SAVE THE EPF: Tell lawmakers to support crucial funding sources in the budget.

Expanding the bottle bill will provide essential environmental funding.

We need your help. Current budget negotiations in Albany could decimate the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF), the pivotal funding source for the state's vital environmental programs. We're asking you to send a message urging lawmakers to make sure New York has the funds needed to protect our land, air and water and to safeguard our healthy environment. EPF programs also provide economic stimulus and create urgently needed jobs.

So please, tell your elected officials that protecting funding for the EPF must be a top budget priority. See this page for additional details and a sample letter that can be delivered to your lawmakers with a single click. More...

Volunteers Wanted: Help Monitor Herring Population at Black Creek Preserve

Learn how to monitor the spawning activity of Atlantic herring at a special March 14 Training Session. photo: NOAA Fisheries Service

On Saturday, March 14, Scenic Hudson members have a fascinating opportunity to participate in important environmental research in one of our parks. We're looking for volunteers to be part of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Herring Monitoring Program. The program trains volunteers to monitor tributaries along the Hudson to see if, where and when herring spawning runs exist. After the March 14 training session, volunteers agree to go to Scenic Hudson's Black Creek Preserve at least twice a week between April 1 and May 31 to spend about 15 minutes conducting visual observations for signs of herring. If you'd like to help out with this exciting project, please visit this page to register.

Buy or sell outdoor gear at our "Swap and Sell," Saturday, March 21.

March 21 Swap and Sell -- get green for spring
Outdoor retailers throughout the Mid-Hudson region -- Kenco, EMS, Mountain Tops and more -- already are signed up for our upcoming "Swap and Sell." We've also heard from a number of individual outdoor enthusiasts, so we're convinced that this will be a great way to get ready for the upcoming season of outdoor activities. So if you need some new gear -- or if your garage or basement is full of used or surplus gear -- join us at the Hyde Park Drive-In on Saturday, March 21. Complete details are available on this page.

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

Congratulations to Janell Bonawitz from Pleasant Valley for correctly identifying last month's "Where in the Valley is Reed Sparling?" photo as being at Madam Brett Park in Beacon (Dutchess). See this page for additional details.

For March we have a new challenge. Once again, the first person to respond correctly will win an autographed copy of his new book, Hudson Valley Voyage: Through the Seasons, Through the Years. Happy guessing!

Spring is coming...

Scenic Hudson has a full calendar of spring events for this Quadricentennial year!

Morning Ranger Hike
Date: Thursday, March 19, 10 a.m.
Location: Madam Brett Park (Dutchess)
Join a Scenic Hudson ranger for an easy (1 mile) fact-filled hike along Fishkill Creek to the Hudson River with possible eagle sightings.
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Outdoor Gear Swap and Sell
Date: Saturday, March 21, 10 a.m.
Location: Hyde Park Drive-In (Dutchess)
Sell your used or surplus outdoor gear, or pick up some new gear at the lowest possible prices.
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Vernal Pool Study
Date: Thursday, March 26, 5 p.m.
Location: Black Creek Preserve (Ulster)
Celebrate the coming of spring as a naturalist helps you catch and identify amphibians that rely on these fragile habitats.
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Art Exhibit
Dates: Friday, April 3, 6 p.m. (preview), Saturday, April 18, 6 p.m. (panel discussion)
Location: Carrie Haddad Gallery Hudson (Columbia)
A special members-only preview of "Sacred Ground," featuring pastel artist Marlene Wiedenbaum’s paintings of preserved lands throughout the Hudson Valley on April 3 will be followed by an April 18 panel discussion featuring speakers from Scenic Hudson, the Columbia Land Conservancy and The Olana Partnership.
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Spring Break ParkQuests
Dates: Monday, April 6, through Friday, April 10
Locations: Scenic Hudson Parks (Various)
Get your kids outside during Sping Break with this series of five family-friendly adventures searching for "buried treasures."
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Greening Your Spring Cleaning It's time to get rid of that accumulated winter grime! But make sure you don't use a lot of toxic or wasteful products. Our friends at Planet Green have a comprehensive guide to green spring cleaning. More...

Become a trailblazer for Scenic Hudson through our Monthly Giving Program.