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Nature Nurturer: Julie Noble

Julie Noble (Photo by Karen Pearson)

Why protect the valley? For the sake of the future—and for the now.

Don’t bother trying to pin down Julie Noble to choose a favorite season in the Hudson Valley—she loves this region because every season is special.

“I really love being outdoors in the winter and snowshoeing and exploring in the quiet forest, and being on the river in the summer. Then there are the leaves in the fall and just the freshness of the spring,” she says. 

Julie Noble (Photo by Karen Pearson)

But there is one place where this native Kingstonian feels most at peace: “I grew up on the Hudson River and I love being down by the water in Kingston and being able to see and hear and feel the river, getting people really engaged with understanding the value of the river, and getting them out on it.” The river has an even stronger family connection—it’s where she and her husband held their wedding reception, after exchanging vows on a cliff overlooking Lake Minnewaska.

Julie serves as chair of Kingston’s Conservation Advisory Council and as the city’s Environmental Education and Sustainability coordinator. She has a full plate managing natural resource, energy and transportation projects that help to make the city more resilient to flooding and other climate change impacts, and increasing opportunities for residents and visitors to connect with nature at local parks.

“People really need clean air and clean water and access to the serenity of being outdoors. And so that’s why we should all protect it,” she says. “It’s worth protecting for the sake of the future, but also for the sake of the now.”

Julie is delighted to have Scenic Hudson as a partner. “What’s really important is getting folks to understand that we have to take care of our natural resources—we can’t take them for granted. Scenic Hudson has helped to make that happen in a bold way in the Hudson Valley. They have done an incredible job at being stewards for the Earth, conserving important areas along the river and in the valley and making sure that everyone has access to them.”