Cragsmoor is a jewel in the crown of Ulster County's Shawangunk Ridge and beyond. Its unique historic heritage was acknowledged in 1996 when the U.S. Department of the Interior placed much of Cragsmoor's center on the National Register of Historic Places as the Cragsmoor Historic District. And even beyond national recognition is the Dharmakaya's proposed Mahamadra Buddhist Hermitage, a palatial retreat for those hoping to reach enlightenment through intensive meditation�if water issues confronting Cragsmoor's fragile environment meet the test and are put to rest.

In 1989, the Town of Wawarsing created a Shawangunk Ridge Critical Environmental Area to protect environmentally sensitive lands along the western edge of the town. According to that designation, "The ridge forms the headwaters for a watershed covering for a large and developing region. As headwaters, the Ridge is a priceless resource.

"In addition to serving as an important element of the area's water supply, the Shawangunk Ridge is an important repository of significant plant and animal habitats. The biodiversity of the Ridge is one of the reasons it was named one of the 75 last great places on Earth by the Nature Conservancy. The Shawangunks' five lakes, six waterfalls, and over 100 miles of roads and trails also provide the Town and the surrounding area with recreational opportunities and scenic views that are an essential ingredient to the quality of life enjoyed by residents. In Wawarsing, large stretches of the Ridge are owned by land stewardship organizations including the Open Space Institute, the Nature Conservancy and the Palisades Interstate Parks Commission."

These last two paragraphs, taken from the Warwarsing Comprehensive Master Plan, July 2003, give perspective on the cataclysmic effect water shortages and over development can bring to this highly significant yet precarious area.

Buddha Shakyamuni attained enlightenment after six years of meditation and it has brought him to Cragsmoor. What an endorsement! On the Mahamadra Buddhist Hermitage website (http://dharmakaya.org/project/message/) he explains, "We expect the Mahamudra Hermitage to become the global base for two things: First, the global base for preserving the Trungram Tradition and its teachings for all the students in the world; second, a global source for the promotion of a new wave of the teachings of the Buddha, or new flowering of Buddha's teachings in every corner of the world starting from this 21st century." He also discusses the 90 acres of hilly forest land as a suitable, inspirational place for the Hermitage.

What stresses such a global undertaking will put on the little hamlet atop the Shawangunk Ridge with the Long Path hiking trail passing through it on its way up to Sam's Point is hard to predict. But it is possible that the well-being the Dharmakaya hopes to achieve for the Hermitage retreat has existed in Cragsmoor to some degree at least since Hudson School Artists retreated there for inspiration in the mid 1800s.

It is possible for both groups to live in harmony. Even complimentary, I think�if the mountain resources, natural and otherwise, can support the community needs over time without added stress.

This relates to another recent concern � possibly the straw that could break the camel's back if Cragsmoor was a dromedary. As described in the 2009 revision of the Wawarsing Master Plan, Cragsmoor's zoning has been re-designated from rural to residential, the minimum allowable lot size being adjusted from approximately three acres to less than two acres. By enabling denser development, the Master Plan places the resource most critical to Cragsmoor's delicate ecologically at greater risk.

Maybe under the best of circumstances, even with the Dharmakaya and downsized building lots, water will support the needs of people and nature on the ridge. But droughts and water shortages are not unfamiliar to the area with wells going drip to dry on occasions and Lake Maratanza, one of the Sky Lakes of the Shawangunks atop Sam's Point crowning Cragsmoor, looking more like a pond.

The Warwarsing planning board should take another look at the ramifications of their decision regarding higher zoning density of Cragsmoor. Cragsmoor's natural environment, culture, history, and recognition make it a resource with great benefit to Warwarsing now and into the future. Let's protect this fragile balance for generations to come so it remains Cragsmoor and nothing less.