Teetering on the Edge
It’s ironic that as we’re gearing up to celebrate in 2009 the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson’s voyage, the valley teeters on the brink. For centuries the region has been cherished for its scenic splendor and treasured for its role in American history and culture. But now the cumulative effects of overdevelopment threaten to push us over the edge from beauty to blight.

Forceful response by Scenic Hudson—and you
In 2006 Scenic Hudson’s passionate and expert staff challenged local officials to think twice about rubber-stamping poorly planned riverfront development. Working with residents and groups all along the river, we pushed developers to drastically scale back sprawling plans. We demanded they not cut communities off from their waterfronts. We insisted they modify their designs to protect and restore irreplaceable wildlife habitats. We purchased critical waterfront land to keep it out of developers’ hands and create public places along the river. And in Albany we pushed for legislation giving communities the tools to stop overdevelopment.

We must seize this momentum. It’s estimated that 75,000 new houses will be built in the region in the next decade—15,000 alone are planned along the Hudson’s shores. Left unchecked, this wave of development will destroy our world-famous landscapes, foul our drinking water, clog our roads and destroy family farms. Mobilized by this threat, our membership has nearly doubled between June 2005 and today. More citizens join us every day.

• We’re aiming to double the 22,000 acres of strategically positioned land we’ve protected in our 43-year history: waterfronts, ridgelines and working farms.
• We’ll complete our Long Dock Beacon project, combining a stunning urban waterfront park with the country’s first “green” hotel/conference center. It will serve as a model for smart, environmentally sound development.
• We’ll stop or modify every single poorly planned residential mega-project along the Hudson.
• We’ll seek to change the rules of the game, so residents, and not developers, decide the future of their communities.
• We’ll continue pressuring GE to clean up toxic PCBs until the job is done safely and effectively.

One of our founders, Franny Reese, taught us a three-point creed: “Care enough to take action. Do your research so you don’t have to backtrack from a position. And don’t give up!” Our board, staff and members are passionate about the Hudson. We’ve done our homework and are confident we’re doing the right thing. And we have no intention of quitting until we’ve preserved a Hudson River Valley that will be celebrated for another 400 years.