Riverkeeper Commends Congressman Hinchey on House Passage of National Park “Study Bill” for Hudson Valley
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 22, 2010
Contact:
Tina Posterli, 914-478-4501 x 239
REGION WOULD BE EVALUATED FOR INCLUSION IN NATIONAL PARK SYSTEM
Tarrytown, NY – March 22, 2010 — Riverkeeper applauds the passage of the “Hudson River Valley Special Resource Study Act” by the House of Representatives on March 19, 2010. The Act would fund a federal study to assess whether the Hudson Valley should be made a unit of the National Park Service, in order to better preserve and promote the region’s outstanding natural, cultural, historic, recreational and scenic resources. The study area would stretch from Fort Edward, on the Upper Hudson above Albany, to the southern border of Westchester County. The Act was introduced by Congressman Hinchey on November 3, 2009, and co-sponsored by Congresswoman Nita M. Lowey and Congressmen Eliot L. Engel, Paul D. Tonko, John J. Hall, and Scott Murphy. A companion bill was introduced in the Senate on March 17 by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.
“This bill starts a process that will lead to increased environmental protection and recognition of the Hudson Valley as a place of unique importance in America’s environmental and cultural history,” said Phillip Musegaas, Riverkeeper’s Hudson River Program Director. “Congressman Hinchey is a true environmental champion whose vision of the Hudson Valley balances the oft-competing needs of environmental protection and economic development. A National Park designation for the Hudson Valley, done wisely, will preserve the region’s remarkable natural beauty by attracting tourism and supporting a strong, sustainable local economy.”
Riverkeeper has worked closely with state and federal elected officials, New York agencies such as the Department of Environmental Conservation and State Parks, and land preservation groups such as Scenic Hudson, to improve management of remaining undeveloped lands and river habitat in the mid and upper Hudson River region. A sustainable approach to land management in the Hudson Valley will result in reduced water pollution and protection of critical habitat for key Hudson River fish species, both critical elements of Riverkeeper’s mission to make the Hudson a “fishable, swimmable” river.
