Category Archives: history

April Along the Hudson River

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Information courtesy of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC)

Spring is announced by blooming flower beds, songbirds singing, and light green leaves emerging on trees along the river and elsewhere. The sugar maple sap run has dried up as the growth cycle starts anew. Yellow forsythia and pinkish-white magnolia are in resplendent beauty; their blooming is a pretty reliable bioindicator of the arrival of shad and herring spawning runs in the Hudson. The name of another early bloomer, shadbush, attests to the connection of its flowering with the shad runs.

The river herring of April is the alewife, arriving early in the month and ascending tidal tributaries to spawn. Striped bass are also moving upriver, though in a more leisurely fashion, as their spawning season is not until May. By April’s end, trophy stripers will be reported from the Tappan Zee to Troy. Seekers of striped bass use fresh-caught, live alewives and blueback herring.

Hudson River tributaries will also be active as suckers, smallmouth bass, white perch, yellow perch, minnows and catfish all stream into them by the millions to spawn.

Find out more about the Hudson in April here…
Learn about the Hudson estuary here

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February Along the Hudson

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Courtesy of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

Winter still has a firm hold on the Hudson Valley this month, but there can be surprises. A warm mild spell might bring some black bears out of their dens early, searching for food. (Those of you with backyard bird feeders, beware!) Harbor seals are reported in the estuary during the winter. Present all year round, they are never plentiful, but easiest to see when their dark bodies contrast sharply against an ice flow.

Young harp seals have also been showing up in recent years. Often people suspect these seals of being injured or even dead - strangely enough, that stiff “banana” posture is how seals often rest. However, if something appears wrong, you can report it to the Riverhead Foundation’s 24 hour Hotline at (631) 369-9829.

Mid-month, eagles start performing aerial courtship displays. Their breeding season begins, appropriately, around Valentine’s Day. These graceful “aerial ballets” can include mid-air talon grabs and wing touches, dramatic free falls and loops, and perfectly symmetrical shadow flights. Some will also be spotted carrying branches to refurbish nests, but most of these pairs will return to more northern nesting grounds in a month or so.

This is the traditional maple syrup production month, with the ideal being warm days in the 40s with nights below freezing, which allows the sugar maple sap to flow and stop on a daily cycle. Check events calendars for maple syrup-related events and celebrations.

Learn more here…
Visit the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

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January Along the Hudson River

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Courtesy of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

Over years of data collection for the Hudson River Almanac, January stands out as a month of dynamic variation in weather. Temperatures can range from the low 60s to far below zero, arctic blasts can take the wind chill readings down to -40 F. However, a sudden thaw can cause near-flood conditions, as snowmelt runs off the frozen ground and rapidly downstream. The tidal Hudson easily absorbs these floods, but upstream tributaries may jump their banks.

An extensive cold spell can freeze tributaries, locking fresh water up in the form of snow and ice. Hence, despite knee-deep drifts of frozen H2O, the river, which at this point looks more like a glacier valley than a living, flowing artery, may display drought-like conditions. The leading edge of ocean salt water may be as far upriver as it is in dry summer months.

By early January, ice usually comes in to stay on Hudson River tributaries, marshes, and upland ponds. Ice cover on the mainstem varies from year to year. A mild winter may see open water to Albany; a cold one might find ferryboats cutting through ice off Manhattan. In most years, ice is common south to the Hudson Highlands.

Eventually, tidal currents break solid ice into large floes which slowly move downstream. These floes provide a free, comfortable ride for eagles and seals. Both creatures are found year-round on the river, but they are easiest to spot when their dark bodies contrast against the ice.

The ice itself can be interesting to watch and hear, constantly groaning, creaking, twisting, cracking, and even shrieking against the endless push of the water. It scours the river’s edges, crushing and scouring the inshore shallows and everything found there. If you time your visit to the river as the tide turns, you may experience the curious sight of inshore ice flowing in one direction while the mid-river ice flows in the other!

While most recreational boats are dry-docked, some vessels still pass over, or through, the ice. The US Coast Guard stations ice-breakers on the Hudson to keep a channel open for barge and ship traffic to the Port of Albany. Meanwhile, ice-boating enthusiasts seek out expanses of unbroken ice to ride with the wind. While this sport was most popular in the late 1800s, members of The Hudson River Ice Yacht Club proudly sail historically authentic gaff-rigged, stern-steered speedsters every year.

Learn more here…
Visit the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

Visit the Hudson River Ice Yacht Club

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Whitewater Derby 2011 Is Finally Here!

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The 54th Annual Hudson River Whitewater Derby is this coming weekend (May 6th, 7th and 8th) in North River, North Creek and Riparius, New York.

** Be sure to stop by and say howdy to Tim McGraw at the Barking Spider Tavern in North Creek at 302 Main Street.

Y’all are cordially invited! - Hudson

2010 Hudson River Whitewater Derby Schedule

LIVE MUSIC
Friday, May 6 (5 pm - 8 pm)
North Creek

SLALOM RACES
Saturday, May 7
North River
Registration 9 am
Races start at 11 am

SLALOM AWARDS
Saturday, May 7 (4-7 pm)
Copperfield Inn, North Creek

LIVE MUSIC
Saturday, May 7 (5-8 pm)
North Creek

DOWNRIVER RACE
Sunday, May 8
Hudson River Pavilion North
North Creek
Registration 9 am
Races start at 11 am

DOWNRIVER AWARDS
Sunday, May 8
Immediately following Downriver Race above
Riverside Park
Riparius

Find out more here…
Learn about the derby’s history
View a gallery of images from 2010

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Hudson River Defines Region

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By CRAIG WOLF of The Poughkeepsie Journal

This year’s Business & Industry special edition, published today (27 February), focuses on a single theme: the Hudson River’s place in the region’s economy, down through the ages and up to today.

Many of the traditional industries based on the river are just a shadow of their former glory, like fishing and heavy shipping. But the Hudson, our original infrastructure, formed the template for development over the centuries, from railroads to highways to industry and towns, and remains the reason that a multibillion-dollar economy came to exist here.

The counties of Dutchess, Orange and Ulster had a combined $26.1 billion gross domestic product in 2009, the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis said.

“First and foremost, the river defines us as a region. It puts us on the map,” said John MacEnroe, a Beacon resident who is president of the Dutchess County Economic Development Corp.

Read more…
Visit The Poughkeepsie Journal

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The Upper Hudson Watershed

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Courtesy of The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

A brief overview of this watershed and its water quality is presented below. For more detailed information, published NYSDEC reports are also available.

Facts about this Watershed: The Upper Hudson River Watershed originates in the Adirondack Mountains and flows south to the Hudson River confluence with the Mohawk River at the Troy Dam. The watershed lies primarily in New York State River but also drains a portion of southwestern Vermont and a small part of Massachusetts. The Upper Hudson Watershed makes up about one-third of the larger Hudson River Basin, which also includes the Mohawk River Watershed.

Location: Northeastern New York State; Most of Saratoga, Washington and Warren Counties; Much of Essex and Hamilton Counties; and portions of northern Rensselaer and northeastern Fulton Counties.

Size: 4,620 square miles of land area within New York State

Rivers and Streams: 7,140 miles of freshwater rivers and streams.

Major tributary watersheds to the Upper Hudson River include: Sacandaga River (1,740 river/stream miles); Schroon River (822 miles); Fish Creek (551 miles); Hoosic River (533 miles)’ Batten Kill (334 miles);

Lakes, Ponds and Reservoirs: 229 significant freshwater lakes, ponds, and reservoirs (76,940 acres), including: Great Sacandaga Lake (26,800 lake/reservoir acres); Indian Lake (4,465 acres); Schroon Lake (4,130 acres); Saratoga Lake (4,030 acres)

Water Quality in The Upper Hudson River Watershed
In the Upper Hudson Watershed, about 53% of river/stream miles, and 61% of lake, pond and reservoir acres have been assessed (see Assessment Report).
Good: Fully supports designated activities and uses.
Satisfactory: Fully supports designated activities, but with minor impacts.
Poor (Impaired): does not support designated activities and uses.
Unassessed: Insufficient data available.

Water quality in the Upper Hudson Watershed is very good in many respects. However three issues dominate water quality concerns in the watershed. The first of these is the legacy industrial impacts on the river from past PCB discharges which are in the process of being remediated. The other two primary concerns are acid rain and its impact of aquatic life and atmospheric deposition of mercury which restricts the consumption of fish from waters of the Upper Hudson Watershed.

Major water quality concerns in the watershed are:

  • Impacts from Legacy Industrial PCB Discharges to Upper Hudson currently being remediated
  • Acid Rain which limits the fish community and aquatic life
  • Atmospheric Deposition of Mercury which restricts fish consumption

What You Can Do!
Each of us lives in a watershed. On our Watershed Stewardship page are some tips on actions that you and your friends can take to help your watershed.

Learn more…
Visit The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

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The Hudson Estuary: An Important Natural Resource

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Courtesy of The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

The Hudson River is the defining natural feature of a major region of New York State, familiar to millions who drive across its bridges, admire its grandeur from parks and historic sites, or commute to work on the Hudson River Line railroad. But familiar as it may be, the Hudson is more than it seems.

Take its name, for example. In 1609 Henry Hudson, an Englishman sailing for Holland’s East India Company, captained a Dutch ship up this river in search of the fabled Northwest Passage. He referred to the river as the “Manhatees.” The Dutch officially named it “River of the Prince Mauritius” as they colonized the valley. Hudson’s name wasn’t applied until 1664, as England tried to legitimize its takeover of the region. The English argued that since the explorer was a subject of England’s king, Hudson’s river belonged to them, not to the Dutch.

Of course, native tribes had named the river long before Hudson’s arrival. One of their names - Muhheakantuck - means “great waters in constant motion” or, more loosely, “river that flows two ways.” It highlights the fact that this waterway is more than a river - it is a tidal estuary, an arm of the sea where salty sea water meets fresh water running off the land.

The Hudson estuary stretches 153 miles from Troy to New York Harbor, nearly half the river’s 315 mile course between Lake Tear of the Clouds, its source in the Adirondacks, and the Battery at the tip of Manhattan. The estuary feels the ocean’s tidal pulse all the way to Troy. Push a stick into the beach at the water’s edge, or note the water’s height on a piling or rock. Check back in 20 minutes. Is the water level the same? The estuary usually has two high and two low tides in twenty-four hours. With this rising and falling come changes in the direction of flow. Generally speaking, a rising tide is accompanied by a flood current flowing north towards Troy, a falling tide by an ebb current flowing south towards the sea.

Salty sea water also pushes up the estuary, diluted by freshwater runoff as it moves north. In years with average amounts of precipitation falling in typical seasonal patterns, spring runoff holds the leading edge of dilute sea water - the salt front - downriver between the Tappan Zee and Yonkers. As runoff slackens in summer, the salt front pushes northward to Newburgh Bay, and further - to Poughkeepsie - in droughts.

Learn more…
Visit The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

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Hudson River Ice Was Once a Hot Commodity

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By JAMES BREIG of The Troy Record

In the 21st century, two of the big harvests in New York State are of grapes and apples. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, however, ice was a big “crop” along the Hudson River.

The frozen water was harvested and placed into storage sheds for use in the summer, especially in New York City. Its growth through immigration had increased the demand for ice to refrigerate foods.

A measure of the size of the harvest can be found in the Jan. 28, 1879, issue of The New York Times in a story titled “Reaping the Ice Harvest: An Unusually Large Yield from the Hudson River.” The story estimated that three million tons of ice would be taken from the Hudson.

The harvesting had to be done north of New York City because the river there contained too much salt, which inhibited freezing. The shoreline between Poughkeepsie and Troy, on both sides of the river, was a key stretch for taking ice, work that was often done by farmers while their fields lay under snow.

The Times remarked that the ice being stored in 1879 was “thicker” and “of better quality” that previous harvests. Working on the frozen river were thousands of men — and even boys who handled teams of horses to transport the blocks of ice. Their pay ranged between one and two dollars a day.

At Schodack, the Knickerbocker Ice House employed nearly 250 workers to cut and store 65,000 tons of ice. There were ten storehouses in Stuyvesant, and more than 1,200 men kept them stocked with upwards of 132,000 tons of block ice.

Read more…
Visit The Troy Record

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Sloop Clearwater and the Hudson River Maritime Museum Join Forces

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By PAUL KIRBY of the Daily Freeman

Slow as a steamboat but sure as a sunset, the Hudson River Maritime Museum is putting new life into its waterfront facility in the city’s Rondout district.

Come this spring, a significant partnership agreement will result in the museum on East Strand becoming the Sloop Clearwater’s new home port. Meanwhile, the museum’s board is looking for a full-time director to oversee operations.

Russell Lange, the museum’s volunteer director, and Lana Chassman, its public education director, recently announced the agreement with the Clearwater, which currently has its winter quarters in Saugerties.

“This coming of the Clearwater to Kingston will, no doubt, elevate the level of excitement on the Rondout Creek,” Lange said.

Lange said the Maritime Museum and the Clearwater are a perfect fit. “Engaging in cooperative missions, the Clearwater seeks to inspire, educate and activate people in the Hudson Valley, while the Hudson River Maritime Museum continues to focus on preservation, education and destination,” Lange said.

It was 1966 when folk musician and environmental activist Pete Seeger, despairing over pollution in the Hudson River, announced plans to “build a boat to save the river,” according to the Clearwater’s website.

“At the time, the Hudson was rank with raw sewage, toxic chemicals and oil pollution,” the website states. “Fish had disappeared over many miles of its length.”

Read more (plus a video)…
Visit the Daily Freeman

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Questions Remain Concerning NYC’s Waterfront

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By RAY SMITH of The Hudson Reporter

While repair work on the collapsed portion of Sinatra Drive North is expected to continue until May 2011, questions remain about the condition of the underlying pier supports for the rest of the roadway, which runs the almost the entire length of the city’s riverfront.

Hudson County is responsible for Sinatra Drive from 12th to 14th street where the collapse occurred on Oct. 8, and has begun a $1.7 million project to replace the timbers supporting the road surface. The wood pilings may have been weakened by erosion, shipworms, and weathering. County officials are hopeful that replacing the timber with concrete pilings will limit these problems uptown, but the municipality is responsible for the rest, the biggest section of the road.

Corporation Counsel Mark Tabakin said Wednesday the city plans to look into the entire waterfront and the condition of the wood to determine if any of it is in danger of future collapse. Pier A and Pier C are not considered endangered by shipworms because the pilings are concrete and less susceptible to the damage the creatures can cause.

“People have been replacing wood with concrete, but that’s not perfect either.” – Dr. Thomas Wakeman III, deputy director of the Center for Maritime Systems at Stevens Institute of Technology. Mayor Dawn Zimmer said the majority of the road the city owns is on solid land. The city is making repairs to Sinatra Park and Castle Point Park, which collapsed last year.

“As the City’s new engineer, Boswell Engineering is conducting an evaluation of the entire waterfront by boat at low tide,” according to a city release.

Read more here…
Visit the Hudson Reporter

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