Hudson River Stories: Hope on the Hudson

With 520-miles of waterfront and four-out-of-five boroughs islands, New York City is truly a water city. Everywhere you go, there are tunnels and bridges delivering you over water, to such a degree some have dubbed the waterways that encircle New York City "the sixth borough." We spent several months filming both the natural water landscape and the activists trying to improve its health. From Brooklyn's Newtown Creek to Queens' Flush Meadow, waterways once thought ruined forever by industrial and man made pollution are making a comeback. From the Billion Oyster Project to Dragon Boat races, from the Gowanus Canal to the Harlem River, there is brand new activity on all of the waterways that surround NYC, making this the cornerstone of our new 'Hope on the Hudson' series.

For nearly a year the historic sloop 'Clearwater' was out of the water, on land, enduring what wooden boats have historically endured forever: Restoration. Onshore near the Hudson River Maritime Museum on the Rondout Creek in Kingston, swathed in tarps and protective sheets, the nearly 60-year-old wooden boat was carefully mended and updated. Built under the visionary leadership of musician/activist and Hudson River resident Pete Seeger, the 'Clearwater' continues to fulfill the original mission he envisioned, to help educate and share the plight of our local Hudson River environment as it luffs its sails and roams America's "First River."

From planting to harvest, follow the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe at Akwesasne, the Hudson Valley Farm Hub and Seedshed as they honor Native American seeds that are at risk of disappearing. Can they preserve their rich agricultural heritage and the stories that each seed holds?