Friends of Wickers Creek Archaeological Site
Loss of Woods to Development is a Misuse of Resources
Sue Galloway's Letter to the Editor
Download PDFRulings in Cases
In a clear and unequivocal decision which was issued on January 8, 2020, New York State Supreme Court granted a motion for summary judgment requested by FOWCAS and denied a motion for summary judgment requested by The Landing. The court ORDERED that the HOA shall not lock the gate on the footbridge during daylight hours or otherwise unreasonably block the Village residents from traversing the footbridge during daylight hours. In a related case, the court sided with the Village of Dobbs Ferry denying a motion requested by The Landing, preserving the victory that the Village won earlier.
This was a complete victory for FOWCAS, the Village of Dobbs Ferry, and all its residents. It makes Dobbs Ferry a more walkable community and preserves Westchester County’s “RiverWalk” plan of a 51.5-mile multi-faceted pathway paralleling the Hudson.
Sadly, The Landing has appealed both decisions. The cost of the Village’s defense will be borne by Dobbs Ferry taxpayers. FOWCAS notes that locking the gate at night has alleviated the nuisance issues that prompted a lock being installed on the gate to the footbridge. FOWCAS has never objected to locking the gate at night (despite how The Landing has characterized our position). We call on The Landing to accept the court’s ruling and put an end to this costly litigation.
FOWCAS wishes to thank our pro bono attorney Todd D. Ommen, who is the Managing Attorney, Pace Environmental Litigation Clinic, Inc. and Adjunct Professor of Law at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law, at Pace University. Mr. Ommen is also a resident of Dobbs Ferry. We also thank his many students who worked on this case over the years.
Read Newspaper Coverage of the Court Victories
Video
A special message from the descendants of the first inhabitants of Wysquaqua (Dobbs Ferry).
Recent Press Coverage
We thank The Rivertowns Enterprise and editor Tim Lamorte for their permission to reprint the first two articles. The third article first appeared in The Ferryman, the newsletter of the Dobbs Ferry Historical Society.
On almost every weekend, during the warm weather months, you will find our volunteers hauling out trash from the ravine. On this day we removed a large couch. Carrying it up the embankment was not easy!
An Open Letter to the Homeowners at The Landing
We have sided with your elected officials in the Village of Dobbs Ferry in their legal action to require that the gate at the bridge over the railroad tracks be unlocked during daylight hours. We, and the Village, believe that this is required under the conservation easement and amendments which the developer of The Landing granted to the Village, as well as under the settlement agreement signed by FOWCAS and the developer of The Landing.
We understand that locking the gate at night has significantly reduced the problems. We are thrilled with this result and do not object to locking the gate at night.
We, and many other area residents, have a longstanding interest in The Landing property: because of its natural beauty, the abundance and diversity of its flora and fauna, and its history. The shell midden, located between 85 and 87 Landing Drive stands as testament to the land's use as a deer hunting ground, oyster harvesting site, and meeting place for the indigenous Native Americans, the Wickquasgecks of the Lenni-Lenapi nation.
FOWCAS and Landing homeowners have worked together in the past. The plaque, which sits across the road from the bridge, is the result of such a collaboration. FOWCAS was there before The Landing was built to hold the developer to a higher standard. We insisted on complete disclosure of the site conditions and history, on the preservation of as many trees as possible, and on a reasonable site density. We believe that The Landing is a better community, that your homes are more valuable today, because of our advocacy twenty years ago.
We are all stewards of the land that we inhabit. May we honor its past, maintain its fragile beauty, and share it with our neighbors.
Native American Secrets Lie Buried in Huge Shell Mounds
New York Times article from October 19, 2017
Statement on litigation to maintain public access to the easement
About Us
FOWCAS was born out of a concern that one of the Hudson Valley's most important ancient sites, next to Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry, was threatened by a planned development. FOWCAS continues to advocate for the honoring of Wickers Creek Archaeological Site, of its Native American inhabitants, and of the associated environmental and historical integrity that are all part of the parcel.
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