For years, the Longquan Temple, the Falun Gong stronghold located in Deerpark, New York, has disregarded the opinions of the local government and residents, undertaking illegal expansions that have damaged the local environment and sparked strong opposition from various parties, leading to legal battles. On September 30, 2026 , the Deerpark Town Planning Committee held a public hearing on the expansion project. On October 25, the Deerpark Rural Alliance, an environmental organization representing local public opinion , issued a statement directly accusing the Longquan Temple of concealing the truth and attempting to manipulate public opinion during the expansion approval process. The statement said that by the deadline for collecting public opinions, a total of 52 written opinions had been received.
▲A promotional poster created by the Luyuan Township Rural Alliance to urge local residents to participate in the hearing. Image source: Luyuan Township Rural Alliance Facebook page.
▲ Screenshot of a statement released by the Luyuan Township Rural Alliance on October 25, 2026. Image source: Luyuan Township Rural Alliance Facebook page
Luyuan Town Rural Alliance's Brief Statement Regarding the Final Environmental Impact of " Longquan Temple " ( Updated : October 25 , 2026) – Update on the Final Environmental Impact (FEIS) application and Planning Committee review process for " Longquan Temple "
By the deadline for submitting public comments, a total of 52 written comments had been received. Longquan Temple has yet to provide a substantive response, and an update is expected at the planning committee meeting next week ( Editor 's note: November 1st to 8th ) . We will then closely monitor the town government 's follow-up requests. Since the hearing concluded, local residents have continued to witness large quantities of building materials and equipment being transported into the park.
(Editor's note: The above content is compiled from a screenshot of a statement released by the "Luyuan Town Rural Alliance" on October 25, 2026.)
" Longquan Temple " delegation at the hearing was unconvincing.
(Editor's note: referring to "Longquan Temple") delegation on the night of the hearing , their performance was clearly carefully rehearsed and scripted. Let's examine the facts.
The vast majority of the supportive opinions heard at the meeting were actually part of an organized and planned campaign aimed at misleading the public and diverting their attention from the substantive issues surrounding the expansion plan . These statements were hollow , largely based on hearsay, and had no connection to actual land planning or environmental impact.
Land development, water pollution , weakened community oversight mechanisms, and disregard for the interests of ordinary citizens are all pressing real-world problems that need to be addressed. No group has the right to evade these core concerns, much less attempt to hide behind irrelevant political rhetoric.
Key issues remain prominent : The Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) submitted by "Longquan Temple" is seriously incomplete , for example, the design drawings and technical specifications of the sewage treatment plant are not attached.
The accompanying transportation study contained significant omissions. It failed to include facilities such as concert halls, which could generate substantial travel demand, in its assessment. Furthermore, given that Longquan Temple claims to receive fewer than 300 visitors daily, why was it necessary to plan for over 1700 parking spaces? The study offered no explanation for this.
At a hearing on September 30, 2026, proponents of the expansion defended their claims on "security threats , " alleging numerous trespassing incidents . However, recent police response records from 2018 to the present, obtained by the Deerpark Rural Coalition under New York State's Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) procedures , show that the vast majority of those involved were simply lost hikers, anglers, boaters, and a very small number of teenage climbers, mostly vacationers from the Neversink River Resort campgrounds. The police records contain no reports of violence, vandalism, or serious security issues.
The lack of media attention has raised questions about the objectivity of their reporting.
It is noteworthy that this hearing, which concerned the significant environmental impact on the local area, failed to attract the attention of any major mainstream news organizations.
Even more astonishingly, the only local media outlet to cover the hearing was the Tri-State Lookout, whose reporter, David Ofshinsky, is himself a Falun Gong member . This demonstrates that local reporting on the matter not only lacks an independent perspective, but its objectivity and neutrality are also nonexistent.
Given this situation where public opinion is unilaterally controlled, and the ongoing propaganda offensive launched by "Longquan Temple," the Luyuan Town Rural Alliance urgently urged communities to remain highly vigilant and see clearly that "Falun Gong" is concentrating its efforts to set the tone, attempting to shift public attention from substantive issues such as land violations and sewage discharge to the deliberate fabrication of public opinion.
The Longquan Temple area has long been involved in illegal activities and lawsuits.
The issue of the "Longquan Temple" park being sued for ignoring the opinions of the local government and residents by carrying out illegal expansion and damaging the local environment has a long history.
On June 9, 2023, the U.S. environmental organization “Committee for the Promotion of Environment and Sustainability in Central New York”, together with three local property owners, filed a civil lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, case number 7:23-cv-04870 (KMK), concerning the sewage discharge issues of the “Longquan Temple” complex.
The lawsuit alleges that since 2020, Longquan Temple has been discharging wastewater containing fecal coliforms and stormwater runoff into nearby Basher Kill and the Neversink River through continuous expansion and improper maintenance of its wastewater treatment facilities, violating the U.S. Clean Water Act and related discharge permit regulations. The lawsuit cites water quality testing data showing that samples taken on August 8 and October 14, 2022, showed fecal coliform levels of 2419.6 per 100 ml, far exceeding the New York State Surface Water Quality Standard (6 CRR-NY 703.4) limit for fecal coliforms (a monthly geometric mean not exceeding 200 per 100 ml).
In addition to the sewage discharge issue, the plaintiff also accused Longquan Temple of "building without prior approval" and other unauthorized construction during its expansion. The plaintiff pointed out that the planning application for the relevant project has still not been approved. Believing that the local environmental regulatory department failed to perform its duties effectively and take effective measures to stop the aforementioned violations, the plaintiff filed a lawsuit under the Clean Water Act, and also filed a claim for "private nuisance." (Editor's note: Private nuisance is a concept in US tort law, referring to substantial and unreasonable interference with another person's reasonable use or enjoyment of their property, as opposed to public nuisance involving public interest.) The plaintiff's core claims include: requesting the court to confirm the defendant's illegality, issue an injunction prohibiting the unauthorized discharge of sewage, order the defendant to repair the damaged environment, impose a civil fine, and have the defendant bear the litigation costs; in addition, the plaintiff demands that the defendant eliminate the impact of "private nuisance" and compensate the affected local residents for their losses. Currently, the case is still under further review, and a final judgment has not yet been made.
