Regional Leaders Report on Ideas for Future of the Hudson Valley

Highlights from task force reports on agriculture; education and culture; land use, energy and the environment; economic development and transportation were presented, followed by a report on “mechanisms for action” to implement the task force agendas. Created as a legacy project of the Hudson-Fulton-Champlain Quadricentennial Commission, the task forces grew out of a “listening tour” that gathered ideas from residents in six riverfront communities last fall.

 

A new entity called “Caucus of 1,000 Friends of the Hudson Valley” that can “champion the Hudson Valley region to the world” was one of the ideas proposed by the Mechanisms for Action task force, chaired by Robert Elliott, former deputy commissioner of the NYS Department of State, and Jeffrey Rumpf, executive director of Clearwater.

 

Opening statements were made by Joan Davidson, chair of the Quadricentennial Commission and chair of the steering committee guiding the overall effort to advance ideas about the future of the river and Valley. Chris White from Congressman Maurice Hinchey’s office, said, “We plan to take what you are doing here and move it along to the federal level.”

 

Mark Castiglione, Acting Executive Director of the Hudson River Valley Greenway, pledged the support of his organization, saying, “This is a very important extension of the conversation that began with the founding of the Greenway and the National Heritage Area.”

 

The gathering was attended by representatives of U.S. Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand and of members of Congress Nita Lowey and John Hall, in addition to numerous state, county and local officials.

 

OurHudson.org, an interactive website designed to stimulate conversation about the future of the Valley and make reports available for public comment, was introduced by Senior Editor Theodore Eisenman. In walking participants through the website, he said, “OurHudson.org is a virtual meeting place where we can engage each other along the length of the Hudson, providing an easy format for the public to participate in defining the region’s future.”

 

Judith Labelle, Executive Director of The Glynwood Center, an organization dedicated to saving farming in the northeast, said the Agriculture Task Force looked forward to a future when people in the Valley grasp the economic benefit of agricultural development, encouraging new products supported by a regional commitment to agriculture. “Agricultural land must be protected and consumers must be educated about the importance of agriculture in the Hudson Valley,” she said.

 

Scenic Hudson Executive Director Ned Sullivan said the Land Use Task Force foresaw “vibrant cities and towns protected by open spaces. People will be biking and walking to work and the region will be attracting all kinds of green industry while conserving the land.”

 

Sullivan’s co-chair Alex Matthiessen, Executive Director of Riverkeeper, said, “In 2050, people will enjoy unlimited access to a clean river and Hudson Valley air quality will be much improved. It takes an informed citizenry to make sure that we have the clean environment which is so critical to a healthy and productive region.”

 

Melissa Everett, Executive Director of Sustainable Hudson Valley and co-chair of the Economic Development Task Force, said, “The most encouraging part of this entire effort is the intelligence of the conversation. We need to build on assets we already have, particularly our human capital.”

 

Mary Ann Crotty, President of Macro Associates, who served on the Transportation Task Force, said, “Better transportation up and down and across the Valley enriches the region for everyone, both residents and tourists.   For the future, we must think in terms of transit-oriented development, which positions growth of communities near transportation resources.”

 

Jeffrey Rumpf, Executive Director of Clearwater, introduced the report of the Mechanisms for Action Task Force by saying, “We have to learn to sing together. We’re very eager to get that song going. We need a powerful identity to build constituencies for the future and the ingredients to start making it happen are in this room.”

 

Kent Barwick, a member of the Quadricentennial Commission, summed up the meeting by saying, “It is thrilling that, despite the economy, there is real optimism and ambition evident in this public process. Now, in the afterglow of the Quad, people up and down the river are looking for long-neglected assets in our cities, towns and countryside. The process of rediscovery is a way to imagine what can be.”

 

Barwick announced that the group will be making a short documentary movie to illustrate the proposals contained in the task force reports.

 

“We also hope to create a floating town hall on a Hudson River barge that will move up and down the river, generating conversation and ideas along the way. For this process of envisioning our future to be successful, the voices of the people of the Hudson Valley must be heard.”

 

OurHudson.org, an interactive website, is designed to give residents and friends of the Valley an opportunity to join the regional conversation, respond to draft agendas, and share their vision for the Hudson Valley.

 

For more information, go to www.OurHudson.org.