With 520-miles of waterfront and four-out-of-five boroughs islands, New York City is truly a water city. Everywhere you go, there are tunnels and bridges delivering you over water, to such a degree some have dubbed the waterways that encircle New York City "the sixth borough." We spent several months filming both the natural water landscape and the activists trying to improve its health. From Brooklyn's Newtown Creek to Queens' Flush Meadow, waterways once thought ruined forever by industrial and man made pollution are making a comeback. From the Billion Oyster Project to Dragon Boat races, from the Gowanus Canal to the Harlem River, there is brand new activity on all of the waterways that surround NYC, making this the cornerstone of our new 'Hope on the Hudson' series.
For nearly a year the historic sloop 'Clearwater' was out of the water, on land, enduring what wooden boats have historically endured forever: Restoration. Onshore near the Hudson River Maritime Museum on the Rondout Creek in Kingston, swathed in tarps and protective sheets, the nearly 60-year-old wooden boat was carefully mended and updated. Built under the visionary leadership of musician/activist and Hudson River resident Pete Seeger, the 'Clearwater' continues to fulfill the original mission he envisioned, to help educate and share the plight of our local Hudson River environment as it luffs its sails and roams America's "First River."
From planting to harvest, follow the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe at Akwesasne, the Hudson Valley Farm Hub and Seedshed as they honor Native American seeds that are at risk of disappearing. Can they preserve their rich agricultural heritage and the stories that each seed holds?
On its 315-mile journey from Lake Tear of the Clouds in the heart of the Adirondacks to meet the Atlantic Ocean in New York Harbor, the Hudson River and the tributaries that feed it give life to our communities. Decades of progress have vastly improved water quality in the Hudson River, but much work remains to achieve the goals of making the river and its tributaries safe for swimming, healthy for wildlife and fit for drinking. Riverkeeper and our thousands of citizen scientists, volunteers and members provide the data and the people power to continue the restoration of the Hudson River.
Scientists, farmers, bakers, and brewers work to produce a new generation of grain suited for the Northeast, hoping to bring sustainable and more localized grain production back to the region.
Many fish use Hudson River tributaries to move between feeding, nursery, and spawning grounds, but thousands of dams block their way, dramatically shrinking accessible habitat and causing declines in fish and other wildlife. And now many of these dams have fallen into disrepair.
Despite its polluted reputation, the Hudson River is teeming with life. From the tiny Glass Eels to the massive 14 foot long Atlantic Sturgeon, a vital web of life defies decades of oppression.
Hudson Valley farmers have been dealing with the impacts of a changing climate for several years now, impacts that range from too much rain to too much drought, cooler summers and warmer winters and more. One unified goal for a committed group of very different farmers in Dutchess and Columbia counties is to keep as much carbon as possible where it belongs, in the ground rather than in the atmosphere.
Farming is ever-evolving. Today, when we think about what's to come next for farmers a key question is, "How do we produce food and still maintain a livelihood for farmers, while respecting the needs of other organisms with which we share the land.