Hope On The Hudson

Hope On The Hudson

9 Episodes

‘Hope on the Hudson’ is a series of nine short films focused on good news from our Hudson Valley. ‘City on the Water’, ‘Restoring the Clearwater’, ‘Seeds of Hope’, ‘Source to Sea’, ‘Undamming the Hudson River’, ‘Growing with the Grain’, ‘Keeping Carbon’, ‘A Living River’ and ‘Farmscape Ecology’ – are a follow-up to Jon Bowermaster’s previous series, ‘The Hudson, A River at Risk,’ with a distinct pivot to optimism. “I screened the ‘River at Risk’ films, which looked at the problems of PCBs in the Hudson River, the leaky nuclear power plant Indian Point, the transport of crude oil by train, barge and pipeline through the Hudson Valley, and I got bummed out. We live in a beautiful part of the world and felt like that needed to be emphasized,” says 30-year Ulster County resident Bowermaster. For many years, the Hudson River, like so many waterways across the U.S., was treated like an infinite waste barrel, a receptacle for poisonous chemicals, hazardous waste and trash of all descriptions. During the past forty years, thanks to a committed group of environmentalists and their agencies, the river has become markedly cleaner, a far more welcoming place for small business and community investment.

Hope On The Hudson
  • Episode 1: City on the Water

    Episode 1

    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.” Waterways like Brooklyn’s Newtown Creek and Queens’ Flushing Meadow, once thought ruine...

  • Episode 2: Restoring the Clearwater

    Episode 2

    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-ol...

  • Episode 3: Seeds of Hope

    Episode 3

    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?

  • Episode 4: Source to Sea

    Episode 4

    Many fish use tributaries to the Hudson River as pathways to move between feeding, nursery, and spawning grounds. Unfortunately, thousands of dams, many built in the 19th and 20th Centuries are blocking those pathways and dramatically shrinking accessible habitat area, causing declines in fish an...

  • Episode 5: Undamming the Hudson River

    Episode 5

    Many fish use tributaries to the Hudson River as pathways to move between feeding, nursery, and spawning grounds. Unfortunately, thousands of dams, many built in the 19th and 20th Centuries are blocking those pathways and dramatically shrinking accessible habitat area, causing declines in fish an...

  • Episode 6: Growing with the Grain

    Episode 6

    Upstate New York used to be a breadbasket of grain growing. Westward expansion yielded more ideal climates for growing and production shifted to the midwest. Scientists, farmers, bakers and brewers take part in a grain trial test that hopes to produce a new generation of grain suited for the nort...

  • Episode 7: Keeping Carbon

    Episode 7

    Carbon is life. when balanced, in its right place, it’s critical to our biosphere. when out of balance, in the wrong place, it’s proven to have dire consequences. Hudson Valley farmers have been dealing with the impacts of a changing climate for several years now, impacts that range from too much...

  • Episode 8: A Living River

    Episode 8

    The Hudson has endured decades of damage and neglect. despite the myth of a dead ecosystem, the river lives. 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 oppres...

  • Episode 9: Farmscape Ecology

    Episode 9

    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.