Clearwater helped save the Hudson River. Can the organization save itself?

BEACON - Clearwater, the environmental organization that’s advocated for a clean Hudson River and offers kids a close-up look at the river aboard its sloop, has reached its 55th year.

Until just days ago, leaders of the organization co-founded by Pete and Toshi Seeger feared this year would also be their last.

“The hole was very deep,” Clearwater Executive Director David Toman said this week. "Clearwater had no cash reserves, no endowment. Every payroll is dicey ... we did not have a way to bridge income flow."

So the organization ramped up outreach and let people know it would fold within weeks without an influx of at least $250,000. That would allow the organization to remedy its cash-flow problems now and mount an overhaul to restructure the nonprofit.

Relaunching Hudson fest: Fundraising underway to revive music and environmental festival, for Pete Seeger's sake

"We knew the public would help if they knew of our troubles," Toman said. And they did. By mid-May, Toman said, $150,000 of the goal had been raised.

Is it enough to save the organization? Not yet. But Toman said he's optimistic Clearwater will survive.

Meanwhile, the Clearwater Festival in Croton Point, a premier event, was last held in 2019. Another nonprofit, unaffiliated with Clearwater but formed by supporters, plans a relaunch of the event, renamed RiverFest For Pete's Sake, in 2025.

Connection to environment, community

Toman, who joined Clearwater in January 2022, said the terrific response aligns with what he hears from Hudson Valley residents. People recall their school trips on the Sloop Clearwater, the concerts and events, the lessons about environmental stewardship of the river.

"There's a heightened sensitivity," Toman said, when it comes to Clearwater. "What we’re doing works, we know it works, and we need to do (this) for the future generations."

Founded in 1966, Clearwater utilizes sailing, educational programs and environmental action to advocate on behalf of the Hudson River and its surrounding valley.

The organization was among those pushing for the Clean Water Act, passed in 1972.

Clearwater championed a decades-long fight for the Hudson River cleanup of polychlorinated biphenyls or PCBs.

Clearwater joined in efforts to shut down and decommission the Indian Point nuclear power plants that used Hudson water to cool reactors.

It also worked with nonprofits and advocates to: oppose a plan to tap, treat and desalinate Hudson River water for use for Rockland County; demand action to clean up PFAS exposure, including in the City of Newburgh; protect against invasive species in the river; and work on ways to protect communities against sea level rise.

The Sloop Clearwater sails from Albany to NYC, hosting environmental programs for kids and school field trips. Captain Rory Kane, who on Wednesday was readying the sloop for a trip down the Hudson from Beacon to New York City, said school visits teach kids lessons that stick. They are taught how to cast a fishing net, set a jib, steer the boat.

"Years later, they tell me, 'I went on this boat with a fourth-grade trip,' " Kane said as he gave a tour of the sloop. "It provides an overarching exposure to the river."

The educational programs and the environmental activism have earned the Sloop Clearwater the nickname, "America’s environmental flagship."

Fiscal woes; next steps

Clearwater's hit other rough spots in its 55 years.

In 2016, the organization had to pour millions of dollars into the sloop to upgrade the vessel.

Its 2019, Clearwater Revival was nearly rained out and the big fundraiser fell flat.

Then came the pandemic. For more than a year, the sloop couldn't hold programs.

Toman said the organization needs to completely overhaul its financial structures because it needs to be better stewards of the resources that people give, not just of the Hudson it protects.

U.S. Rep. Pat Ryan, a Democrat whose 18th District includes Orange County and parts of Ulster and Dutchess counties, said the environmental organization has been valuable to the region.

"The Hudson River Sloop Clearwater has played a vital role in shaping generations of Hudson River stewards," Ryan said in a statement. "Their tireless advocacy and educational initiatives have been instrumental in our efforts to clean up the river and combat ongoing threats from barges and polluters."

Find out more about donations at clearwater.org/support.

Clearwater has also launched a fundraiser that takes place over the summer called "Paddle For Our Hudson!" Kayakers, rowboaters, paddleboarders, canoeists and more can clock 55 miles of paddling, to mark Clearwater's 55th year, between Memorial Day and the end of July. It's a way to celebrate a clean river and get sponsors to help raise funds for Clearwater. Find out more at clearwater.org/paddle.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Hudson River NY environmental group Clearwater faces closure