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History + Culture

Fiberglass and neoprone — kayaking can feel like a slick modern sport that requires pricey, cutting-edge equipment. The truth is that...

How Irish Immigrants Helped Build the Hudson Valley

Thousands are expected to line the streets of Pearl River,...

Mt. Beacon’s Brief Run of Skiing Glory

Mt. Beacon is one of the most popular hiking destinations...

How Eleanor Roosevelt Championed the Planet

“Conservation of land and conservation of people frequently go hand...

The Longtime Wonders of the Freshly Appreciated Pawpaw Fruit

Even though it’s native to North America, pawpaw is a delicious fruit that manages not...

Valley Corn’s Sweet Roots

Few things offer the sweetness of a Hudson Valley summer more than biting into an...

Five More Hudson Valley Claims to Fame

When it comes to superlatives, the Hudson Valley definitely holds its own. Here are five...

Series

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How Irish Immigrants Helped Build the Hudson Valley

Thousands are expected to line the streets of Pearl River, N.Y., this year to watch the 62nd annual Rockland County...

Sloops: the Special Boats That Transformed the Hudson

The Hudson River has provided a way of getting from here to there since humans first appeared in the region....

Hats Off to Beacon

From the mid-19th century to the 1930s, few people would think of leaving home without putting on a hat. With all...

How Valley Milk Helped Win the Civil War

Before the mid-1850s, Hudson Valley farms kept a cow or two to supply the family’s dairy needs. It took a...

The Glory Days of Hudson Valley Ice Harvesting

Block ice was once a can’t-live-without-it piece of American culture. For about a century beginning in the 1830s, keeping food...

Series

Appreciating the Indigenous Roots of Kayaking

Fiberglass and neoprone — kayaking can feel like a slick modern sport that requires pricey, cutting-edge equipment. The truth is that...

The Longtime Wonders of the Freshly Appreciated Pawpaw Fruit

Even though it’s native to North America, pawpaw is a delicious fruit that manages not to be widely known among...

Valley Corn’s Sweet Roots

Few things offer the sweetness of a Hudson Valley summer more than biting into an ear of local corn. By...

Take a Fresh Taste of Hominy, Corn Processed the Brilliant Indigenous Way

Even many foodies might believe hominy is an exclusively Mexican menu item. Not a chance. In reality, it’s a traditional...

Connecting With the Valley’s Indigenous-Spirited Ceremonial Stone Landscapes

Rocks possess a spirit, an energy that draws people. They are sacred beings … and they carry the weight of...

Get Inspired at These Five Indigenous History Sites

Not long after the last glacier receded from the Hudson Valley 10,000 years ago, the region’s wildlife-filled forests, rich soils,...

Who Built Those Stone Walls in the Middle of the Woods?

Walk through many forests in the mid- and lower Hudson Valley — including those at Scenic Hudson’s Shaupeneak Ridge, Esopus...

Explore More: The Hudson Valley’s Indigenous Heritage

The region we call the Hudson Valley has a deep Indigenous heritage. Early Native American inhabitants of the valley  —...

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Series

Eleanor Roosevelt walking outside with a group of women

How Eleanor Roosevelt Championed the Planet

“Conservation of land and conservation of people frequently go hand in hand.” — Eleanor Roosevelt Eleanor Roosevelt is rightfully lionized...

Five More Hudson Valley Claims to Fame

When it comes to superlatives, the Hudson Valley definitely holds its own. Here are five more sites that rank supreme...

How a Pioneering Woman Aeronaut Shattered Limits From the Hudson Valley

A race in the clouds on the Fourth of July, with one hot air balloon piloted by a woman! That’s...

Get Inspired by Three of the Valley’s Revolutionary War Women

As thousands of men went off to fight in the American Revolution, many women kept the home fires burning — which...

Appreciating Edna St. Vincent Millay at the Literary Legend’s Valley Home

Described by one writer as the “Bob Dylan and Madonna of her generation,” poet Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892-1950) was...

Pioneering Female Astronomer’s Legacy Lives On

From the beginning, stargazing has been part of the curriculum at Poughkeepsie’s Vassar College. That’s because Maria Mitchell — America’s...

Seven Women Who Improved Life Here

They fought for working women’s rights, advocated for vulnerable children, even rescued drowning sailors. And of course, they called for...
Collage of three images. On the left, a portrait of Jane Colden. Middle, an excerpt from Colden's manuscript. Right, a botanical sketch from Colden's notes.

Remembering America’s First Woman Botanist

Driving along the distinctly suburban stretch of Route 17K in Coldenham, a hamlet in Orange County’s Town of Montgomery, it’s...

#BlackHistoryMonth: Valley Gardening Godfather James F. Brown

I went to church at Fishkill village and returned home through the rain and got very wet but heard a...

Search Viewfinder:

Hudson Valley Viewfinder is a collaborative, community digital magazine sharing what inspires us about the beautiful Hudson Valley. We publish original stories and multimedia content about all things sustainable in the region along the Hudson River — including agriculture, science, wildlife, outdoor recreation, green transportation, environmental justice, and more.

Our mission is to immerse you in the storied history, fresh happenings, and coming solutions for making the Hudson Valley greener and more livable long-term.

Viewfinder is published by Scenic Hudson, the celebrated nonprofit credited with launching the modern grassroots environmental movement in 1963. With over 25,000 passionate supporters, Scenic Hudson’s mission is to sustain and enhance the Hudson Valley’s inspirational beauty and health for generations to come. Viewfinder supports that mission, because the better people understand what makes this place special, the more they will invest in protecting it. 

Keep up with the latest stories by subscribing to Scenic Hudson’s monthly digital newsletter, and connect with us on social via Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Threads.

Our mission is to immerse you in the storied history, fresh happenings, and coming solutions for making the Hudson Valley greener and more livable long-term.

Viewfinder is published by Scenic Hudson, the celebrated nonprofit credited with launching the modern grassroots environmental movement in 1963. With over 25,000 passionate supporters, Scenic Hudson’s mission is to sustain and enhance the Hudson Valley’s inspirational beauty and health for generations to come. Viewfinder supports that mission, because the better people understand what makes this place special, the more they will invest in protecting it. 

Keep up with the latest stories by subscribing to Scenic Hudson’s monthly digital newsletter, and connect with us on social via Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Threads.

Lynn Freehill-Maye
Managing Editor
editorial@scenichudson.org 

Riley Johndonnell
Director Creative Strategies & Communications
rjohndonnell@scenichudson.org

Lynn Freehill-Maye
Managing Editor
editorial@scenichudson.org 

Riley Johndonnell
Director Creative Strategies & Communications
rjohndonnell@scenichudson.org

We’re always looking for ideas around our main topic areas of Climate Solutions, Land + Air + Water, Plants + Animals, History + Culture, Outdoors, and Community.
  • Journalists and writers who have deep familiarity with New York and the Hudson Valley, we’d love to have you contribute! Please do introduce yourself by email, sharing writing samples and any relevant pitches you may have.
  • Photographers and videographers, we’d love to hear from you and see what you do. Please send along a portfolio with images or footage that showcases your best and/or most relevant work, with an emphasis on anything captured outdoors. 
  • Illustrators, we commission artwork on the regular. Drop us a note with some of the beauty you’ve created.
  • Media Partners & Social Media Influencers, we welcome opportunities to team up on series and campaigns. Reach out with any background about yourselves and your ideas.
We’re always looking for ideas around our main topic areas of Climate Solutions, Land + Air + Water, Plants + Animals, History + Culture, Outdoors, and Community.
  • Journalists and writers who have deep familiarity with New York and the Hudson Valley, we’d love to have you contribute! Please do introduce yourself by email, sharing writing samples and any relevant pitches you may have.
  • Photographers and videographers, we’d love to hear from you and see what you do. Please send along a portfolio with images or footage that showcases your best and/or most relevant work, with an emphasis on anything captured outdoors. 
  • Illustrators, we commission artwork on the regular. Drop us a note with some of the beauty you’ve created.
  • Media Partners & Social Media Influencers, we welcome opportunities to team up on series and campaigns. Reach out with any background about yourselves and your ideas.
  • We love to collaborate with media outlets, especially on episodic series (like these) of interest to our shared audiences. Past collaborations have included radio interviews, panel discussions and other events, original artwork, and e-blasts, all furthering the campaign’s excitement and reach. 
  • We also love to partner with other organizations whose missions align with Scenic Hudson’s. Feel free to reach out with some background on your group and its work.
  • Writers, photographers, and creatives, if you have an idea for a series or content campaign that might be a good fit, drop us a line!

Businesses, please note that as a nonprofit, Scenic Hudson is restricted from advertising or promoting for-profit companies, through Viewfinder or other outlets. While we understand content managers may wish to alert us to your company’s role in a relevant topic, we are unable to add links to businesses to our stories.

  • We love to collaborate with media outlets, especially on episodic series (like these) of interest to our shared audiences. Past collaborations have included radio interviews, panel discussions and other events, original artwork, and e-blasts, all furthering the campaign’s excitement and reach. 
  • We also love to partner with other organizations whose missions align with Scenic Hudson’s. Feel free to reach out with some background on your group and its work.
  • Writers, photographers, and creatives, if you have an idea for a series or content campaign that might be a good fit, drop us a line!

Businesses, please note that as a nonprofit, Scenic Hudson is restricted from advertising or promoting for-profit companies, through Viewfinder or other outlets. While we understand content managers may wish to alert us to your company’s role in a relevant topic, we are unable to add links to businesses to our stories.

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