Spectacular.
Gorgeous.
Inspiring.
If you ask someone what makes the Hudson Valley so special, our region’s stunning natural beauty is bound to be at the top of the list.
Protecting this beauty sometimes means collaborating closely with farmers, land owners, and local governments to make sure today’s rugged landscapes and rolling farmland stick around.
Other times, what’s there today may not look like much — but we see the potential: A discarded industrial site could be a new place to connect a community with the Hudson River. An unused piece of urban land could become a community farm to nourish the neighborhood with fresh produce.
For more than six decades, Scenic Hudson has been reimagining corners of the Hudson Valley to create inspiring, innovative spaces that are now intertwined with our beautiful region’s DNA.
Even with today’s challenges, we’re still here working hard to make this special place better for everyone.
This Giving Season, let’s keep moving forward. Help us continue to sustain and enhance the Hudson Valley’s inspirational beauty and health for generations to come.
Who doesn’t love before and after photos? Move the slider back and forth over the main images to see stories of innovation we’re especially proud of!
Pershing Community Farm
Decades of disinvestment and discriminatory housing practices have hurt Poughkeepsie neighborhoods like the one surrounding Pershing Avenue Park. Ask residents about the neglected lot that sat behind the park for years and many will tell you it was secluded and poorly lit, raising safety concerns.
Today, community members and local stakeholders have transformed the modest plot into Pershing Community Farm, which has grown and shared nearly 5,000 pounds of free fresh produce guided by our urban farmers. When you include food donated by partners, more than 8,000 total pounds of produce have been given out at Pershing to nourish the neighborhood since 2022 — including extra farm stands in November to help during the lapse in federal food assistance.
Images: Matt Kennedy; Jeremy Laplanche; Nickeya Allen
Black Creek Preserve
When we protected land along Black Creek in 1992, the area was practically pristine except for a few rental cabins. Unlike other local waterways that had been harmed by development and pollution, the surrounding forest had helped shield the creek, making it a thriving home for local fish and wildlife.
We set out to keep it that way — while opening the land to the public and adding thoughtful features for people to connect with the beautiful scenery and the Hudson River running alongside it. Today, Black Creek Preserve and its innovative suspension bridge is a popular spot for introducing kids to the outdoors. We wrapped up exciting new improvements this year, including riverfront access with a picnic pavilion, a restored 1840s gazebo, trail connections, and expanded parking to bring more people together with nature.
Images: Jeff Mertz; Ronald Zorilla; Jeff Mertz; Jo-Anne Asuncion; Jeff Mertz
West Point Foundry Preserve and its Pollinator Gardens
The West Point Foundry ironworks manufactured some of America’s first steam engines, locomotives, pipes for New York City’s water system, and cannons that helped win the Civil War — but by the 1990s, it was home to a polluted junkyard.
When commercial development threatened to destroy the historic ruins, we protected the site and spent more than a decade cleaning it up and preserving its heritage. Today, the West Point Foundry Preserve is not only a National Historic Landmark and outdoor museum, but a great place to watch native bees and butterflies in action. We collaborate with a dedicated group of volunteers that have been the driving force behind the preserve’s lively pollinator gardens, which they have been growing and expanding since 2019.
Images: Robert Rodriguez, Jr.; Jeff Mertz, Jeremy Laplanche, Jeff Mertz, Heidi Wendel
The Northside Hub
For two decades, the abandoned buildings with shattered windows at 58 Parker Avenue in Poughkeepsie were the picture of neglect. In 2020, we embarked on a five-year project to restore that piece of local history — the Standard Gage factory, which employed hundreds of Poughkeepsie residents — and revitalize a block that was polluted and inaccessible.
The new Northside Hub is home to our sun-powered offices, as well as community gathering spaces that will open in January. Responding to neighborhood-voiced needs, the vision is to make the Hub a welcoming place for all Northside residents and visitors to learn, grow, play, create, and celebrate together.
Images: Jon Bowermaster; Scott G. Morris Photography; Jeff Mertz; John Halpern; Taj Majors; Riley Johndonnell
Sojourner Truth State Park Waterfront
This magnificent landscape — which we conserved in 2019 — was once home to brick making, ice harvesting, stone quarrying, and cement production before falling into neglect.
We collaborated with the Palisades Interstate Park Commission and New York State Parks over several years to establish it as the first state park in the City of Kingston and Town of Ulster. In 2022, New York Governor Kathy Hochul dedicated it in honor of abolitionist Sojourner Truth, who was born and lived much of her life in nearby Esopus. The new park includes accessible riverfront community space featuring a fishing platform and a large shade pavilion, and will soon offer the opportunity to swim in spring-fed quarry lake thanks to state investments.
Images: Olin; Seth Martel; Heather Ann Porter
Scenic Hudson Park at Irvington
A contaminated industrial site had long blocked the Irvington community from enjoying a prime piece of their Hudson riverfront. When a mega-housing development threatened to restrict public access forever, concerned residents came to us for help.
We mobilized funding to protect the site and supported village efforts to clean it up and create a public riverfront park. Since 2001, Scenic Hudson Park at Irvington has attracted people of all ages with its paths, ball fields, and senior center, and spurred redevelopment of adjacent factory buildings into a vibrant mix of businesses, restaurants, and affordable housing. The park is now owned by the village, inspiring a model that’s been adapted for other communities.
Transformation in the Works:
Highland Falls Preserve
Images: Jeremy Laplanche; Tyler Blodgett
When it opens in the spring, the Highland Falls Preserve will feature walkable trails with glimpses of historic ruins and stunning Hudson River views — but that’s not how it started.
We’ve been collaborating with hard-working volunteers to excavate, split, and move 600-pound stones to create a sturdy staircase to the hilltop area that will provide much-needed community space. Together we’ve also been working to make the trails clean, safe, and navigable around challenging terrain. The Village of Highland Falls and Scenic Hudson are partnering on the preserve, which includes 15 unique terrestrial and aquatic habitats.
