Posts Tagged ‘Hudson River’

Sunday, December 20, 2020

Uncovering the mysteries behind a bridge’s remains

The First Suspension Bridge to Cross the Hudson River – 1871

Eight or ten years ago, when some of the last of the Finch-Pruyn lands were transferred from the Nature Conservancy to the State of New York, my wife and I hiked into Palmer Pond and then bushwhacked down to the Hudson River on the last of their logging roads.  Almost at the edge of the riverbank there was a log-header and just behind he the header was what appeared to be the remains of an old roadway.  We followed the overgrown roadway for approximately a quarter of a mile.  We then turned around, not knowing if we had inadvertently hiked on to private lands.  However that memory of the roadway lingered in my mind.  Where did it go ??

A few years later a friend and I were paddling the Hudson River from Riparius to the Glen and after paddling through “Z rapids” and “Horse Race Rapids” we stopped to rest at the Washburn’s Eddy.  There, my friend pointed out (river left) two iron cables that reached down the rock face and entered the water.  What was this ?   My friend told me that it was the remains of a bridge that had one time crossed the Hudson River.

» Continue Reading.


Wednesday, June 10, 2020

The Virtual River: A DEC Educational Program

The DEC’s Hudson River estuary education staff has created The Virtual River, an educational program consisting of videos, interactive lessons, and activities for kids. The content is all ages so parents and children alike can get something out of the lessons. For more information about the Hudson River estuary education staff check out this link. Otherwise, get started on your tour through the virtual river by watching the following videos:

American Eels
Seining for Fish
Turtles
Vernal Pools and Salamanders


Saturday, March 14, 2020

The Hudson River’s Mysterious Frazil Ice

In the old days, 30 years ago, frazil ice started floating down the Hudson River by late November, collecting and backing up from Warrensburg to The Glen by late December.

This year, 2020, it was February before it was cold enough for the “hanging dams” to do their thing. » Continue Reading.


Saturday, February 8, 2020

A Call for Artists From Where Rivers Meet

Maple in April FestivalThe Hadley Business Association has announced an open air art exhibition, set to take place at the Maple in April Festival, on April 25-26, 2020.

Artists are invited to capture the essence of “April Spring on the Rivers at Hadley” in their favorite medium on site at the meeting of the Hudson and the Sacandaga Rivers in Hadley. » Continue Reading.


Saturday, January 18, 2020

Hudson Data Jam Competition for Students

hudson data jam competitionThe Hudson River Valley has been intensely studied by scientists for decades, but many of the river’s science stories are not well known by the people who call the Hudson home.

Once again, Cary Institute educators are challenging middle school and high school students to creatively tell the stories of Hudson Valley environmental data in its annual Hudson Data Jam competition. » Continue Reading.


Thursday, November 21, 2019

Viewpoint: Make Saratoga & North Creek Line A Hudson River Bike Trail

section of the Tahawus Railroad north of Route 28N in Minerva provided by Protect the AdirondacksWhat follows is an announcement sent to the press by Adirondack Forest Preserve advocates Protect the Adirondacks:

Protect the Adirondacks supports transition of the 55-mile-long Saratoga and North Creek Railway to a new public multi-use recreation trail. Given its location, the dominant use would be as a bike and walking trail. This new public trail from Saratoga Springs to North Creek would connect dozens of small communities such as Lake Luzerne, Hadley, Stony Creek, Thurman, Riparius, The Glen, and Warrensburg, among other hamlets and businesses, along the rail line. » Continue Reading.


Monday, September 23, 2019

Adirondack Paper Makers Innovated Industry

Innovative Adirondackers are responsible for countless innovations in the paper industry, according to paper historian Dr. Stephen Cernek.

Cernek is working to convert the former International Paper building in Corinth into a museum with local, regional and international support. He will be be in Luzerene to discuss Adirondack paper making pioneers and their influence on the international history of paper making. » Continue Reading.


Sunday, June 30, 2019

Rare Plants Inhabit Adirondack Ice Meadows

Now that the weather has finally warmed up, we can appreciate ice a little more. Among other things, ice greatly improves summertime drinks, and an icy watermelon is hands-down better than a warm one. And in this part of the world, ice also provides us with unique wildflower meadows.

Along stretches of riverbank in the Southern Adirondacks, rare Arctic-type flowers are blooming now in the fragile slices of native grasslands that are meticulously groomed each year by the scouring action of ice and melt-water. » Continue Reading.


Thursday, June 6, 2019

New Edition of Adirondack Paddling Guide Published

adirondack paddlingIn time for Celebrate Paddling Month in the Adirondacks, the Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK) has released a new and expanded edition of Adirondack Paddling: 65 Great Flatwater Adventures. The book describes paddling day trips throughout the Adirondack Park, including on new state lands acquired since the first edition was published in 2012.

Written by Phil Brown, the expanded edition includes four new trips made possible by the Finch, Pruyn conservation deal: Boreas Ponds, Essex Chain Lakes, Blackwell Stillwater, and County Line Flow. Brown also added a chapter on Jabe Pond, in the hills above Lake George. » Continue Reading.


Wednesday, May 1, 2019

62nd Hudson River Whitewater Derby This Weekend

Hudson River Whitewater DerbyThe 62nd Annual Whitewater Derby has been set for Saturday and Sunday, May 4-5 in the Town of Johnsburg Hamlets of North River, North Creek and Riparius, along the Hudson River.

The Derby began as a celebration of the Upper Hudson River and it’s history especially the log drives which ended in 1950. The Derby began in 1958 and the Hudson River Whitewater Derby is one of the oldest canoe and kayak races in the United States.

» Continue Reading.


Sunday, April 28, 2019

In 1969, Citizens Saved the Upper Hudson from Destruction

Fifty springs ago, the Upper Hudson River was conserved as a wild, free flowing river. The Schenectady Gazette’s writer Pete Jacobs reported the news in the April 17, 1969 edition of that newspaper:

“Without opposition, the Assembly gave swift approval to legislation prohibiting the construction of the Gooley Dam on the Upper Hudson River, branded by conservationists as a threat to the wild river country.”

In addition to Gooley, the bill blocks construction of any reservoirs on the river from Luzerne to its source in the Adirondack Park. » Continue Reading.


Wednesday, February 20, 2019

Input Sought on Central Adirondacks Byway Signage

Existing signs along Route 28 between the hamlets of North River and North CreekThe Central Adirondack Trail Scenic Byway — a corridor that winds along Route 28 through the Hudson River watershed — will soon feature new signs to engage travellers with natural, cultural and recreational attributes along the route.

The Adirondack North Country Association (ANCA) is leading a project to update and enhance interpretive signage along the Scenic Byway between North Creek and Blue Mountain Lake.

» Continue Reading.


Friday, January 11, 2019

Museum’s Cabin Fever Sunday Talks Begins with Tahawus

Adirondac in 1994 Adirondack Experience, The Museum on Blue Mountain Lake (ADKX) has announced their 2019 Cabin Fever Sunday Series, featuring seven events that look deeper into Adirondack history and culture.

The first event, Tahawus: Birth of a Hamlet and a Club, is set for January 13, at 1:30 pm. » Continue Reading.


Monday, October 22, 2018

Hudson River History: The 1903 Spier Falls Disaster (Conclusion)

In spring 1903, more than a thousand men were at work on the final stages of the Spier Falls hydropower project. A large number of skilled Italian masons and stoneworkers were housed in a shantytown on the Warren County (north) side of the river.

Most of the remaining work was on the Saratoga County (south) side, which they accessed by a temporary bridge. But the company feared that the high waters of springtime had made the bridge unsafe. To avert a potential catastrophe, they destroyed it with dynamite. » Continue Reading.


Wednesday, October 17, 2018

The Spier Falls Disaster: An Adirondack Tragedy

Adirondack history is naturally rife with river-related stories—wildly successful fishing trips, damaging floods, wilderness exploration, and dam construction. Rivers were the lifeblood of development:  settlements sprang up along waterways, where partial diversion of streams provided the wheel-turning power necessary to many industries. But freshets were so common and destructive that dams were introduced as flood-control measures, and then for hydropower as the electrification of society unfolded.

Recognizing the great financial potential of providing electricity to industries and the masses, power companies sought to develop dozens of potential reservoir sites. Among the arguments they used to justify building dam after dam was public safety. Ironically, the construction of a hydro dam was marred by one of the worst tragedies in Adirondack history. » Continue Reading.



Wait! Before you go:

Catch up on all your Adirondack
news, delivered weekly to your inbox