Meet New York’s Most Famous — and Longest — River (Fun fact: The Hudson River is 315 miles long)
“The Hudson River is a lot cleaner now. A lot of the pollution is gone, or reduced.”
Dr. Genia Naro-Maciel
The Hudson River has a split personality, in two respect. First, it has had two distinct names, North River and Hudson River. The first name was coined by the Dutch to delineate the northern boundary of the Dutch colony. Later, the British changed the name to the Hudson River, after English sailor Henry Hudson, even though he worked for the Dutch East India Company.
The Hudson’s marine environment also has a split personality. The southern portion of the river, the part that laps the shores of New York City, is a tidal estuary, meaning it is a mix of fresh water and salt water, like Jamaica Bay Farther north, where the river originates, it is a true freshwater river.
Where Is The Hudson River?
The source of the Hudson River is Lake Tear of the Clouds in the Adirondack Mountains, far north of New York City. The River flows down from the mountains, past the city of Albany, the city of Yonkers and finally past New York City, specifically the boroughs of The Bronx and Manhattan. At the tip of Manhattan the river meets the Upper New York Bay (aka New York harbor).
Visuals Mentioned In This Episode
Jeanne Haffner and I talked about this map in the first section of this episode.
Credit: Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division.
Dr. Genia Naro-Maciel pointed out how these little beauties live in the Hudson River. I had no idea!
Image Credit: Brian Gratwicke
Genia also talked about how Diamond Back Terrapins live in the Hudson River, and that they nest in Jamaica Bay. Photos are from the Jamaica Bay Terrapin Research Project.
Click here for more pics and here to learn about the amazing work they’re doing.
This is the amazing song that LuLu Krause created for AdriftNYC based on her impressions of the Hudson River. If you love it, like I do, leave her comment on Instagram.
Who You’ll Meet In This Episode
- Jeanne Haffner: Jeanne is an historian and was the Associate Curator of the Hudson Rising Exhibit at the New York Historical Society, Musuem and Library. The exhibit was an environmental history of the Hudson River from 1825 to the present. Jeanne kindly gave me a personal tour of the exhibit, which you heard parts of in this episode. Since then, Jeanne has taken on a new role as the Curatorial Director at the Energy and Nature Education Center at Jones Beach
- Dr. Genia Naro-Maciel: Genia is a Clinical Associate Professor at New York University. She received her M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology from Columbia University, where she also earned a Certificate in Environmental Policy. Her research program focuses on genetic approaches for aquatic biodiversity and conservation. To read some of Genia’s work, check out her Google Scholar website.
- Lulu Krause: Lulu grew up loving musical theater. She self-describes herself as, “becoming a more earnest performer since she moved to New York City seven years ago.” Lulu sing jazz and performs musical improv and musical comedy. You can see Lulu every week at The Magnet Theater. Check out these other places you can enjoy LuLu’s work: YouTube and her website.