Environmental History of the Hudson River: Human Uses that Changed the Ecology, Ecology that Changed Human Uses

by Robert E. Henshaw (editor), Frances F. Dunwell (Foreword)

The diverse contributions to Environmental History of the Hudson River examine how the natural and physical attributes of the river have influenced human settlement and uses, and how human occupation has, in turn, affected the ecology and environmental health of the river. The Hudson River Valley may be America's premier river environmental laboratory, and by bringing historians and social scientists together with biologists and other physical scientists, this book hopes to foster new ways of looking at and talking about this historically, commercially, and aesthetically important ecosystem. Native people's influences on the ecological integrity of aquatic and shoreline communities were generally local and minor, and for the first 12,000 years or so of human use, the Hudson River was valued mainly as a source of water, food, and transportation. Since the arrival of European colonists, however, commerce has been the engine that has driven development and use of the river, from the harvesting of beaver pelts and timber to the siting of manufacturing industries and power plants, and all of these uses have had pervasive effects on the river's aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. In the meantime, aesthetic movements such as the Hudson River School of painting have sought to recover and preserve the earlier pastoral landscape, anticipating the more recent efforts by environmentalists that have led to dramatic improvements in water quality, shoreline habitats, and fish populations. Despite the pervasive forces of commerce, the Hudson River has retained its world-class scenic qualities. The Upper Hudson remains today a free-flowing, tumbling mountain stream, and the Lower Hudson a fjord penetrated and dominated by the Hudson Highlands. The Hudson's unique history continues to affect current uses and will surely influence the future in remarkable ways.

404 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2011

Reviews

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great collection of interdisciplinary essays about the Hudson River and its region emphasizing the river's importance for the growth of the US as a whole and especially its value to NY State. It is a great historical introduction to the many facets of the river, from a mighty waterway with peculiar currents maintaining a unique ecology, to a source of inspiration for artistic and academic work. Rivaling the Rhine, it has served as an inspiration to artists who made it the basis of the first American school of painting, as well as to poets and nature writers. It has not only been the subject of artistic works, but also that of ongoing and diverse scientific research. Moreover, it has also served as an invaluable engine for economic expansion.