PUBLISHED: Wednesday, March 18, 2020

This is a message from Greg Williams, Executive Director of the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater.

In the spirit of Clearwater’s founding mission, to protect the happiness and health of the Hudson River, we feel that it is just as pertinent to take precautions to promote safety and health within our community. 

As you are well aware, due to the recent Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, health officials have cautioned against large gatherings to reduce any further spreading of the disease. 

Clearwater is adapting and responding, so that we can continue our important work of protecting the Hudson River and advocating for a just, clean energy future.

First, we're prioritizing the health of our volunteers, activists, staff, crew and entire community. The COVID-19 pandemic is a social and economic justice issue, as well as a health crisis. and we recognize that each of us have a social responsibility to be good actors in keeping others safe, too.

Our hope is that the country’s collective participation will help change the outcome of what COVID-19 brings to the human race; and prove that together, we can do even greater things for our environment.

Here are some specific steps that Clearwater is taking: 

• To support students spending time at home and teachers working diligently to keep their students engaged and energized, we are developing online education opportunities that allow students to explore and experience the Hudson River and the Sloop from afar. 

• We anticipate that many of our upcoming education programs (Tideline, Sailing Classroom, and In-School) will be affected as we implement necessary social distancing measures to protect our community. We will be in touch directly with the groups who scheduled for upcoming programs.

• We are canceling our Clearwater Community Celebration scheduled for June 20 and 21 at Croton Point Park. Due to caution against travel, ticket sales and travel arrangements for the Community Celebration will be severely impacted. We understand the disappointment that our Clearwater family may feel in lieu of this unprecedented situation, and appreciate your understanding. 

• We are requiring office staff to work from home until further notice. You can still reach our staff by email or phone, (845) 265-8080. 

We will be happy to hear from you.

Ways To Support

Spring is a financially challenging season for Clearwater even in our best years. For an organization designed to bring people together, isolation and social distance are especially difficult. The prospect of cutting back our events and education programs for weeks or months presents a new and perhaps greater threat than Clearwater has ever faced. To make it through this, we need your support.

Call To Action

While we are taking this time to step back from public gatherings, we will continue our efforts to keep our waters protected in the digital world. A meaningful step that you can take today to protect the Hudson and surrounding communities, is to submit comments to the Nuclear Regulatory Committee against the sale of Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant to an unqualified, untrustworthy company called Holtec. 

Digital Communities

While we may not be able to meet in public, we are continuing to build a strong community online. Please follow us on Facebook, Twitter,  Instagram or YouTube to stay connected. You can also visit our website, Clearwater.org.

We would like to express our gratitude for your continued support, and partnership in our mission toward protecting the health and wellness of both our beloved Hudson River, and our community.