Scenic Hudson is a non-profit

environmental organization An environmental organization is an organization coming out of the conservation or environmental movements that seeks to protect, analyse or monitor the environment against misuse or degradation from human forces. In this sense the environme ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

that was founded in 1963 to oppose a

hydro-electric power Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and also ...

project in New York.

History

Scenic Hudson was founded as the Scenic Hudson Preservation Conference on November 8, 1963, when Hudson Valley residents organized to save Storm King Mountain from being transformed into a pumped-storage hydroelectric plant. The organization successfully mounted the

Scenic Hudson Preservation Conference v. Federal Power Commission ''Scenic Hudson Preservation Conference v. Federal Power Commission'', 354 F.2d 608 ( 2d Cir. 1965) is a United States Second Circuit Court of Appeals case in which a public group of citizens, the Scenic Hudson Preservation Conference, organ ...

court case, which saved the mountain and, for the first time, gave U.S. citizens legal standing to challenge development proposals on environmental grounds. Known as "The Scenic Hudson Decision," the case became a cornerstone of

environmental law Environmental laws are laws that protect the environment. The term "environmental law" encompasses treaties, statutes, regulations, conventions, and policies designed to protect the natural environment and manage the impact of human activitie ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, and is widely credited with launching the modern environmental movement. After the Storm King Mountain case, Scenic Hudson gained more visibility. It began working with other local communities to protect important natural resources and adopting sound environmental policies. The Chair of the Board of Directors of the organization is Kristin Gamble, who succeeded James C. Goodfellow.

Current projects

The organization has three major focus area: Protecting land, creating and enhancing parks and preserves, and advocating for environmentally responsible policies and development outcomes.

Land

Working primarily along the Hudson River between New York City and Albany, the organization acquires land and

conservation easement In the United States, a conservation easement (also called conservation covenant, conservation restriction or conservation servitude) is a power invested in a qualified land conservation organization called a "land trust", or a governmental (muni ...

s to create parks and preserves, protect lands of high scenic and ecological importance, and conserve farmland. Much of its land protection work is completed in partnership with private landowners, local land trusts, and local, state, and federal public agencies. Land and conservation easements are typically acquired and held by Scenic Hudson's affiliate organization, The Scenic Hudson Land Trust, Inc. The organizations have protected over 31,000 acres in nine counties. In 2011, the organization received the Land Trust Alliance's National Land Trust Excellence Award.

Parks

Scenic Hudson has created and enhanced more than 60 parks, preserves, and historic sites.

Advocacy

Land-Use

Scenic Hudson works with municipalities and other environmental organizations to connect the public with the Hudson River, improve water quality, encourage responsible development practices, and revitalize urban waterfronts. In 2010, the organization published ''Revitalizing Hudson Riverfronts'', a handbook which provides guidance for balancing conservation and development goals on urban waterfronts. More recently, it launched a series of task forces to help riverfront communities adapt to climate change-induced

sea level rise The sea level has been rising from the end of the last ice age, which was around 20,000 years ago. Between 1901 and 2018, the average sea level rose by , with an increase of per year since the 1970s. This was faster than the sea level had e ...

. The organization also works with the Hudson Valley Smart Growth Alliance. Revitalizing Downtown Poughkeepsie In 2020, Scenic Hudson along with other local partners acquired two old manufacturing buildings and properties in the city of

Poughkeepsie Poughkeepsie ( ) is a city within the Town of Poughkeepsie, New York. It is the county seat of Dutchess County, with a 2020 census population of 31,577. Poughkeepsie is in the Hudson River Valley region, midway between the core of the New ...

. The acquisition is a part of a bigger project slowly underway by Scenic Hudson to revitalize the city’s Northside neighborhood. The spaces will likely be used for office spaces, “parkland,” and public gathering spaces. Another element of the project slightly farther along is the Pershing Avenue Neighborhood Farm, of which the construction started in fall 2020. The farm will consist of a quarter acre plot, with half being used for educational purposes, and all food grown will be distributed through Duchess Outreach, another local non-profit organization. The second half will act as a

community garden A community garden is a piece of land gardened or cultivated by a group of people individually or collectively. Normally in community gardens, the land is divided into individual plots. Each individual gardener is responsible for their own plot ...

where community members can rent out space. The hope is that the farm will give the community safer spaces to be outside, as well as a food supply. The Pershing Avenue Neighborhood Farm is a part of a response to the status of the city of Poughkeepsie as a

food desert A food desert is an area that has limited access to food that is plentiful, affordable, or nutritious. In contrast, an area with greater access to supermarkets and vegetable shops with fresh foods may be called a food oasis. The designation cons ...

. A 2014 study found that one in four households in Poughkeepsie was food insecure. This statistic was the same for access to a car, which has been proven to impact food security. Today there are only three accessible food stores within the city limits, two of which are on the outskirts and may be difficult to access without reliable transportation. In 2018, Duchess Outreach Fresh Market distributed 8,000 pounds of food grown in the

Hudson Valley The Hudson Valley or Hudson River Valley comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The region stretches from the Capital District (New York), Capital District includi ...

region, and the Pershing Avenue Farm will provide an additional stream of local food to that critical source. Additionally, in encouraging local residents to learn to grow their own food, the hope is that there will be a further increase in accessibility to healthy food. While Scenic Hudson has been a critical actor in this project, a number of other organizations in the area have been instrumental. These include Cornell Cooperative Extension, Nubian Directions, Duchess Outreach, Poughkeepsie Farm Project, Poughkeepsie Alliance, and the City of Poughkeepsie. Additionally, press releases from Scenic Hudson indicate that they will continue to work with community members for insights on planning. All of these moving parts are instrumental in ensuring a

grassroots A grassroots movement is one that uses the people in a given district, region or community as the basis for a political or continent movement. Grassroots movements and organizations use collective action from volunteers at the local level to imp ...

, sustainable approach to revitalizing the dilapidated downtown area.

Public policy

Scenic Hudson has helped establish and advance numerous environmental initiatives, including the Hudson River Estuary Program, the New York State Coastal Management Program, the Hudson River Valley Greenway, the

Clean Water Act The Clean Water Act (CWA) is the primary federal law in the United States governing water pollution. Its objective is to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation's waters; recognizing the primary respo ...

, the Hudson Valley Community Preservation Act and the National Heritage Area Designation, and the Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve, a National Estuarine Research Reserve, and created and managed in partnership with the

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA ) is an American scientific and regulatory agency charged with Weather forecasting, forecasting weather, monitoring oceanic and atmospheric conditions, Hydrography, charting the seas, ...

. Scenic Hudson is currently working with other environmental organizations to facilitate the removal of

polychlorinated biphenyl Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are organochlorine compounds with the formula Carbon, C12Hydrogen, H10−''x''Chloride, Cl''x''; they were once widely used in the manufacture of carbonless copy paper, as heat transfer fluids, and as dielectri ...

materials from the Hudson River.

Conservation Partners

* Audubon New York * Columbia Land Conservancy * Dutchess Land Conservancy * Esopus Creek Conservancy * Greene Land Trust * The Highlands Coalition * Hudson Valley Smart Energy Coalition * Hudson Highlands Land Trust * Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve * Land Trust Alliance *

Metropolitan Transportation Authority The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is a New York state public benefit corporations, public benefit corporation in New York (state), New York State responsible for public transportation in the New York metropolitan area, New York Ci ...

* Mohawk Hudson Conservancy *

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...

Natural Resources Conservation Service Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), formerly known as the Soil Conservation Service (SCS), is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) that provides technical assistance to farmers and other private landowners and ...

* New Baltimore Conservancy * New York State Conservation Partnership Program *

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (informally referred to as NYSDEC, DEC, EnCon or NYSENCON) is a department of New York state government. The department guides and regulates the conservation, improvement, and protecti ...

New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (NYS OPRHP) is a state agency within the New York State Executive Department Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Law § 3.03. "The office of parks, recreation and h ...

* The Nature Conservancy, Eastern New York Chapter * New York-New Jersey Trail Conference * The Olana Partnership *

Open Space Institute The Open Space Institute (OSI) is a conservation organization that protects land for clean drinking water, public recreation, healthy communities, wildlife habitat, and climate protection. Established in 1974, OSI achieves its goals through land acq ...

* Orange County Land Trust * Pallisades Interstate Park Commission * Protect the Pallisades * Riverkeeper *

Thomas Cole House The Thomas Cole National Historic Site, also known as Cedar Grove, is a National Historic Landmark that includes the home and the studio of painter Thomas Cole, founder of the Hudson River School of American painting. It is located at 218 Spring ...

Trust for Public Land The Trust for Public Land is a U.S. nonprofit organization with a mission to "create parks and protect land for people, ensuring healthy, livable communities for generations to come". Since its founding in 1972, the Trust for Public Land has compl ...

* Westchester Land Trust * Winnakee Land Trust *

United States Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an executive department of the United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commercial farming and livestock food production, promotes agricultural trade and producti ...

* Wallkill Valley Land Trust * Walkway Over the Hudson

External links

References

{{Reflist Land trusts in New York (state) Hudson River 1963 establishments in New York (state) Organizations established in 1963