South Ripley: family farms, pasture, woodlands, a rural life abounding in ecological treasures in upland kettle holes and wetlands, crucial for wildlife. Here are headwaters for freshwater streams like Meeders Creek and 20-Mile Creek that course down through the famed escarpment, steep gorges lined with hardwood trees, cut through layers of shale and deep loamy soils near the base of the escarpment. Fishing, hunting, hiking, photography and a cherished tranquility - all are threatened: under serious assault by Governor Cuomo and his local facilitators.