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River Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Inc. Formation 1966 ; 60 years ago ( 1966 ) Founder Pete Seeger and Toshi Seeger Type Nonprofit Tax ID no. 14-6049022 Legal status 501(c)(3) Headquarters Beacon, New York Board President Samantha Hicks [ 1 ]

Executive Director David Toman [ 2 ] Website https://www.clearwater.org/ The Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Inc. is a non-profit organization based in Beacon, New York that seeks to protect the Hudson River and surrounding wetlands and waterways

through advocacy and public education. Founded by folk singer Pete Seeger with his wife Toshi Seeger in 1966, the organization is known for its sailing vessel, the sloop Clearwater , and for its annual music and environmental festival, the Great

Hudson River Revival . History [ edit ] In 1966, Pete Seeger and his wife Toshi Seeger founded the organization and within three years had the sloop Clearwater built to advocate for cleaning up the Hudson River . [ 3 ] The founding was influenced by

community opposition to a proposed power plant at Storm King Mountain . [ 4 ] In 1969, the Clearwater made her maiden voyage down the Atlantic Coast from the Harvey Gamage Shipyard in Maine to the South Street Seaport in New York City. [ 5 ] Folk

musician Tom Winslow wrote a folk music song, "Hey Looka Yonder (It's the Clearwater)", in which the lyrics specifically mention the fundraising efforts for the sloop, and how "black and white" people got together for this program. [ 6 ] [ 7 ] [ 8 ]

Based for many years in Poughkeepsie , New York, the Clearwater moved its office to Beacon , New York, in 2009. [ citation needed ] Environmental advocacy [ edit ] Pollution of the Hudson River [ edit ] Main article: Pollution of the Hudson River The

Clearwater and the Clearwater Festival have worked to draw attention to the problem of pollution of the Hudson River . Pollution in the river has included mercury contamination and sewage dumping, [ 9 ] [ 10 ] but the most discussed issue has been

General Electric 's contamination of the river with Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) between 1947 and 1977. [ 11 ] This pollution caused a range of harmful effects to wildlife and people who eat fish from the river or drink the water. [ 12 ] The

activism of folk singer Pete Seeger and the Clearwater led to the area being designated as one of the superfund sites. [ 13 ] Recognition [ edit ] Clearwater has gained national recognition for its activism starting in the 1970s to force a clean-up

of the PCB contamination caused by industrial manufacturing by General Electric and other companies on the river's edge. [ citation needed ] Other specific Hudson watershed issues with which Clearwater is concerned are development pressures in the

southern half of the Hudson Valley, pesticide runoff, the Manhattan west side waterfront, Indian Point nuclear reactors, and New York/New Jersey Harbor dredge spoil disposal. [ citation needed ] Clearwater played a key role in the Environmental

Protection Agency (EPA) decision to compel one of the Hudson River's biggest polluters to begin removing toxic PCBs from the water and restoring one of the most polluted portions of the river. [ 14 ] In 2002, Pete Seeger was named a "Clean Water

Hero" for his prominent efforts in the passage of the Clean Water Act . [ 15 ] His tireless devotion to working through Clearwater and promoting its message to effectively use the law in prosecuting polluters of America's waterways has made the Clean

Water Act one of the most successful environmental laws in the country. [ 16 ] The EPA said after Seeger's death in 2014 that "the incredible work" of Seeger and the Clearwater organization helped make the Hudson River cleaner. "His leadership was

extraordinary," regional Administrator Judith A. Enck told United Press International . [ 13 ] Environmental education [ edit ] Clearwater docked near Poughkeepsie Bridge for local festival Clearwater's environmental education programs are intended

to heighten public awareness of the Hudson River's unique ecosystem that blends freshwater streams from the Adirondack Mountains with the salt tides of the Atlantic Ocean around New York City . [ 17 ] [ 18 ] Sailing mostly on the Hudson River between

New York City and Albany, New York , the sloop Clearwater is used primarily to offer environmental and biological education programs to school groups, touching on river biology, environmental protection of waterways and related topics. [ 19 ] [ 20 ]

It offers sails for Clearwater members and the general public, as well as private charters. [ citation needed ] In addition to the professional crew, Clearwater offers opportunities for people to sail as volunteer crew for one week periods or as an

intern/apprentice for up to two months to learn sailing , environmental education and assist with vessel maintenance. [ 21 ] From 1996 until 2018, Clearwater chartered the schooner Mystic Whaler to present Clearwater's education program to more

schools and the public. [ 22 ] Sloop Clearwater [ edit ] Sloop Clearwater sailing up the Hudson River History United States Name Clearwater Builder Harvey Gamage Shipyard, South Bristol, Maine Laid down October, 1968 Launched May 17, 1969 General

characteristics Type Gaff rigged sloop Length 106 ft (32 m) overall Beam 25 ft (7.6 m) Draft 8 ft (2.4 m) Propulsion sails; auxiliary engine Sail plan mainsail , main topsail , jib Notes 4305 sq ft. (387.5 m²) total sail area Hudson River Sloop

Clearwater U.S. National Register of Historic Places Location Beacon, New York Built 1968 Architect Hamlin, Cyrus; Gamage, Harvey Shipyard NRHP reference No. 04000376 [ 23 ] Added to NRHP May 4, 2004 [ 24 ] Clearwater sailing south on the Hudson

River past Manhattan 's Grant's Tomb and Riverside Church Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Inc. owns and operates the sloop Clearwater , the centerpiece of Clearwater's public education programs. Clearwater serves as a movable classroom, laboratory,

stage, and forum. [ citation needed ] The Clearwater is a 106-foot (32 m) wooden sailing vessel designed after 18th and 19th century Dutch sailing sloops. With a large gaff rig , a hinged centerboard , and wide shallow hull , these vessels evolved to

deal with the challenges of strong tides , shallow waters, and variable winds encountered on the Hudson River . Designed by Cy Hamlin and built by The Harvey Gamage Shipyard in South Bristol, Maine , Clearwater was launched in 1969. Built of

traditional plank-on-frame wooden construction, the sloop is 76 feet (23 m) in length on deck , 25 feet (7.6 m) in beam and can hold up to 70 tons of cargo . The sloop rig consists of a single mast and topmast which together rise to a height of 108

feet (33 m). A 65-foot (20 m) long main boom and 45-foot (14 m) gaff carry a 3,000-square-foot (280 m 2 ) mainsail . A 28-foot (8.5 m) long bowsprit carries a 900-square-foot (84 m 2 ) jib on the foredeck. In light wind, a 450-square-foot (42 m 2 )

topsail may also be raised. [ 25 ] In 2004, the sloop Clearwater was listed on the National Register of Historic Places for her significance to the environmental movement. [ citation needed ] The Clearwater has a smaller sister ship, the Sloop Woody

Guthrie , that is used in education about the river. [ 26 ] Seeger wrote at least eleven songs with themes about water and river conservation and restoration. [ 27 ] For example, in 2012, Seeger and Lorre Wyatt released the music video and single

"God's Counting on Me, God's Counting on You", which they recorded and filmed on the Clearwater , while sailing on the Hudson in 2010, about the Deepwater Horizon Gulf oil spill of 2010. [ 28 ] Music and festivals [ edit ] One of the organization's

biggest fundraisers was its annual music and environmental festival, the Clearwater Festival , held at Croton Point Park in Croton-on-Hudson , New York, from the late 1960s to 2022. [ 29 ] The festival was America's oldest and largest annual festival

of its kind. [ citation needed ] The weekend-long festival drew over a half million people over the decades. [ 29 ] Officially known as the "Great Hudson River Revival", it raised funds and consciousness on the plight of the river and the earth. Net

proceeds went directly to support Clearwater's environmental research, education and advocacy to help preserve and protect the Hudson River and its tributaries, as well as communities in the river valley. [ citation needed ] Music ranged from Blues

to Rock, Reggae to Salsa, Bluegrass to Jazz, and Funk to Folk. [ 30 ] [ 31 ] The festival was cancelled in 2022, due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic . [ 32 ] [ 33 ] A new festival, Hudson River Music Festival, was established at Croton Point Park in

2025, which seeks to educate festivalgoers about environmental issues and sustainability. It is co-presented by Riverfest FPS (For Pete’s Sake), but the Clearwater organization is not a sponsor. [ 34 ] [ 35 ] Walkabout Clearwater Chorus [ edit ] The

Walkabout Clearwater Chorus, a supporter of the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, was founded in 1984 by Seeger. [ 36 ] The chorus is made up of people who love to sing and promote environmental and social justice causes. [ 37 ] Its 7-foot-tall (2.1 m)

model of the Sloop Clearwater appears with the chorus at festivals and parades. [ 38 ] The chorus performs at concert venues and festivals throughout the Hudson Valley area and beyond. [ 39 ] [ 40 ] [ 41 ] It appears on Seeger's 2008 Grammy-winning

CD Pete Seeger at 89 . [ 42 ] [ 43 ] The Seeger Session of Liedstoeckel, Cuppatea and Walkabout Clearwater Chorus was performed live at UZ-Pressefest 2009 in Dortmund , Germany, where the chorus has performed bi-annually since 2001. [ citation needed

] The chorus also runs a coffeehouse with a different featured folk music performer each month. The concerts take place at Memorial United Methodist Church in White Plains , New York, twice each month from October to May of each year. [ citation

needed ] See also [ edit ] Hudson Valley portal Environment portal Sustainability Biodiversity Global warming Ecology Natural environment Recycling Outdoor Education References [ edit ] ^ "Hudson River Sloop Clearwater Inc.'s 2023 Board Election

Results" . 10 October 2023. ^ "Hudson River Sloop Clearwater - Our Office" . ^ Zawacki, Kevin (March 20, 2020). "The Story – and Fate – of the Hudson River" . Westchester Magazine . Archived from the original on September 8, 2025 . Retrieved February

10, 2026 . ^ Hayes, Madison A. (June 3, 2018). "The Regal Fight for Storm King Mountain" . pages.vassar.edu . Retrieved December 14, 2018 . ^ "PBS Shop web site" . Archived from the original on 2007-09-27 . Retrieved 2007-08-24 . ^ Wirz Biograph

Records web page ^ "Seeger Sessions web site" . Archived from the original on 2011-09-26 . Retrieved 2007-08-24 . ^ "Clearwater official web site Music page" . Archived from the original on 2007-08-12 . Retrieved 2007-08-24 . ^ Levinton, J.S.;

Ochron, S.T.P. (2008). "Temporal and geographic trends in mercury concentrations in muscle tissue in five species of hudson river, USA, fish". Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry . 27 (8): 1691– 1697. doi : 10.1897/07-438.1 . PMID 18266478 . S2CID

86320742 . ^ New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC). Albany, NY. (2007). "Hudson River Estuary Program: Cleaning the river: Improving water quality" (PDF) . p. 24. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-02-27 . Retrieved

2007-12-31 . ^ "Hudson River PCBs — Background and Site Information" . United States Environmental Protection Agency . Retrieved 2007-12-31 . {{ cite web }} : CS1 maint: deprecated archival service ( link ) ^ "National Priorities List Fact Sheets:

Hudson River PCBs" (PDF) . EPA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-12-01 . Retrieved 2007-12-31 . ^ a b Harrington, Gerry (2014-01-31). "Movement afoot to name bridge after Pete Seeger" . United Press International . Retrieved 2014-02-03 . ^

"Where Have All The Flowers Gone" Archived 2011-07-24 at the Wayback Machine , Roll Magazine , p. 14, accessed November 4, 2010 ^ "Pete Seeger Named Clean Water Hero" , The Putnam County News online edition, accessed November 4, 2010 ^ "The 25th

Anniversary of the Clean Water Act (Speech Transcript)" , Clinton White House Archives, accessed November 4, 2010 ^ "Seeger's Legacy Lives on Aboard Sloop Clearwater – State of the Planet" . 2014-05-13 . Retrieved November 24, 2025 . ^ MetroFocus |

Hudson River's Sloop Clearwater Program Shifts to Digital | Season 2020 . Retrieved November 24, 2025 – via www.pbs.org. ^ "Classroom on the Waves" , Poughkeepsie Journal.com, accessed November 4, 2010 ^ Barry, John W. "Clearwater programs place

youth 'at the helm' " . Poughkeepsie Journal . Retrieved November 24, 2025 . ^ Duffy, Thom. "Aboard the Clearwater: Five Decades of Environmental Activism Rooted In Music" , Billboard , June 13, 2018 ^ "Museums, Programs, Historic Sites: Mystic

Whaler" , National Maritime Historical Society, accessed November 25, 2018; "Volunteer Handbook for the Schooner Mystic Whaler" , Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, accessed November 25, 2018; and "Clearwater’s Education Programs Set Sail on the Mystic

Whaler" , Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, accessed November 25, 2018 ^ "National Register Information System" . National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service . March 15, 2006. ^ Mark Peckham and Peter Shaver (June 2003). National

Register of Historic Places Registration: New York SP CLEARWATER (Sloop) . National Archives and Records Administration . Retrieved October 29, 2025 . (Downloading may be slow.) ^ "History & Specifications" , Clearwater.org, accessed January 29, 2014

^ "The Beacon Sloop Club (The Sloop)" , The Beacon Sloop Club website, accessed 26 October 2009 ^ Parker, Aubrey Ann. "Pete Seeger’s Lifetime of Water Songs" , Circle of Blue, January 29, 2014 ^ "God's Counting on Me, God's Counting on You" ,

YouTube, accessed December 5, 2012 ^ a b Simmons, Caleb (September 1, 2025). "Revisiting the Hudson River Music Festival" . Relix Media . Retrieved November 25, 2025 . ^ Martin, Douglas (2013-07-11). "Toshi Seeger, Wife of Folk-Singing Legend, Dies

at 91" . New York Times . Retrieved 2013-08-07 . ^ Amateau, Albert (2013-07-18). "Toshi Seeger, 91, co-founded Clearwater with Pete" . The Villager . Retrieved 2013-08-07 . ^ Stanne, Steve (April 15, 2022). "Letter from Board President: The Great

Hudson River Revival to be re-envisioned" . clearwater.org . Hudson River Sloop Clearwater . Retrieved May 29, 2022 . ^ danmurphy (2025-07-09). "Hudson River Music Festival Returns to Croton Point Park in Memory of Pete Seeger!" . Yonkers Times .

Retrieved November 24, 2025 . ^ danmurphy (2025-07-09). "Hudson River Music Festival Returns to Croton Point Park in Memory of Pete Seeger!" . Yonkers Times . Retrieved November 24, 2025 . ^ Gustafson, Hana (2025-06-16). "Grahame Lesh & Friends,

Lucius and Dawes, Madison Cunningham and More Perform at Inaugural Hudson River Music Festival" . Relix Media . Retrieved November 24, 2025 . ^ Lutz, Phillip (May 1, 2016). "After Pete Seeger, a Coffeehouse Tries to Carry On" . The New York Times .

Retrieved November 25, 2025 . ^ "Walkabout Clearwater Chorus" . walkaboutchorus.org . Retrieved November 25, 2025 . ^ "Walkabout Clearwater" , WalkAboutClearwater.org, February 23, 2008, accessed November 24, 2025 ^ "Hudson River Sloop Clearwater to

host Folk Picnic in Beacon" . River Journal Online . July 18, 2024 . Retrieved November 25, 2025 . ^ "Mountain Jam (6/4–6) the Clearwater Festival (6/19–20) have announced initial 2010 NY concert lineups & tickets" . BrooklynVegan . March 8, 2010 .

Retrieved November 25, 2025 . ^ Tomcho, Sandy (May 20, 2009). "Clearwater announces June 20th's schedule for the Clearwater Festival" . Times Herald-Record . Retrieved November 25, 2025 . ^ "Performer Bios" . Clearwater's Great Hudson River Revival .

Retrieved November 25, 2025 . ^ Krams, Carrie (July 15, 2019). "Concert: Clearwater Walkabout Chorus" . Chappaqua Performing Arts Center . Retrieved November 25, 2025 . External links [ edit ] Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hudson River Sloop

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