MAHAMUDRA BUDDHIST HERMITAGE DEIS October 2006 IV.B-1 IV. B Community Character/Visual Resources 1. Existing Conditions Visual Character of Ulster County Ulster County’s visual character is defined by its natural features, notably the Catskill Mountains in the northwest portion of the county, the Shawangunk Ridge in the south and the Hudson River along the county’s eastern border. The county contains the highest point in the Catskills – Slide Mountain in Shandaken – as well as a portion of Catskill Park, a 700,000-acre state park required by the state constitution to be kept “forever wild.” The Shawangunk Ridge, an extension of the Appalachians that extends roughly 250 miles from northern New Jersey to the Catskills, contains an unusual diversity of vegetation such as rare dwarf pine trees. The Shawangunks contain Mohonk Preserve, Minnewaska State Park Preserve and Sam’s Point Preserve, together containing at least 100 miles of hiking trails and a number of rock climbing areas. The county also maintains two public parks: Ulster Landing Park in Kingston, with more than 3,000 feet on frontage on the Hudson River, and New Paltz Park, with more than 150 acres and a 50-meter pool. Ulster County contains two tributaries of the Hudson River. Rondout Creek flows south from the eastern Catskills into the Rondout Reservoir on the Ulster/Sullivan County line in western Wawarsing, and then into a valley between the Catskills and the Shawangunks, where it goes over the High Falls, eventually joining the Hudson at Kingston. Wallkill River runs from northeastern New Jersey through Orange County into Ulster County where it drains into the Rondout near Rosendale. Visual Character of Wawarsing Like Ulster County, the Town of Wawarsing’s visual character reflects its natural features. The Shawangunk Ridge forms the southeastern boundary of the town and is both an important element of the area’s water supply and a location of numerous plant and animal habitats. Section IV-C, Flora and Fauna, will discuss these habitats in greater detail. The Shawangunks’ five lakes, six waterfalls and more than 100 miles of roads and trails also provide the area with recreational opportunities and scenic views. In
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MAHAMUDRA BUDDHIST HERMITAGE DEIS October 2006 IV.B-1
IV. B Community Character/Visual Resources
1. Existing Conditions
Visual Character of Ulster County
Ulster County’s visual character is defined by its natural features, notably the Catskill
Mountains in the northwest portion of the county, the Shawangunk Ridge in the south and
the Hudson River along the county’s eastern border. The county contains the highest point
in the Catskills – Slide Mountain in Shandaken – as well as a portion of Catskill Park, a
700,000-acre state park required by the state constitution to be kept “forever wild.” The
Shawangunk Ridge, an extension of the Appalachians that extends roughly 250 miles
from northern New Jersey to the Catskills, contains an unusual diversity of vegetation such
as rare dwarf pine trees. The Shawangunks contain Mohonk Preserve, Minnewaska State
Park Preserve and Sam’s Point Preserve, together containing at least 100 miles of hiking
trails and a number of rock climbing areas. The county also maintains two public parks:
Ulster Landing Park in Kingston, with more than 3,000 feet on frontage on the Hudson
River, and New Paltz Park, with more than 150 acres and a 50-meter pool.
Ulster County contains two tributaries of the Hudson River. Rondout Creek flows south
from the eastern Catskills into the Rondout Reservoir on the Ulster/Sullivan County line in
western Wawarsing, and then into a valley between the Catskills and the Shawangunks,
where it goes over the High Falls, eventually joining the Hudson at Kingston. Wallkill River
runs from northeastern New Jersey through Orange County into Ulster County where it
drains into the Rondout near Rosendale.
Visual Character of Wawarsing
Like Ulster County, the Town of Wawarsing’s visual character reflects its natural features.
The Shawangunk Ridge forms the southeastern boundary of the town and is both an
important element of the area’s water supply and a location of numerous plant and
animal habitats. Section IV-C, Flora and Fauna, will discuss these habitats in greater
detail. The Shawangunks’ five lakes, six waterfalls and more than 100 miles of roads and
trails also provide the area with recreational opportunities and scenic views. In
IV.B. Community Character/Visual
MAHAMUDRA BUDDHIST HERMITAGE DEIS October 2006 IV.B-2
Wawarsing, much of the ridge is owned by land stewardship organizations such as the
Open Space Institute, the Nature Conservancy and the Palisades Interstate Parks
Commission.
Wawarsing also contains a number of water resources. The town is located largely in the
Rondout drainage basin, with a small portion of the town, south of the topmost ridges of
the Shawangunks, draining into the Wallkill River basin. Rondout Creek flows east from
the Rondout Reservoir to Napanoch and then north toward Kerhonkson and the Town of
Rochester. Other water features in Wawarsing include Sandburg Creek, Brandy Creek,
Shawangunk Creek, Wallkill River, South Gully, North Gully and Shingle Gully (Draft
Comprehensive Plan, 1969 Development Plan).
Visual Character of Cragsmoor
Cragsmoor’s position atop the Shawangunk Ridge, with its unusual geologic features and
habitats, affords the hamlet distinct character and scenic views. The uplifted white
conglomerate of the ridge forms a distinguishing pale cap that is easily recognizable from
a distance. Conglomerate is a type of rock made up of fragments – in this case round
quartz pebbles – that are held together by a cement-like binder. This composition results
in a visually unique and durable nonporous stone that is resistant to erosion and
abrasion. Because of this caprock, the Shawangunks contain unusual environments such
as a pitch pine barrens; a dwarf pine barrens; mountain wetlands with swamps, bogs and
lakes; and cave habitats with alpine characteristics. The resistant properties of the stone
also rendered it an important source of millstones during the 19th century, and in the 20th
century the stone’s dense texture made it a highly desirable building material that can be
seen in many Cragsmoor homes. Section IV-K, Cultural Resources, will further discuss the
area’s architectural features.
The most distinctive characteristic of the Shawangunks is the broad and ragged
escarpment along most of the east face of the range, exemplified by Sam’s Point, a
prominent lookout point of the Shawangunks about a quarter-mile east of the center of
Cragsmoor. This precipice and the rest of the southeastern ridge line were created when
glaciers tore away the eastern face of the mountain. The resulting formation includes
IV.B. Community Character/Visual
MAHAMUDRA BUDDHIST HERMITAGE DEIS October 2006 IV.B-3
crevices, caves and rugged cliffs with sharp drops that present uninterrupted views
overlooking the Wallkill and Hudson Valleys below. The spot has been a popular tourist
destination since the mid-19th century and remains so today. Sam’s Point Preserve
encompasses 5,400 acres and was formed in 1997 by the Open Space Institute. The
Nature Conservancy currently manages the preserve, which also includes a recently
opened 3,000-square-foot conservation center.
Sam’s Point Preserve also features a series of ice caves, which foster a unique ecological
environment (discussed further in Section IV.C, Flora and Fauna) and were designated a
National Natural Landmark in 1967. Shortly after the initial designation, the Village of
Ellenville leased most of its mountain holdings to Ice Caves Mountain Inc., which
improved the access to the caves. The work included widening one of the natural fault
cracks in the stone and the trails over which thousands of paying visitors hike each
summer. The Open Space Institute purchased the caves in 1997 as part of the formation
of Sam’s Point Preserve.
Bear Hill, at the southwest end of Cragsmoor, is the southernmost major precipice of the
Shawangunks. The overlook has sweeping views of the nearby Wallkill, Hudson and
Rondout Valleys, as well as extended vistas of the Catskills to the southwest and the
southern Shawangunks as they extend into New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Bear Hill has
historically been, and remains, a favorite recreational and painting spot for the summer
community of Cragsmoor. In 1978, the Bear Hill Preserve was created with the purchase
of 50 acres by the Cragsmoor community and deeded to the Cragsmoor Free Library; it is
managed today by the Cragsmoor Association.
Another striking feature of the Shawangunks is the series of five “sky lakes” found near
the ridge. The lakes – from north to south: Mohonk Lake, Lake Minnewaska, Lake
Awosting, Mud Pond and Lake Maratanza – all have extremely clear water, mostly as a
result of low nutrient levels and limited runoff basins. Maratanza, the southernmost of
these lakes and the second largest, was formed by glacial plowing and is contained in a
relatively shallow basin. This lake is found on a plateau-like area and, along with Sam’s
Point to the south, has been an important tourist attraction for at least 100 years.
IV.B. Community Character/Visual
MAHAMUDRA BUDDHIST HERMITAGE DEIS October 2006 IV.B-4
Cragsmoor Historic District
The Cragsmoor Historic District, an area listed on the National Register of Historic Places,
was designated in 1996 and covers approximately 362 acres and contains 210
contributing features on 107 properties. Approximately 19.6 acres, or 21.5% of the
proposed project site is located within the Cragsmoor Historic District. This part of the
historic district is located in the northwest portion of the project site. It is important to note
that there are no contributing features of the historic district on the portion shared with the
proposed project site. The viewshed analysis which follows addresses views of the
proposed project from the five (5) view locations listed below, and from the historic district
where applicable under each of the five (5) view locations. Hence, the historic district view
impacts are identified and discussed principally within the Old Inn Road study under IV.B
2b(3), below. The portions of the proposed project within the historic district and which
will be viewable from the historic district are identified and discussed. The viewable
portions of the proposed development include the Teacher’s House and the Milarepa
Center. Although the Guest Teacher’s House and the Naropa Center are proposed to be
constructed on project property within the boundaries of the historic district, as discussed,
they will not be visible from the off-site portions of the historic district. Further, all
remaining portions of the proposed project will not be visible from the Cragsmoor Historic
District. The character of the Cragsmoor Historic District will be discussed in further detail
in Section IV.K, Cultural Resources (historical and archeological).
IV.B. Community Character/Visual
MAHAMUDRA BUDDHIST HERMITAGE DEIS October 2006 IV.B-5
2. Anticipated Impacts
Views to and from the Site
This section contains an evaluation of visual impacts from identified viewpoints, using the
applicable DEC standards. A full copy of the DEC standards for assessing and mitigating
visual impacts may be found in Appendix N.
a. Areas previously identified as areas with views to and from the property in the
DEIS scope were as follows:
• Bear Hill Nature Preserve (1)
• Cragsmoor Road (2)
• Old Inn Road (3)
• Sam’s Point Preserve (4)
• Lake Maratanza has been added during the course of this study and is
referenced as area (5).
Figure IV.B-1 provides an overall topographic site map of the project area.
MAHAMUDRA BUDDHIST HERMITAGE DEIS FIGURE IV.B-1: TOPOGRAPHIC SITE MAP OF PROJECT AREA
WAWARSING, NY SOURCE: CERNIGLIA ARCHITECTURE AND PLANNING, P.C.
IV.B. Community Character/Visual
MAHAMUDRA BUDDHIST HERMITAGE DEIS October 2006 IV.B-7
b. Following is a narrative description of the attached graphic view shed analysis
describing the views; map, profile and photography analysis; and study results.
(1) Bear Hill (See Map #1.0, Figure IV.B-2: Bear Hill Photo Key.)
Bear Hill lies to the west of the project site and rises to a height elevation of
1,950 feet (approximately 200 feet above the average Mahamudra project
site elevation). Map 1.0, shown in Figure IV.B-2, indicates photographic
view directions for the photograph numbers indicated (PH-1, PH-2, etc.).
Upon completion of a visual inspection of the public viewing area at the
top of Bear Hill, it was apparent that all public viewing directions face
southwest (see Figure IV.B-4, photographs 3 and 4, which document these
views). The project site lies to the southeast. To view the project site, visitors
would be required to leave the trail and climb over rock outcroppings to
arrive at locations from where the project site may be viewed (see Figure
IV.B-3, photographs 1 and 2). There are signs which warn visitors not to
leave the trail and climb on these rocks.
Result: With the Bear Hill public viewing areas clearly facing in directions
other than toward the project site, the proposed project imposes no
impacts.
MAHAMUDRA BUDDHIST HERMITAGE DEIS FIGURE IV.B-2: MAP #1.0, BEAR HILL PHOTO KEY
WAWARSING, NY SOURCE: CERNIGLIA ARCHITECTURE AND PLANNING, P.C.
MAHAMUDRA BUDDHIST HERMITAGE DEIS FIGURE IV.B-3: PHOTOGRAPHS 1 AND 2
WAWARSING, NY SOURCE: CERNIGLIA ARCHITECTURE AND PLANNING, P.C.