Our Aug. 16 Parks Festival will feature scavenger hunts with great prizes as well as games, live music and food.

Celebrate the summer and treat your family to a daylong series of free events in five of our signature parks. Activities will include scavenger hunts, letter-boxing, croquet, kickball and much more. Festivities conclude at Poets' Walk Park with live music featuring the Ebony Hillbillies, refreshments, games and prizes -- including a chance to win a brand new Perception kayak, complete with paddle, lifejacket and rooftop car carrier! More...

	"Palisades Clouds " by Jack Gilman of Yonkers, NY.

2008 Online Photo Contest: and the winners are...
We still can't get over the quality of the the nearly 2,500 submissions to our online photo contest. Selecting finalists in each of the six categories was a real challenge -- you can see all the judges' picks in a special finalists gallery. And on Friday night, August 8, at 6 p.m. at Muddy Cup Coffehouse in Poughkeepsie, we'll be naming an overall winner and awarding prizes to the top three entries in each category. The winning entries -- along with nearly 100 other standout images from contest finalists -- will be on display at Muddy Cup from Aug. 8 - 31. Try to come to the exhibit if you can -- the photographs look great!

Call for Athletes and Volunteers

Scenic Hudson is delighted to be co-sponsoring the annual Hudson Highlands Greenway Triathlon scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 28. As athletes kayak, bike and run the course, they will traverse the Hudson Highlands from sea level to 1,000 feet. Whether you enter as a competitor or just want to volunteer to monitor the race course, the event promises to offer a unique way to appreciate the magnificent landscapes of the Hudson Highlands. More...

Can you identify which Scenic Hudson Park Reed Sparling is visiting this month? Visit this page to find out.

No one recognized last month's "Where in the Valley is Reed Sparling" photo as being at our Stockport Flats Conservation Area (Columbia County). See this page for additional details.

For August we have a new challenge. Will you be the first person to respond correctly and win an autographed copy of Reed's book, Hudson Valley Voyage: Through the Seasons, Through the Years? Happy guessing!

We've identified 65,000 crucial acres that are in urgent need of conservation. Our campaign to "Save the Land that Matters Most" in the Hudson Valley has been featured in recent press stories about our land protection successes along the Black Creek in Esopus, in the Olana viewshed and in Red Hook farm country. Your donation will help us realize this important and ambitious goal. (photo: Robert Rodriguez, Jr.)

Win this Kayak...

Come to our Aug. 16 Parks Festival for your chance to win a Perception kayak complete with paddle, lifejacket and car rack!

PARKS FESTIVAL!
Date: Saturday, August 16, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Locations: Shaupeneak Ridge, Black Creek Preserve, Fishkill Ridge, Foundry Dock Park, and Poets' Walk Park.
Solve the scavenger hunt "quests" at our Second Annual Summer Parks Festival for your chance to win a new kayak, and enjoy live music, refreshments and games!
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Morning Ranger Hike
Date: Thursday, Aug. 21, 10 a.m.
Location: Long Dock Beacon Park (Beacon)
Join a Scenic Hudson ranger for an easy (1 mile) fact-filled walk along the Hudson River.
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Morning Ranger Hike
Date: Thursday, Sept. 4, 10 a.m.
Location: West Point Foundry Preserve (Cold Spring)
Start your day with a glimpse of our region's rich industrial past during this short (0.5 mile) interpretive walk.
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RamsHorn Paddle
Date: Saturday, Sept. 13, 12 p.m.
Location: RamsHorn-Livingston Sanctuary (Catskill)
Paddle by kayak or canoe through a prehistoric-looking landscape in the largest tidal swamp in the Hudson River estuary.
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Gaze into the Future
Date: Saturday, Sept. 20, 10 a.m.
Location: Stockport Flats Conservation Area (Stockport)
Join Scenic Hudson’s landscape architects for a sneak peek at upcoming plans for this small park that offers big-time views of the Hudson River and Catskill Mountains.
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Sunset Poetry Reading
Date: Saturday, Sept. 20, 4:30 p.m.
Location: Poets' Walk Park (Red Hook)
Gather at the gazebo by a small fire, enjoy refreshments and listen to poets read their works as the sun goes down over the romantic landscape that has been inspiring artists for centuries.
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Think Globally, Buy Locally Most conventional food travels well over 1,000 miles from farm to plate, and often much farther. Eating locally and regionally sourced food can cut down those transport emissions enormously while keeping farms in your area alive. Studies have shown that farmers market food can actually cost less. With preparation and practice, it's even possible to eat locally in winter. --Daily Grist