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Meeting the Gunks, again
Byway round the Shawangunk Ridge is road to regional identity, prosperity
New Paltz Times
by Jim Gordon
April 20, 2006

The Shawangunk Ridge
Residents living around the Shawangunk Ridge are obviously well aware of the unique beauty of the steep wooded island of wilderness and scenic vistas in our midst. Now, the official adoption of the 82- mile Shawangunk Mountains Scenic Byway will encourage the rest of the state -- and nation, and even the world -- to recognize what The Nature Conservancy calls one of the last great places on Earth. And that recognition will be good for everyone, residents and visitors alike, say those who helped make it happen.

"The byway itself defines a region, a distinct unique region of New York State, the Shawangunks Mountains Region. It is a region where the attitudes, the land use and conditions, the culture, the rural character and the values are similar from one side to another up and down. There's a real character to this region. And I think that's a really important thing," said Al Wegener, volunteer project manager for the Byway steering committee.

Wegener spearheaded the five-year effort among eleven separate municipalities to bring the byway legislation to the state legislature. With bipartisan support it is expected to be passed by both the senate and assembly this spring and be signed by the Governor, officially christening the marked scenic drive through two counties. "The difference it will make long term is great," said Wegener.

The key is a corridor management plan painstakingly put together by an array of public officials and volunteers which not only highlights scenic, cultural, recreational and historical treasures of the Gunks region, but lays out a framework to appreciate, preserve and enhance them in a cooperative manner that creates synergistic benefits.

Wegener said negotiating the political road to creating a scenic byway brought together nine towns, two villages, the counties of Orange and Ulster, planning boards, chambers of commerce and ordinary citizens. "It enabled us to develop outlines for projects related to tourism, transportation and preservation of resources," said Wegener. "It does cover the key points and key areas that all these municipalities feel should be addressed." Five region-wide committees have been formed to consider key management aspects of the byway, which covers some 115,000 acres of public and private property, public roads and preserve land. The byway rings 35 separate natural communities, including the exotic and gnarly dwarf pines of the ridge, where live timber rattlesnakes, peregrine falcons and chestnut oak and hemlock forests.

BYWAY BOUNDARIES
The area is bordered on the south by Bullville, and state route 302 to Pine Bush linking with state route 52, which goes west over the ridge to Ellenville and east to state route 208 in Gardiner. West of the ridge, the byway runs from Ellenville roughly northward along state route 209 to county route 6 in Accord, also known as the Lucas Turnpike, which continues north to route 213 in Rosendale, East of the ridge, the byway runs north along state route 208 into New Paltz, where it jogs through New Paltz on state Route 299 across the Wallkill River and runs north again along county route 7, Springtown Road, until it reaches route 213 in Rosendale. But it also continues westward from the intersection of Springtown Road and route 299, bisecting the byway with a scenic road from New Paltz across the flats to link up with Route 44-55 and traverse the ridge past Minnewaska State Park, among other attractions, to end up ultimately on Route 209 near Ellenville.

Within that area are five scenic pull-offs, six preserves totaling over 30,000 acres, twelve recreational areas, ten historic districts and at least 18 historic sites with public access. There are also numerous restaurants, shops, art exhibits, theaters and attractions such as wine trails and farm stands that all stand to benefit from increased awareness of this area's character.

WHY A BYWAY?
"Our goal is not to draw zillions more people into the area," said Wegener. "The strategy is to take the people who come here because of the mountains and have them see other opportunities for relaxation and recreation and flat-out pleasure in the other attractions of the region. So the same people who come here will still come here, but stay here longer and spend some of their money in the valley and not just spend their time climbing up and down the rocks."

"I think it's great, I think it's awesome," said Hallie Arnold, director of tourism for Ulster County. "I drove it when it was first proposed and it goes through and goes past so many of the great attractions. So it is a great value, because it sort of connects things, it gives an opportunity to have a structured way to visit things you might not otherwise pass by.

"Some people go to Mohonk, for example, and don't know what else is in the area. So I think it will have a spin-off effect for other attractions. You could have a more spontaneous experience even though it's a planned route, because it will increase the connectivity of the attractions along route. People will just stop at something they otherwise might never have known about," Arnold said, adding this is not a new idea. "I know a lot of other byways around the state have been successful, so I expect this will work very well for us here, as well."

The byway will also benefit from synergy of other regional initiatives, such as the state Hudson Valley Greenway, and the federal Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area designation. The byway designation means eligibility for state and federal funds that could help finance road improvements, such as road shoulders to facilitate bicycle paths along some roads. Visitor centers on both sides of the ridge, a sign scheme that is consistent throughout the byway, visitor kiosks and other tools for directing visitors and establishing an identity.

The Byway corridor management plan already sets a framework for coordinated activity that by itself helps foster regional identity and economic activity. The roughly 110-page document, complete with beautiful color photographs and user friendly maps, summarizes the routes and provides lists and locations and descriptions of various attractions along the loop.

It also includes management plans for tourism, transportation and preservation of resources within byway boundaries, as well as specific recommendations to begin improving the Byway in general, and those for the various discrete segments within the route. Implementing the recommendations over the course of many years will take "many millions of dollars," concludes the plan. "These investments are essential for our region and will enable us to achieve highly worthwhile goals involving tourism and economic development, the improvement of our transportation systems and the preservation of our scenic, natural, recreational and historic resources."

"The Byway is not a finished deal, it's a framework and from that framework we can cooperate regionally and be more innovative and have more options than we would otherwise have as individual communities," said Wegener. "People don't recognize the potential of this yet. What we can do in this area is terrific."

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