MAMAKATING – For more than forty years, the Basha Kill Area Association has worked to safeguard the beautiful environment and natural resources in Mamakating and neighboring townships.

Currently, a major focus of the organization is the ongoing process of modifying Mamakating's zoning laws to bring them into accord with the town's master plan crafted in 2001. BKAA president Paula Medley is serving on the advisory committee and she says her goal is to make sure the new zoning is ecologically responsible and maintains the rural/residential character of the town.

A second major concern is the proposed Thompson Education Center, also known as China City. The plan calls for dense development on 568 acres of land that encompasses the Harlen Swamp, a wetlands area recognized by the State of New York as a priority for preservation.

"Our organization is going to do everything possible to see that this large project does not go through," said Medley.

The BKAA may be facing an uphill battle on this issue, however. On August 5, the Town of Thompson issued permits for three wells and a road on site which will disrupt three acres of land. Even though the town code enforcement officer had said in March that the developers needed to go before the planning board to get the necessary permits for this action, according to Medley's report they met instead behind closed doors with the town engineer and attorney.

The project calls for the creation of a large college campus for Chinese nationals, plus eventual housing for students' families and a possible expansion into China City's original plan for a major shopping and theme park. The massive project would be funded from China using EB5 tax incentives, which allow for citizenship and green card paths to those making large investments in this nation. EB5 has been active since the first Bush administration in the early 1990s.

A third area of concern is the proposed Dragon Springs development in the Town of Deerpark. This project, also Chinese-financed and involving the creation of a spiritual center and housing development for followers of the Falun Gong movement, among other things, is also quite extensive and could have major impacts on the environment.

Meanwhile the longstanding proposal known as Seven Peaks, Bloomingburg-area developer Shalom Lamm's project which calls for 49 luxury homes to be built on the Shawangunk Ridge directly upslope from the Basha Kill, seems to be on hold for the time being. However, the BKAA is keeping a close eye out for any new developments.