local conservation history

The Hudson River Sloop Restoration Project, 2015-2016

“Today the Highlands have what most places have lost: a sense of place and identity.” — frances dunwell
We live in a place that doesn't look like other towns along the Hudson River. It has lots of open spaces — parks, trails, lakes, streams, and mountain peaks that we can explore. This is no accident.

The way that Garrison, Philipstown, and Putnam Valley look today stems from decisions made in the past by many land owners. The Osborn, Sloan, Ballard, Brown, Duryee, Earle, and Gunther families gave the School Forest to the Garrison School. And, the Osborns, Lila Acheson Wallace, David Gordon, the de Rham family, Mrs. Margaret Sage, and many others have conserved acres of additional land in the area.

​The natural beauty of our community has also been preserved thanks to the engagement of many individuals in environmental activism. Our community is known for its involvement in the modern environmental movement in the United States. Garrison has ties to the fight against building a ConEd power plant on Storm King Mountain, and to the work of Scenic Hudson, the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Hudson Highlands Land Trust, and the Open Space Institute. Robert H. Boyle founded the Hudson Riverkeeper Fund in Garrison in 1983. That organization became Riverkeeper.

hudson highlands land trust

Hudson Highlands Land Trust (HHLT) is a community-based, accredited land conservation organization devoted to protecting the natural resources, rural character, and scenic beauty of the Hudson Highlands. It works in partnership with the Open Space Institute and Scenic Hudson to preserve land, including Cat Rock and Mystery Point. HHLT is a partner in the Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail project.

SCENIC HUDSON

Alexander "Ander" Saunders of Garrison was at the center of the fight against ConEd's proposal to build a power plant on Storm King Mountain. He joined the board of Scenic Hudson in 1964 and served as chair or co-chair until 1976. A slideshow here details the history of Scenic Hudson's  work since 1963 to protect and restore the Hudson River, its riverfront, and the vistas, and working landscapes beyond. Scenic Hudson parks and preserved lands in our area include:

hudson river sloop clearwater

Musician, environmentalist, and civil rights icon Pete Seeger came up with an idea in the 1960s to build a Hudson River sloop to highlight the need to clean up the heavily polluted Hudson River. Ander and Risi Saunders of Garrison were instrumental in creating the Clearwater organization with Seeger. A concert fundraiser was held at their farm on Old Albany Post Road in 1966 to raise funds for the sloop. Clearwater was instrumental in the passage of the Clean Water Act, and has worked since 1969 to clean up the Hudson River. The Hudson River Sloop Clearwater serves as a sailing classroom that teaches individuals about the history of the Hudson River as a working river, a rich ecological habitat, and an important cultural landscape. 

open space institute

The Open Space Institute has conserved a great deal of land in Garrison, including: Glenclyffe; the Philipstown Park; the North Redoubt, a Revolutionary War fortification on land adjoining the Garrison School Forest; and Arden Point State Park. A trail in Arden Point State Park follows General Benedict Arnold's escape route in 1780 along the former Beverly Dock Road during the Revolutionary War.
The following books provide extensive information about the history of environmental issues and conservation efforts in the Hudson Highlands:You may borrow these books from the Desmond-Fish Library and the Mid-Hudson Library System.

Sources