The Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Inc. is a

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

based in Beacon, New York that seeks to protect the

Hudson River The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between N ...

and surrounding wetlands and waterways through advocacy and public education. Founded by folk singer

Pete Seeger Peter Seeger (May 3, 1919 – January 27, 2014) was an American folk singer and social activist. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, Seeger also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of the Weavers, notably ...

with his wife

Toshi Seeger Toshi Seeger (born Toshi Aline Ohta; July 1, 1922 – July 9, 2013) was an American filmmaker, producer and environmental activist. A filmmaker who specialized in the subject of folk music, Toshi's credits include the 1966 film ''Afro-American Wo ...

in 1966, the organization is known for its sailing vessel, the sloop ''Clearwater'', and for its annual music and environmental festival, the Great Hudson River Revival.

History

In 1966,

and his wife

founded the organization and within three years had the sloop ''Clearwater'' built to advocate for cleaning up the

. The founding was influenced by community opposition to a proposed power plant at Storm King Mountain. In 1969, the ''Clearwater'' made her maiden voyage down the Atlantic Coast from the Harvey Gamage Shipyard in Maine to the

South Street Seaport The South Street Seaport is a historic area in the New York City borough of Manhattan, centered where Fulton Street meets the East River, and adjacent to the Financial District, in Lower Manhattan. The Seaport is a designated historic district ...

in New York City. Folk musician Tom Winslow wrote a

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

song, "Hey Looka Yonder (It's the Clearwater)", in which the lyrics specifically mention the fundraising efforts for the sloop, and how "black and white" people got together for this program. Based for many years in

Poughkeepsie Poughkeepsie ( ), officially the City of Poughkeepsie, separate from the Town of Poughkeepsie around it) is a city in the U.S. state of New York. It is the county seat of Dutchess County, with a 2020 census population of 31,577. Poughkeepsie ...

, New York, the Clearwater moved its office to

Beacon A beacon is an intentionally conspicuous device designed to attract attention to a specific location. A common example is the lighthouse, which draws attention to a fixed point that can be used to navigate around obstacles or into port. More mode ...

, New York, in 2009.

Environmental advocacy

Pollution of the Hudson River

The Clearwater and the Clearwater Festival have worked to draw attention to the problem of

pollution of the Hudson River Between 1947 and 1977, General Electric polluted the Hudson River by discharging polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) causing a range of harmful effects to wildlife and people who eat fish from the river. Other kinds of pollution, including mercury c ...

. Pollution in the river has included mercury contamination and sewage dumping, but the most discussed issue has been

General Electric General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable en ...

's contamination of the river with

Polychlorinated biphenyl Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are highly carcinogenic chemical compounds, formerly used in industrial and consumer products, whose production was banned in the United States by the Toxic Substances Control Act in 1979 and internationally by t ...

s (PCBs) between 1947 and 1977. This pollution caused a range of harmful effects to wildlife and people who eat fish from the river or drink the water. The activism of folk singer

and the Clearwater led to the area being designated as one of the superfund sites.

Recognition

Clearwater has gained national recognition for its activism starting in the 1970s to force a clean-up of the PCB contamination caused by industrial manufacturing by General Electric and other companies on the river's edge. Other specific Hudson watershed issues with which Clearwater is concerned are development pressures in the southern half of the Hudson Valley, pesticide runoff, the

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

west side waterfront, Indian Point nuclear reactors, and New York/New Jersey Harbor dredge spoil disposal. Clearwater played a key role in the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) decision to compel one of the Hudson River's biggest polluters to begin removing toxic PCBs from the water and restoring one of the most polluted portions of the river. In 2002,

was named a "Clean Water Hero" for his prominent efforts in the passage of the Clean Water Act. His tireless devotion to working through Clearwater and promoting its message to effectively use the law in prosecuting polluters of America's waterways has made the Clean Water Act one of the most successful environmental laws in the country. The EPA said after Seeger's death in 2014 that "the incredible work" of Seeger and the Clearwater organization helped make the Hudson River cleaner. "His leadership was extraordinary," regional Administrator Judith A. Enck told

United Press International United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20t ...

Environmental education

Clearwater's

environmental education Environmental education (EE) refers to organized efforts to teach how natural environments function, and particularly, how human beings can manage behavior and ecosystems to live sustainably. It is a multi-disciplinary field integrating discip ...

programs are intended to heighten public awareness of the Hudson River's unique ecosystem that blends freshwater streams from the

Adirondack Mountains The Adirondack Mountains (; a-də-RÄN-dak) form a massif in northeastern New York with boundaries that correspond roughly to those of Adirondack Park. They cover about 5,000 square miles (13,000 km2). The mountains form a roughly circular ...

with the salt tides of the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

around

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. Sailing mostly on the Hudson River between

and

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York C ...

, the sloop Clearwater is used primarily to offer environmental and biological education programs to school groups, touching on river biology,

environmental protection Environmental protection is the practice of protecting the natural environment by individuals, organizations and governments. Its objectives are to conserve natural resources and the existing natural environment and, where possible, to repair dam ...

waterways A waterway is any navigable body of water. Broad distinctions are useful to avoid ambiguity, and disambiguation will be of varying importance depending on the nuance of the equivalent word in other languages. A first distinction is necessary ...

and related topics. It offers sails for Clearwater members and the general public, as well as private charters. In addition to the professional crew, Clearwater offers opportunities for people to sail as volunteer crew for one week periods or as an intern/apprentice for up to two months to learn

sailing Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, windsurfer, or kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' (land yacht) over a chosen cou ...

and assist with vessel maintenance. From 1996 until 2018, Clearwater chartered the schooner ''Mystic Whaler'' to present Clearwater's education program to more schools and the public.

Music and festivals

One of the organization's biggest

fundraisers Fundraising or fund-raising is the process of seeking and gathering voluntary financial contributions by engaging individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies. Although fundraising typically refers to efforts to gathe ...

has been its annual music and environmental festival, the Clearwater Festival. Officially known as the "Great Hudson River Revival," it was America's oldest and largest annual festival of its kind. The weekend-long festival was held each June for over three decades, with attendances of up to 15,000 people. The festival raised funds and consciousness on the plight of the river and the earth. Net proceeds went directly to support Clearwater's environmental research, education and advocacy to help preserve and protect the Hudson River and its tributaries, as well as communities in the river valley. Music ranged from Blues to Rock, Reggae to Salsa, Bluegrass to Jazz, and Funk to Folk. The festival was cancelled in 2022, but organizers are considering reviving it in 2023. In 1984, Seeger founded the Walkabout Clearwater Chorus as a community choir that promotes environmental and social justice causes. The chorus carries a model of the Sloop Clearwater to their appearances at festivals, parades and other performances throughout the

Hudson Valley The Hudson Valley (also known as the Hudson River Valley) comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in the U.S. state of New York. The region stretches from the Capital District including Albany and Troy south to ...

area and beyond. The chorus appears on Seeger's 2008 album ''Pete Seeger at 89''. The chorus has performed in Dortmund, Germany, bi-annually since 2001. It also runs a

coffee house A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee of various types, notably espresso, latte, and cappuccino. Some coffeehouses may serve cold drinks, such as iced coffee and iced tea, as well as other non- ...

, featuring folk music performers, at the Memorial United Methodist Church in

White Plains, New York (Always Faithful) , image_seal = WhitePlainsSeal.png , seal_link = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = U.S. state, State , su ...

, from October to May each year on the second Saturday of each month.

Walkabout Clearwater Chorus

The Walkabout Clearwater Chorus, a supporter of the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, was founded in 1984 by Seeger. The chorus is made up people who love to sing and promote environmental and social justice causes. Its model of the Sloop Clearwater appears with the chorus at festivals and parades. The chorus performs at concert venues and festivals throughout the

area and beyond. It appears on Seeger's 2008 CD ''Pete Seeger at 89''. The Seeger Session of Liedstoeckel, Cuppatea and Walkabout Clearwater Chorus was performed live at UZ-Pressefest 2009 in Dortmund, Germany, where the chorus has performed bi-annually since 2001. The chorus also runs a coffeehouse with a different featured folk music performer each month. The concerts take place at Memorial United Methodist Church in White Plains, New York, twice each month from October to May of each year.

Sloop ''Clearwater''

Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Inc. owns and operates the sloop ''Clearwater'', the centerpiece of Clearwater's public education programs. ''Clearwater'' serves as a movable classroom, laboratory, stage, and forum. The ''Clearwater'' is a wooden sailing vessel designed after 18th and 19th century Dutch sailing sloops. With a large

gaff rig Gaff rig is a sailing rig (configuration of sails, mast and stays) in which the sail is four-cornered, fore-and-aft rigged, controlled at its peak and, usually, its entire head by a spar (pole) called the ''gaff''. Because of the size and shap ...

, a hinged centerboard, and wide shallow hull, these vessels evolved to deal with the challenges of strong tides, shallow waters, and variable winds encountered on the

. Designed by Cy Hamlin and built by The Harvey Gamage Shipyard in South Bristol, Maine, ''Clearwater'' was launched in 1969. Built of traditional plank-on-frame wooden construction, the sloop is in length on deck, in beam and can hold up to 70 tons of

cargo Cargo consists of bulk goods conveyed by water, air, or land. In economics, freight is cargo that is transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. ''Cargo'' was originally a shipload but now covers all types of freight, including trans ...

. The sloop rig consists of a single mast and

topmast The masts of traditional sailing ships were not single spars, but were constructed of separate sections or masts, each with its own rigging. The topmast is one of these. The topmast is semi-permanently attached to the upper front of the lower ...

which together rise to a height of . A long main boom and

gaff Gaff may refer to: Ankle-worn devices * Spurs in variations of cockfighting * Climbing spikes used to ascend wood poles, such as utility poles Arts and entertainment * A character in the ''Blade Runner'' film franchise * Penny gaff, a 19th- ...

carry a

mainsail A mainsail is a sail rigged on the main mast of a sailing vessel. * On a square rigged vessel, it is the lowest and largest sail on the main mast. * On a fore-and-aft rigged vessel, it is the sail rigged aft of the main mast. The sail's foot i ...

. A long

bowsprit The bowsprit of a sailing vessel is a spar extending forward from the vessel's prow. The bowsprit is typically held down by a bobstay A bobstay is a part of the rigging of a sailing boat or ship. Its purpose is to counteract the upward tensio ...

carries a

jib A jib is a triangular sail that sets ahead of the foremast of a sailing vessel. Its tack is fixed to the bowsprit, to the bows, or to the deck between the bowsprit and the foremost mast. Jibs and spinnakers are the two main types of headsail ...

on the foredeck. In light wind, a

topsail A topsail ("tops'l") is a sail set above another sail; on square-rigged vessels further sails may be set above topsails. Square rig On a square rigged vessel, a topsail is a typically trapezoidal shaped sail rigged above the course sail and ...

may also be raised. In 2004, the sloop ''Clearwater'' was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

for her significance to the environmental movement. The ''Clearwater'' has a smaller sister ship, the

Sloop Woody Guthrie The ''Woody Guthrie'' is a 47' gaff sloop which supports the mission of the larger Sloop ''Clearwater'' educating people about the Hudson River and its environment. The vessel was ordered by Pete Seeger in 1978 for the Beacon Sloop Club, which ha ...

, that is used in education about the river. In 2012,

and Lorre Wyatt released the music video and single "

God's Counting on Me, God's Counting on You ''God's Counting on Me, God's Counting on You (Single)'' is a 2012 single by Pete Seeger featuring Lorre Wyatt & Friends, produced and arranged by Richard Barone and Matthew Billy, and released by Billy Barone Productions. Originally recorded in ...

", which they recorded and filmed on the ''Clearwater'' while sailing on the Hudson in 2010. The song references the ''Deepwater Horizon'' Gulf oil spill of 2010."God's Counting on Me, God's Counting on You"
YouTube, accessed December 5, 2012

References

External links

ClearwaterWalkabout Clearwater Chorus and CoffeehouseClearwater: Hudson River RisingInterview with the Environmental Action Director of the sloop Clearwater
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clearwater Environmental organizations based in New York (state) Hudson River Ships on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state) Individual sailing vessels Replica ships Poughkeepsie, New York 1969 ships Water organizations in the United States Education in New York (state) National Register of Historic Places in Dutchess County, New York