Hudson Riverkeeper Clean-up Event
By: Waterkeeper Alliance
Waterkeeper Alliance recently took part in a community cleanup hosted by Hudson Riverkeeper, in partnership with Riverside Park Conservancy and HSBC. We were joined by 100 volunteers and interns to collect discarded bottles, bottle caps, other waste – even bicycles from both the surrounding area and the river. One intern discovered an entire container of cornstarch, while another filled five buckets solely with bottle caps. In total, nearly 20 full trash bags worth of litter were removed from the park. These aren’t just small messes; they reveal a significant issue with how we manage waste. Bottle caps are especially problematic in the environment because their small size makes them easy to overlook. They can cause significant harm to wildlife and ecosystems, often ending up in waterways where they contribute to plastic pollution and are mistakenly ingested by animals.
Before the event, Katie Leung, Senior Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator at Hudson Riverkeeper, outlined the organization’s goals, the steps to achieve them, and emphasized the importance of local community support. Hudson Riverkeeper is dedicated to restoring and protecting the river by holding polluters accountable for their actions. Although their primary focus is on the river itself, they collaborate with Riverside Park Conservancy to ensure that the surrounding areas are also kept clean. If these areas remain polluted, trash and waste could make its way into the Hudson River, hindering Hudson Riverkeeper’s progress by decades. Katie also emphasized the organization’s broader efforts, which include “120 stewardship sites focused on cleanups, invasive species removal, and tree-planting initiatives.”
A major assist in this work came from HSBC, which provided Hudson Riverkeeper with a grant to monitor water quality by sampling and testing for bacteria (primarily from sewage) and posting the results online for public access. This effort helps inform the community about when and where it is safe to swim and fish. In addition to funding water quality monitoring, HSBC supports environmental conservation by partnering with organizations like Hudson Riverkeeper for local cleanups like this one across the country.
The event was another example of Hudson Riverkeeper’s long history protecting the region. Dating back to the 1960s, the Hudson River was riddled with pollution, affecting the livelihoods of local fishermen and the health of surrounding communities. The river was dying due to run-down factories infesting the water with hazardous waste. Unhealthy waters meant poisoned fish, diminished drinking water supplies, and a river synonymous with an industrial sewer.
In 1966, local fishermen had enough; they banded together and formed the Hudson River Fishermen’s Association, fighting to clean and protect the Hudson River. At the time, industrial polluters were stealing the river, dumping 1.5 billion gallons per day of raw sewage into it.
Then, Bob Boyle, a fly fisherman and outdoor writer for Sports Illustrated, took a stance and spoke out against the mistreatment of the river. Through his research and advocacy work, he successfully helped shut down multiple projects and prevented polluters from contaminating the river. Using their lawsuit payout, they formed what is now Hudson Riverkeeper, which continues to patrol the Hudson and hold polluters accountable.
Although Hudson Riverkeeper was established decades earlier, it has been part of Waterkeeper Alliance from the beginning, serving as a model for the broader Waterkeeper movement. Recently, Hudson Riverkeeper has focused on actively engaging the community and testing water quality to keep residents informed. Through these efforts, Riverkeeper provides updates on safe areas for fishing and swimming, relying on data from over 100 community scientists.
At Riverside Park, residents formed the Riverside Park Conservancy to raise private funds for the park’s operation after years of abandonment and neglect. Since the beginning, the organization has maintained a long-standing relationship with the New York City Parks Department, which has helped secure additional employees, contracts, and materials to rebuild the park.
Upon being officially recognized by the Parks Department, the organization launched the North Side initiative. This focused on providing additional time, support, and advocacy to predominantly Black and Latinx neighborhoods, enabling community members to enjoy the benefits of a nearby green space. Riverside Park Conservancy then invested in Zone Gardeners who focused on horticultural restoration and care for the newly opened green spaces. Through this visible impact, residents began to realize how much their neighborhood had changed and developed, and how to immerse themselves in the new development.
With this recognition also came the ability to further expand their reach. Riverside Park Conservancy widened its scope to five other neighboring parks, significantly impacting those communities. In recent years, the organization has taken sustainability a step further, even hiring seasonal goats to clear weeds and invasive species, which helps raise awareness of the Conservancy’s larger sustainability and environmental justice initiatives. They also created a compost compound that is not only used back into the parks but also reduces waste trucked to landfills.
Even after such accomplishments, the Conservancy still aims to extend its reach and resources by constructing more recreational and accessible areas, as well as hosting annual entertainment events, which can be found on their website.
This cleanup event, made possible by groups such as Hudson Riverkeeper, Riverside Parks Conservancy, HSBC, and Waterkeeper Alliance, shows what can happen when communities come together. Cleaning up local environments, such as parks and rivers, is vital for the health of both nature and humans. These efforts remind us that every individual action, combined with strong community support, is one of the most effective ways to protect our planet.