Embattled River: The Hudson and Modern American Environmentalism by David SchuylerMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
A scholarly, yet readable, volume about the Hudson River. The river helped spawn many environmental organizations particularly ones with the main mission with the Hudson. A few early actors also were important in other national organizations, one example is the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) which came out of the Storm King litigation. The various groups formed with primary goals to clean up the Hudson, and protect it from further industrialization, such as Nuclear Plants and other electricity generation plants. One particularly interesting chapter was about the ship Clearwater which was a project by the singer Pete Seeger.
While the text is dense at times, it is very informative in providing details to the actions of the communities and organizations in the area have done to improve the quality of the Hudson River. Unfortunately PCB contamination is still a major problem, and the ever present development for housing or other commercial properties.
Personally I would have enjoyed a little more on the overall affect on the modern environmental movement. Quick notes were provided on how certain legislation was groundbreaking, and certainly much of the early lawsuits were very important. I also found the timeline at times a little confusing. Each chapter had a main focus and generally advanced in the time line, but that wasn't always the case and so it did make for the overall outlook a little unclear.
This is a good book for environmental studies, local government planners, and anyone who wants to learn more about local fights in making a better river for everyone to enjoy today and in the future.
Read: May.28-July.21 2019
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