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Bernice Silver, 97 Years Young Goes Kayaking!

This is the first event of Pete's Vision, a new focus of NYCFC on recreational boating to have people fall in love with and appreciate the waterways.

Bernice Silver is going kayaking for the first time!   We hope you all come down and join us Saturday Aug 13th*, to enjoy a fun morning on the Hudson River either to kayak or just observing. Meet us at Downtown Boathouse Pier 96 at 56th Street and the Hudson River at 10:30 am.

Bernice Silver is a long time member of the NYC Friends of Clearwater, an environmentalist, a puppeteer and a songwriter. She will be showing us all that anyone and everyone can enjoy the river. At 97 years young Bernice is “game for anything” she says.

Pete Seeger, legendary folk singer and environmental activist, 40 plus years ago envisioned a Hudson River that was clean for his children and grandchildren to play in. Back then you couldn’t walk a few blocks away without smelling the stench of the water. The sails of the Sloop Clearwater went up and a symbol of a cleaner river was born.

Bernice has sailed on the Clearwater many times and now its time for a new adventure. Kayaking, rowing and paddle boarding are human powered recreation many enjoy on the Hudson these days. (We won’t be seeing Bernice on a paddle board :).

Part of Pete’s vision was to turn people onto the beauty of being on the river, loving the river and appreciating the need to protect it. Thousands of people have sailed on the Clearwater over the years and learned valuable lessons of the environment.

*Date change is due to the ecological crisis on the Hudson caused by the fire 7.22 at the North River Wastewater Treatment Plant. The river has been off limits to kayaking and swimming for a few days. The plant is back online and the river is expected to be safe again soon. Westchester County just lifted its advisory, 7.27,  on recreational activities on the river and Manhattan will soon follow. We have been working closely with the Department of Environmental Protection, Dept of Health and Riverkeeper specifically about Bernice and the water quality.  Mother nature will assure that the water quality will as be excellent as Riverkeeper’s testing deemed it was on the day before the current crisis.

Click here for the NY Times article on the treatment plant fire.