Feb. 25: The Hudson River's Role in the Underground Railroad

River to Freedom!

The Hudson River’s Role in the Underground Railroad

Discover the role the Hudson River played in the Underground Railroad and hear stories of those who used it to escape and assist others in gaining their freedom.

Cordell Reaves, expert on the Underground Railroad with the NYS Office of Parks, Recreations, and Historic Preservation, presents The Hudson River’s Role in the Underground Railroad. This RiverTalks event is Saturday, February 25, 7:00 PM, $10 / $5 for teachers, students, and seniors. For information contact weekends@beczak.org, (914) 377-1900 x 13. 

February is Black History Month. Learn a little known aspect of local African American history at The Hudson River’s Role in the Underground Railroad, a presentation in pictures and stories with Cordell Reaves with the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation.

The Underground Railroad was a network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada. Fugitives from the Hudson Valley, New Jersey, Pennsylvania—as well as from the South—traveled through the lower New York State in big numbers. But how did they do it?

There is little evidence of escaped slaves traveling in the Hudson Valley after the 1830s. Compared to other areas—for example Central New York State, southern Pennsylvania, the Ohio River Valley, Detroit, the absence of records is deeply puzzling.

The answer, suggests Cordell Reaves–Underground Railroad specialist with the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation–has to do with the Hudson River.

Something happened in the valley in 1807 that had nothing whatever to do with slavery—the first successful steamboat, Robert Fulton's Clermont. After that, the Hudson rapidly became the great Interstate Highway of its day—cheap and fast.

“Between New York City and Albany, the Underground Railroad used cargo sloops and steamboats, particularly those crewed or captained by African Americans,” says Reaves.

In The Hudson River’s Role in the Underground Railroad, Reaves presents fascinating stories of former slaves who used the Hudson River to escape as well as everyday people in the Hudson Valley who assisted others in gaining their freedom.

About Cordell Reaves

Cordell Reaves is a Historic Preservation Program Analyst with the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. For the past 10 years he has worked with historic sites across New York State to help them interpret and preserve their Underground Railroad History and increase their organizational capacity. Most recently he has been working on increasing tourism to NY using the story of the Underground Railroad. Cordell was born and raised in Brooklyn NY, has an MA from the Cooperstown Graduate Program for History Museum Studies and resides in Albany NY.

A Kayaker's Journey Along the Hudson on January 28

For outdoors adventure writer Susan Fox Rogers, the Hudson River is a place of exploration and escape

Award-winning outdoor adventure writer Susan Fox Rogers shares her exhilaration of discovering the Hudson River by kayak in A Kayakers Journey Along the Hudson. This Rivertalks presentation is Saturday, January 28, 7:00 PM, $10 / $5 for teachers, students, seniors and members of paddling clubs. For information contact vgarufi@beczak.org, (914) 377-1900 x 12. Beczak Environmental Education Center, 35 Alexander Street, Yonkers, NY 10701. www.beczak.org

When Susan Fox Rogers moved to the Hudson River village of Tivoli ten years ago to teach writing at Bard College, she purchased a kayak to enjoy the outdoors. It turned into a love affair with the Hudson, one that she shares in A Kayaker’s Journey Along the Hudson.

This evening celebrates the release of Rogers’ new book, My Reach: A Hudson River Memoir, called “glorious nature writing” by novelist Philip Roth.

Attendees will enjoy some of Rogers’ Hudson River adventures including the time she and a friend tried to paddle from Albany to Manhattan (they give up at Tarrytown after running into extremely hazardous weather conditions in Croton Bay; she learned later that commercial fishermen call the area “the Croton Triangle”). And they’ll find out how Hudson became a refuge for Rogers as her mother became ill and died within a few months and then, about a year later, her father suddenly died.

Rogers is no stranger to solo adventuring. For many years she has been an avid rock climber, cross-country skier, bicyclist and hiker and has edited adventure writing collections including Going Alone: Women's Adventures in the Wild and Antarctica: Life on the Ice which won the 2007 silver medal from the Society of American Travel Writers.

Signed copies of My Reach: A Hudson River Memoir will be available for sale and Hudson River wines and cheeses will be served.

Praise for My Reach: A Hudson River Memoir

“Rogers has delivered a unique love story about the Hudson River. Like all good love stories it is poetic, sometimes sad, full of discovery and history, and ultimately life- affirming. My Reach is a special memoir about intimacy with a river, and self - and the truth that paddling is about living right.”
—Holly Morris, author of Adventure Divas


“In a fresh and unassuming voice, Susan Fox Rogers sets out to tell the reader what she learns as she comes to know the Hudson River through kayaking near her home in Tivoli, New York, and beyond. What she hadn’t anticipated, however, and what she shared, ultimately, is the heartbreaking and profoundly moving manner in which the river teaches her, as she faces a series of sudden and devastating personal losses, the nature of her very self.”
—Boyer Rickel, author of Taboo

About Susan Fox Rogers

Susan Fox Rogers a writer, teacher, editor, rock climber and kayaker. She writes about the natural world and adventures in the outdoors. In the last ten years she has traveled to the Antarctic, Tasmania, Canada, and the southwest of France; hiked in Arizona, rock climbed in Nevada, birded Wyoming and backpacked in Alaska. The memoir is Rogers’ first book. She is the editor of 12 books, including most recently, Antarctica: Life on the Ice and Going Alone: Women’s Adventures in the Wild.

Read more here

Find Out if Fish Sleep on Dec. 10!

Discover fascinating facts about fish behavior—fun for the whole family!

Take a fascinating look at amazing fishes of the world with Judith Weis, professor of biological sciences at Rutgers University at Do Fish Sleep? Fascinating Answers to Questions About Fishes on Saturday, December 10, 7:00 PM.

From the fifty-one-foot whale shark Rhincodon typus to a less-than-one-half-inch fish in the minnow family—the tiny Paedocypris progenetica—fish certainly carry a lot of weight . . . or do they?

“A fish’s heft in water may vary, but these diverse aquatic animals certainly carry a lot of weight in our ecosystems and environment,” says Dr. Judith Weis. Her presentation Do Fish Sleep?, based on her new book by the same name, offers a fascinating look at these deceptively simple creatures.

Dr. Weis is an expert on estuarine ecology, yet her presentation is anything but dull scholarship. She knows how to make fish facts fun! “Fish actually possess attributes that would make us superpowers—they can change color, sex, produce light and electricity, regenerate injured fins, prevent themselves from sinking, and some can even walk on land,” says Weis.

Do Fish Sleep? features dozens of photographs and interesting facts from fish biology basics to the importance of preserving and restoring fish diversity and healthy populations. It promises to be a captivating evening for fish enthusiasts of all ages-naturalists, environmentalists, aquarists, scuba divers, and students—as well as for those just about to get their feet wet.

Signed copies of Do Fish Sleep? will be available for sale.

“Fish, fish, and more fish—from minnows to sharks, mountain streams to ocean bottoms, and teeth to tail fins, if it's a fish question, it's answered here.”

— John Waldman, author of Heartbeats in the Muck: The History, Sea Life, and Environment of New York Harbor

About Judith Weis

Dr. Judith S. Weis is a Professor of Biological Sciences at Rutgers University, Newark. She received her bachelor's degree from Cornell University, and MS and PhD from New York University. Her research focuses mostly on estuarine ecology and she has published a book on salt marshes (Salt Marshes: A Natural and Unnatural History) in 2009 and a book on fish (Do Fish Sleep?) published in 2011.

She is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), was a Congressional Science Fellow with the U.S, Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, and was a Fulbright Senior Specialist in Indonesia in 2006. She has been on numerous advisory committees for USEPA, NOAA and the National Research Council and is currently chair of the Science Advisory Board of the NJ Department of Environmental Protection. She was the Chair of the Biology Section of AAAS, served on the boards of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC), the Association for Women in Science (AWIS), and the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS), of which she was the President in 2001.

amazing but true fish facts!

Hudson River Sturgeon with Tom Lake on Saturday, November 12

One of the Hudson River’s most knowledgeable naturalists presents the life history of the Atlantic sturgeon—the Hudson’s largest fish whose ancestors once shared the Earth with dinosaurs!

Hudson River naturalist, writer and teacher Tom Lake presents the life history of the Atlantic sturgeon—the Hudson’s oldest and largest fish species that can reach fifteen feet and over eight hundred pounds—once so plentiful they clogged the Hudson, now threatened with extinction. This Rivertalks presentation is Saturday, November 12, 7:00 PM, $10 / $5 for teachers, students and seniors. For information contact vgarufi@beczak.org, (914) 377-1900 x 12. Beczak Environmental Education Center, 35 Alexander Street, Yonkers, NY 10701. www.beczak.org

Imagine going fishing on the Hudson River and hooking a ten-foot, 300-pound monster armored with bony plates. Or imagine not being able to take your boat out on the Hudson because the channel is so full of huge spawning sturgeon that navigation is dangerous.

Scenes like these were commonplace Hudson River occurrences. Now, due to overfishing and pollution, the Atlantic sturgeon—the oldest and largest of all Hudson River fishes—is an endangered species. Find out if experts think sturgeon come back from the brink of extinction at Hudson River Sturgeon: Relic from Deep Time.

Tom Lake, Naturalist for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and editor of the Hudson River Almanac, attributes his fascination with sturgeon to their role as “canary in the coal mine” for the Earth’s health. “Sturgeon have been on Earth for 200 million years, surviving global turmoil and cataclysmic events. They are a perfect example of how heavy the human footprint weighs on our planet.” 

In Hudson River Sturgeon: Relic from Deep Time, Tom Lake will explore the two sturgeon species found in the Hudson River—Atlantic and shortnose—from the Triassic Period when they shared the Earth with the first birds and dinosaurs to present time. His presentation will include photos of sturgeon recently tagged in the Hudson River, as well as information about sturgeon’s life history, spawning cycle, and uses in colonial times.

Beczak Environmental Education Center, where Tom Lake will present Hudson River Sturgeon: Relic from Deep Time, holds several hundred fishing programs each year, but has never caught a live sturgeon. “Two years ago, a dead three foot long Atlantic sturgeon washed onto our beach,” says Vicky Garufi, Director of Education and Outreach. “It was mangled, like it had been caught in a boat’s propeller. We keep its scutes—bony plates—in our Center, and of course we answer many questions about our seven foot sturgeon model on display.”

MORE ABOUT HUDSON RIVER STURGEON

The Hudson River Estuary logo depicts an Atlantic sturgeon, an apt symbol of the Department of Conservation’s efforts to protect the Hudson River Estuary.

Since 1998, possession of Atlantic sturgeon has been banned by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) in all US Atlantic coastal states.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation in collaboration with Hudson River Estuary Program, Pew Institute, Hudson River Foundation, and National Fish and Wildlife Foundation operates sturgeon studies in the Hudson River to learn about and protect Atlantic sturgeon’s spawning waters.

ABOUT TOM LAKE, HOST OF HUDSON RIVER STURGEON

Tom Lake is the Estuary Naturalist for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation's Hudson River Estuary Program. Besides teaching the ecology of the estuary, he edits the Hudson River Almanac, a natural history journal now in its 17th year. He also teaches anthropology, archaeology, and the Prehistory of the Hudson Valley at SUNY Dutchess Community College in Poughkeepsie.

Lake’s last presentation at Beczak, “The Return of the Bald Eagle,” was a highlight of the spring 2011 RiverTalks season.

an OKTOBERFEST with a RiverTalks twist!

 Bratwurst and Beer . . . a Bavarian dance performance and strange tales of the Yonkers Brewery . . . It’s all part of “Oktoberfest on the Hudson” on October 22, a celebration to support Beczak Environmental Education Center

Oktoberfest on the Hudson

Saturday, October 22, 3:00 - 8:00 PM 

at Beczak Environmental Education Center

Advance ticket sales only - click here for yours! 

more information contact lperson@beczak.org

(914) 377-1900 x 17

Bella the Beer Fox!

The emcee of Oktoberfest on the Hudson is Bella “The Beer Fox,” a sought after beer competition judge, who will offer tastings from her must-have beer list including Spaten Oktoberfestbier and Brooklyn Local One from the Brooklyn Brewery. 

“Beer is a sensual experience,” says Bella. “I show people how to taste beer, and the art of pairing great beers with fine foods.”

Tickets to Beczak’s “Beer Garden” also include a traditional German menu of bratwurst, sauerkraut, German potato salad and Black Forest Cake, and Samuel Adams Octoberfest and Leinenkugel’s Oktoberfest beers.

Throughout, enjoy Yonkers’ own German accordion player Carl Gessman and traditional Bavarian dancers from the Schuhplattler of Germania of Poughkeepsie. Christine and Gabor performs annually at Hunter Mountain, Bellayre Ski Lodge, Town of Yulan and West Point Officer’s Club, as well as various other bier fests and Oktoberfests.

The evening ends with tales of Yonkers’ beer claim to fame with "Strange but True Tales of the Yonkers Brewery." 

Dutch Schultz

Richard Sweeney, a retired Yonkers judge, tells stories starring Dutch Schultz, a prohibition-era gangster who ran pipes through Yonkers sewers to distribute beer. This presentation includes rarely seen images of the Yonkers Brewery from the Yonkers Historical Society archives.

 

Proceeds of Oktoberfest support Beczak Environmental Education Center. 

Raffle prizes include:

·      The Oxford Companion to Beer, edited by Garrett Oliver. This new 960 page resource for all things beer is a $66 value.

·      Thornwood Ale House Gift Certificate $50

·      Bitters & Esters (formerly City Brew Shop) Beer Making Class

·      The Green Growler Gift Certificate $50. The new Croton beer store sells beer candy to beer soap and shampoo as well as home brewing kits. 

·      Beer Making Kits from the Brooklyn Brew Shop

Oktoberfest is sponsored by All-Star Beverages - Wholesale and Retail Distributors of Fine Imported and Domestic Beers, Sodas, Kegs and Ice.

Enjoy Oktoberfest and Support Beczak Environmental Education Center *  Click here for tickets now!

November's presentation...

Tom Lake's spring 2011 presentation, Return of the Bald Eagle, delighted and informed a packed house. Welcome back, Tom!