and Mike Medley, assisted by John Stowell, conducted the early spring canoe outing with 21 canoes and/or kayaks and 33 devotees, while Scott and Mike again paired up and piloted a fall expedition with 7 vessels and 13 adherents.

  • John Hass, bird expert extraordinaire, was accompanied by 15 followers during his first session on bird migration and focused on fall warblers in his second outing.

  • John Kenney led an early summer wildflowers ramble with 7 people and interacted with 40 participants during his consistently well-received "blooms and butterflies" stroll.

  • Author/photographer John Winkler (An Enchannted Land: The Shawangunk Mountains) ushered 8 attendees along the Delaware and Hudson canal towpath.

  • Bill Cutler, joined by knowledgeable friends, introduced 15 individuals to the amphibians and reptiles of the Bash Kill.

  • On April 24, 2007, Mike and Paula Medley represented the BKAA at the 4-H Environmental Awareness Day in Kingston, New York. The event was sponsored by Cornell Cooperative Extension and was held at Robert E. Post Park on the Hudson River. Participating organizations encompassed 15 environmental groups throughout Ulster, Orange, and Sullivan Counties.
    The BKAA's purpose was to offer 130 6th grade Ellenvillle students (groups of 25) a better understanding of the rich variety of wetlands, their importance, how they are threatened, and what can be done to conserve them.

  Basha Kill Nature Watch Program
  Basha Kill Nature Watch Program (formerly Eagle Watch) - in it's fourth year, this educational outreach program had its best year yet! The bald eagles cooperated and rebuilt a nest in view of the South Road boat launch. They then nested and successfully raised two eaglets! We had a particularly enthusiastic and dedicated group of volunteers who provided full coverage on week-ends from April 21st through July 1st with no gaps. (21 afternoons of coverage at the boat launch)
  Thanks goes to Maryallison Farley for her continued work as coordinator of the program including providing her house as the home base for the program. And thanks also to Patricia Diness for her invaluable work as Director of Volunteers for the Program. Patricia did a great job of assembling new educational materials for use with visitors, interacting with and assisting all of the volunteers as well as inputting the data to forms created by volunteer Cathy Dawkins. She also sent out a weekly e-mail to participants summarizing the week's observations and events.
  This year's volunteer training in March (which was publicized by Denise Frangipane) included excellent presentations by Lori McKean of the Eagle Institute and by local herpetologist, Bill Cutler. The training prepared the 19 volunteers for their interactions with visitors to the Basha Kill.
  
  Thanks to volunteers: Lynn Barber, Peter Blakey, Jan Boike , Ann Cartwright, Cathy Dawkins, Ninette Denino, Patricia Diness, Maryallison Farley, Natalie Fuz & Kelly McGowan, Jennifer Ippoliti & Jonathon Stanton, Larry Kleinman, Gil Kulick & Anita Altman, Michael Medley, Charles Ramat, Tracy Simpson and Kathy Stevens. These Volunteers kept notes on their observations of the bald eagles, ospreys and other wildlife within view of the boat launch, as well as on the numbers of people using the Basha Kill for recreation. Both sets of data were reported to the Manager of the Basha Kill Wildlife Management Area (BWMA) at the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation.
  The visitor data collected by the Project documents usage of the BWMA.
  during the Project's limited time frame (on weekends-ends only from April through June) and at one site, the Volunteers recorded 671 visitors accessing the area. Recognizing the importance of the usage data, the Board of the BKAA asked that it be presented to the Mamakating Town Board. Patricia Diness made a very effective and well-received presentation of the 2007 visitor data to the Mamakating Town Board at their October 2nd Workshop.
  Finally, thanks to the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation and the Eagle Institute for cooperating with the BKAA on this project.
  Other Outreach Events:
  This year, 50 enthusiastic volunteers celebrated Earth Day by participating in the 26th Annual Basha Kill Cleanup on April 21.
  There had been heavy rains prior to this endeavor, which caused people to remove substantial trash from areas generally not targeted in the past. After toiling for several hours, everyone returned to the Moose Lodge for a sumptuous lunch prepared by Marilyn Fiore, ably assisted by friends Barbara Johnson and Fred Weissman. Special door prizes included a gift certificate from Kathy"s Tea Kozy, and A Birding Guide to Sullivan County by John Haas.
  We gratefully acknowledge Marilyn Fiore, Barbara, Fred, door prize donors, John Lavelle in charge of pickup locations, Susan O'Neill our publicist and photographer, and Marcia Briggs Wallace for merchandise sales. Special thanks to JoAnn Salamone from the Mamakating Highway Department, Thompson Sanitation for the dumpster, the Moose Lodge for charging a nominal rental fee, and Lorraine Haring for overseeing the entire scenario.
  • May 12 - Andy Weil, Eileen Haworth Weil, Maryallison Farley, and Mike Medley welcomed a busload of visitors to the Basha Kill on a trip sponsored by the American Museum of Natural History. Basha Kill information and Wurtsboro Board of Trade materials were distributed to guests.

  • June 6 - Mike Medley took two students, who were interns conducting research on snails at the Institute for Ecosystems Studies in Millbrook, on a guided canoe trip through the wetlands.

  • July 28 - Maryallison provided a Basha Kill update, while Mike led a walk during the Beny Family Reunion in Wurtsboro.

  • August 18 - Mike and Paula displayed BKAA materials and discussed the Wildlife Management Area at the Delaware Highlands Conservancy ‘s Meadow Party in Milanville, Pennsylvania.

  • August 25 - Maryallison Fred Harding, Jodi Rubenstein, Marcia Briggs Wallace, and Paula represented the BKAA at Ellenville's Blueberry Festival.

  • September 30 - Mike and Paula represented the BKAA during Earth Day in Autumn at Bethel Woods.

  • October 9 - Mike guided five home schooled children, aged 6-10 from a commune in Monticello, on a nature walk through the Basha Kill.

  Workshops
  As a means of continually educating ourselves about prominent natural resources, advocacy strategies, along with planning and zoning, BKAA members attended countless workshops and seminars this year.
  • November 11 - Jon and Paula attended a conference at Mohonk Mountain House on The Watershed Commons: People, Wildlife, and Water in the Hudson Valley sponsored by the Hudson River Watershed Alliance and Mohonk Consultations.

  • April 18 - Jon and Paula went to a breakfast meeting of the Sullivan County Partnership for Economic Development to hear Jonathan Drapkin, head of Mid-Hudson Patterns for Progress, speak on "Sullivan County and the Hudson Valley Region - Making the Connection."

  • June 11 - Jon and Paula attended a Delaware Watershed Species of General Conservatiion Need workshop, sponsored by the DEC.

  • September 19 - Jon attended a second session.

  • July 25 - Jon represented the BKAA at a meeting arranged by Sandra Gerry, entitled "How to Green Sullivan County".

  • August 29 - Paula was the BKAA's representative at a workshop whose goal was developing an Open Space Plan for Sullivan County. The session was entitled: "Conserving Open Space - Managing Growth: A Strategy for Sullivan County.

  Field Guide to the Basha Kill:
  The BKAA Board proudly announces completion of the BKAA's publication , The Basha Kill Wetlands: A Field Guide, the first ever such field guide, which debuts at this year's Annual Meeting.
  Printing for this guide was enabled by receipt of a $5,000 Member Item Grant secured by Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther and by a $4,000 grant from Orange and Rockland's Community Investment Program. We thankfully acknowledge these funding sources'indispensable contributions to realization of the project.
  Providing essential technical skills, helpful guidance, and much appreciated support throughout the entire field guide gestation were Ira Steingart and Cindy Steingart Perlmutter from Steingart Printing in South Fallsburg, which produced our work.
  Special thanks go to artist Lilith Jones, whose exquisite illustrations truly mirror the Basha Kill's beauty and personality.
  We are likewise indebted to the field guide committee: Maryallison Farley, Toni Garrett, Linde Gette, and Buff Mc Allister. This group labored tirelessly for almost five years to ensure that its gift to the BKAA achieved the highest degree of excellence. Realizing that this guide would provide many with their first views of the Basha Kill's wonders these four guaranteed that the views would be spectacular.
  BKAA Brochure
  Incredible demands for the BKAA's brochures resulted in a second printing this year, financed by the generosity of the Nature Conservancy and facilitated by our good friend there George Schuler.
  Membership Renewal, Corresponding Secretary, and Recording Secretary
  These key board functions have been expertly managed by Lorraine Haring and Toni Garrett. Thanks for an amazing commitment of time and energy!
  Publicity/ thebashakill.org /Action Alerts:
  • The BKAA is grateful to member Susan O'Neill for continued dedication to her role as the organization's public relations guru, writing, and distributing all news releases.

  • Our website www.thebashakill.org , produced by Arrow Web Designs, and Action Alerts are requisite communications tools utilized to furnish updates on BKAA programs and general news as well as to rapidly galvanize and organize our members when we are faced with impending threats.

  • Maryallison Farley does a dynamite job maintaining and administering the Action Alerts communications program, "fielding" our e-mails, and being the BKAA Board contact with Arrow Web Designs.

  • Special thanks to John and Susan Lavelle, owners of Wurtsboro's Hiking Shack, for promoting the BKAA in their shop by distributing our brochures/newsletters and selling BKAA merchandise.

  • Board Member Emeritus Buff McAllister has completed another successful year editing the Guardian, our primary outreach connection to the BKAA's membership. Thanks Buff for your ongoing dedication and the level of excellence you consistently apply to this effort.

  BKAA Consultants
  * Our consulting attorney, Alex Smith, has offered invaluable legal services to the BKAA throughout this long, turbulent year, which saw us bring two lawsuits against the Town Planning Board and Yukiguni Maitake. His generosity has likewise enabled our organization to maintain its strong advocacy work. David Clouser and Andy Willingham, engineers from David Clouser and Associates, also significantly contributed to our legal strategies on the site plan/special use permit lawsuit. Ecologist J.G. Barbour will be the BKAA's consultant on the Kingwood project. Thanks to all of you!
  Respectfully submitted,
  Paula Medley,
  President
  
  2006 Annual Report