Cleaning Up The Hudson

While researching for my internship at the Hudson River Maritime Museum I’ve discovered so much about how involved New York and more specifically the Hudson Valley region was and still is in the environmental movement of the United States. Federal legislation and environmental action have, multiple times, stemmed from activism from local organizers right here in the Hudson Valley. Action to protect the Hudson was spurned by concerned citizens who garnered the attention of environmental organizations and both the state and federal government. This activism is not only important to know about our region’s role in the nationwide environmental movement, but is inspiring and, in today’s world, reassuring to know that groups of organized, concerned citizens have and can influence state and federal environmental policies.

My research has taken me across the 20^th century studying the evolution of the United States’ environmental policy. And on multiple occasions, actions in New York have influenced this policy and the broader environmentalism movement leading to greater protections for not only New York State but different environments across the country. While most people (including me before starting this internship) would probably associate environmental law as an issue that doesn’t come up until the 1960’s, the oldest federal environmental law dates back to 1899. Several progressive era reforms were passed by New Yorker and pioneering environmentalist Teddy Roosevelt. These laws protected millions of acres of forest across the country and created the first national parks. The New York State government also took calculated action to expand the water supply system of NYC by drawing water supplied by the surrounding region. It was conscious to do so in a sustainable and environmental friendly manner in order to ensure excess supply for the city’s rapidly expanding population in the future. The NYC Board of Water Supply decided to develop the Catskill region as a protected watershed to supply water to the city. The Catskill Aqueduct leading from the Ashokan Reservoir were both completed in 1915. At the time of its completion the local reservoir was one of the largest in the world, with the dam being built out of famed Rosendale cement and transported down the Hudson. Without the fresh water harvested from the Hudson Valley, New York City could not have supported the growth that it underwent.

I was scanning through databases of federal laws that my internship director had pointed me to, searching for key words to pick out the environmental laws from the ones that were irrelevant to my research. It was actually easier than it sounds because of prior knowledge given to me by my director and the well-organized formats of the databases. I had discovered that many of the federal environmental policies dated back to laws from the 1940’s and 50’s, but that these laws were not properly enforced. This lack of regulation permitted large amounts of pollution to fill the air and water of the country, effecting millions of Americans. Cities were crowded with smog, waterways were dirty and dangerous, and natural preserves were being diminished. The dire environmental situation led thousands into activism. Regular citizens collectively protested the government and businesses for greater environmental awareness and regulation. Nowhere else can the effectiveness of this activism be more clearly seen than in the Hudson Valley with the battle over Storm King Mountain. A pivotal series of events in the broader american environmental movement and the defining moment in Hudson River environmentalism, the Storm King decision has played a huge role in my research. In 1963, Con Edison Electric company released an image of a proposed hydroelectric power plant cutting into the face of the scenic and iconic landmark of Storm King Mountain along the Hudson River. This immediately stirred controversy as groups of locals formed to fight this and protect their interests in the river. Gaining more traction, these groups were the predecessors to modern day environmental groups that protect the Hudson. They garnered even more attention when famed folk singer Pete Seeger founded Clearwater, an organization that would be dedicated to cleaning up the river and promoting environmental awareness. Eventually, even state and government officials got behind the activists and finally after a nearly 20 year long battle with the Federal Power Commission and Con Ed an agreement was reached to cancel the plan. Activism was and is a major part of the environmental movement and often the vehicle for which change happens. In the world we live in today where we face such daunting environmental challenges, the research I did for this internship is reassuring. It reminds us that any group of concerned, organized individuals can effect change and protect the environment. If anything we can learn how to protect the Hudson River from those who have dedicated their lives to it, and the best place to learn about them is at the Hudson River Maritime Museum.