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September 2017
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boatingonthehudson.com
We need to be able to do the same things on that river that we
can do on the Mohawk. A harbor was dredged in months when
it was decided that a marina and adjacent casino belonged in
Schenectady despite any challenges emanating from its former
use as a locomotive factory. Can we do something similar,
perhaps, to put a bulkhead in for tugs and barges in northeastern
Halfmoon, or help Schuylerville clean out its drainage culverts?
The only way to resolve this issue is to bring all stakeholders
together to come up with an economically sustainable plan that
doesn’t scapegoat individual companies but brings all parties
together to build partnerships, develop ideas, accumulate
investment, clean the River, and construct waterfront facilities
in a manner that may not completely satisfy everyone, but at
least would be something everyone can live with. Otherwise,
our communities’ future will be in “limbo” for a long, long time.
This article first appeared in the Times Union blog July 2017.
O
n August 8th, 2017 I was standing on the very tip of
Catskill Point at 8 AM. This is the very spot where Catskill
Creek empties into the Hudson. Across from Catskill Point
is a marsh, and behind that is a string of trees, some with
dead branches. There high in the treetops were these two
beautiful birds. They had to be a quarter mile away but my
telephoto lens picked them out.
The tide was running out, with carp jumping all around the
point and other schools of fish swirling in the fast ebbing
waters. Pieces of plants floated by signifying the end of
summer were fast approaching.
From Catskill north to Albany the Hudson River is alive with
virility, eagles and other forms of wildlife. There are fresh
water drum, walleye, and perhaps a hundred species of fish
in the waters around Catskill Point.
Sad, so very sad, that the powers that be are still harping on
the same old rhetoric of a dirty, dead Hudson River while all
this is going on around us.
Is anyone ever going to wake up, smell the Rose’s, andmove
on to the better world that surrounds us?
THESE
MAGNIFICENT
EAGLES