Undamming the Hudson River 

Wonderful hopeful video. I live in London, England. Near my house flows the River Wandle, where Admiral Nelson used to fish for trout in the early 19th century. The Industrial Revolution destroyed the Wandle. But in the last 20 years many people have contributed to restoring it, and today it is thriving again, with wild brown trout up to 5lb. Hopefully these projects are the start of a much bigger change in the way we live in our planet.

The herring are at the base of the food chain so their habitat being replenished has repercussions up the food chain. stripped bass, tuna, blue fish, whales and many more. great work.

I`m not a fisherman, I dont understand fish, but i was so moved by this film for the good your are doing, ultimately, for mankind and fish that freely swim even more in your rivers.. Thank you.. Ian, coastal North Essex, UK.

Low-head dams also pose a severe drowning hazard on the downstream side where recirculating, foamy water can trap swimmers and boaters. Bring 'em all down (and bring back the beavers)!

As a local to the Hudson valley I love to hear about the revitalization of fish in the tributaries to the hudson

I live in Oregon. We have removed dams. The return and change is incredible. Think of this. Pacific run salmon fed bears and eagles and were a protein source for wildlife all the way to the state of Idaho and up into Canada. Hundreds of miles from the ocean. Salmon use to run year round.

We had salmon spawning in the Sandy River in Oregon just two years after we removed the Sandy River Dam in 2008. The dam blocked the river and the reservoir filled with silt for almost 100 years. Now, after 12 years, you can't even tell the dam was there except for a small area on the side of the road you can pull over and park to go fly fishing in the river.

Beavers used to build dams on every river and stream but they were small and naturally allowed fish to pass, more beavers makes healthy ecosystems, they are a keystone species. Return the natural flow and the beavers will come....the reduce floods, make the land fire resistant, increase ground water reserves, build habitat for other animals and are really cute while doing it.

Another problem I've thought about for a couple of decades now are all the levees along the Mississippi. It affects heavily The watershed that used to help recharge the main aquifer in the heartland of the us. Before the levees when heavy rains would come the river would spread out over a huge area and a lot of that water filter down through the ground to help recharge the aquifer. That does not happen now unless a levee breaks somewhere which is pretty rare. They said that it increased the amount of farmland for our farmers at that time but then our government has become so perverted that not only is the aquifer less than half what it used to be, they're buying all of our food from all around the world and paying Farmers to use that land to basically grow gasoline. The problems are well known and have been for a long time about our aquifers being depleted but everybody just goes on doing it. All up and down California and all across the heartland the government is being paid off to use up all of that water and not let it recharge and we are headed for complete disaster as far as having fresh drinking water that used to be never ending and is well on its way to collapsing any cities or people are communities throughout the nation that depend on it. Not to mention the ground shifts and earthquakes that are happening in areas that should not be. It is destruction of what made this country prosper and be bountiful.

This video had a nice time but I was disappointed not to see you removing a single dam

I'm on the west coast & know the river would be better off by removing the dams, salmon are resilient and can come back if given the chance, we took out the Elwha dams and now the ocean going trout & salmon are recolonizing the river, the entire ecosystem is coming back to life it's magnificent to watch

Great big thank you for making this video. This is exactly what RU-vid is made for. This truly brought a smile to my heart.

i have seen the astonishing phenomenon of eels climbing up wet, vertical dam faces. Amazing!!!!

Excuse my ignorance ,I didn't realise NY state was so stunning,.regards and respect to these people👏🇬🇧

I grew up swimming in the deep rock formations and tubing the rapids of Clove Creek, just a few minutes from Poughkeepsie. Talk about the perfect childhood!

Lovely to see my home territory and to find such positive efforts to continue restoration of the Hudson. Folk singer Pete Seeger should be recognized for his early efforts to clean the Hudson years before these organizations and individuals.

How I enjoy the initiatives being put into place by awesome well meaning people & I love what you are achieving. Thank You hudsonriver keeper, for giving us all the education needed to inform us of your healthy river systems being put back into place. May Your God Bless You All

Great move to make this wonderful film available.

In these shit times we're living in, we need films like this. Thanks

i have lived my whole life by the hudson. you guys ARE doing god's work. thank you.

What you all forget is that this is not how rivers would look like. You'd have beaver populations that would purify, raise water table, slow down rivers... and their dams are not an obstacle for fish like man made dams are. Fish actually benefit a lot from beaver presence. So if you really want natural rivers back you'd have to add beavers in to the mix too.

There’s even several dams along the Bronx River and anyone who lives nearby knows whenever it rains hard the Bronx River floods and so does the parkway. The county spends so much money on flooding instead of just removing the dams. Makes no sense.

Excellent! Impressive how quickly some species find their way home again. Just the danger that these outdated dams form to downstream communities should be plenty of reason to remove them in a controlled manner. Why is it even a question? Even a relatively small dam will cause absolute mayhem if it fails all at once, especially since that will probably happen when the river is already at peak levels.

Lovely speaker who cared so deeply about the herring.

Great video. Gives a bit of hope in seemingly hopeless time. Thanks.

The world can learn rivers must flow naturally 😆🚰🌍❤️

SUCH A MOVING WONDERFUL FILM, WELL DONE TO ALL THOSE WHO MADE IT POSSIBLE FOR THE HERRING AND ALL THE OTHERS FIND HOME. YOU ARE DOING A WONDERFUL THING

Great film, keep up the good work! I look forward to visiting some Hudson Valley creeks in years to come.

Humans are the super beavers. We blocked rivers and large creeks. Much like beavers. The fish are patient. They've dealt with dams before. This is great news for eels and shad and probably the striped bass. It will be a taller order for the Atlantic salmon where stream banks, gravel, abundant shade, water temperature and water quality play larger roles in the chance of restoration.

Excellent information! Save the waterways of the Hudson River; get rid of the dams!!!!

Some of those low dams don't look dangerous but they are , at certain flows they'll pull a boat right into them. It's happened on a river near me ,people fish there , they make washout holes and one step too far under you go.

Wondering if they’re going to mention the horrific drowning risk that these small dams present too. People swimming or paddling often don’t expect this at all which can be their final mistake.

What a beautiful film, what a wonderful cause. Thank you. I look forward to seeing this develop, from the other side of the pond.

I live by leach lake. RESERVOIR. Its litterally changed everything with all the fedral core of engineering put in. We didn't have a say it was built in 1897. An the people don't even no there was a series of swamps 3 of them. The wild fowle and rice was all over. Now it's a reservoir that has to be stocked. An it's holding the native people back...someone help restore the Mississippi River

I grew up on the Hudson River. It is one of the most beautiful rivers in this country. I hope the dams get removed.

Fabulous documentary

Keep up the good work and never ever give up.

It's good to see someone paying attention back east for a change. I live on the Yellowstone.

It makes me so happy to see more and more people embrace change, and restore our ecosystems!

I have seen two smaller dams removed near my home; I like it. There was water from one that was very wide by my parents' house, made it look like an expensive house, when the dam partially failed, it was decided to remove it, the water moved back to a small stream/creek..... the funny thing is my parents then got almost an extra half of an acre to call theirs for free! There are fish still, but more birds too. I think it is lovely, but for those who like to hunt and fish, there is more food available too.

When they built these dams they thought they'd be there forever, would be needed forever.

The tide comes all the way up to Troy When I was a kid, before they put in the federal locks, the tide came up to Waterford and Mechanicville I remember watching the wide river in Cohoes become a little creek just down the center of the river It was something to see

Beautifully shot. Remarkable.

LOVELY JOB. THANK YOU

When I was a child the troy dam used to open april first now it opens may first . I think alot of herring traditional spawning areas were blocked. I remember my grandfather paying me to climb down his river bank & flinging hundreds of dead herring from the shoreline with a stick. It's NOT like this now..you don't even see the dead herring floating like you used to . the herring have depleted alot over the years or they are just not making it upstream like they used to. Sad.

I'm skeptical that the underwater shot of herring were actually swimming past Troy. I'm no ichthyologist, but that volume and level of maturity of fish would be impressive, especially so rapidly and spontaneously.

thanks Riverkeepers! get rid of those dams!

It was so meaningful to see the herring fulfilling their promise.

Wonderful that you are taking notice of the ecology that surrounds us all. Keep going.

This was so moving!

A fine film that gets at many of the reasons for removing dams, and by extension, never building them in the first place.

it is so incredible what you are doing. thank you and God bless you. keep up the good work!

Dams are so interesting to me. As someone whos a structural engineer large dams are some of the most amazing structures humans create right now. The sheer technical analysis and data you need is mind blowing. The fact that some of these dams stand still and were made 50-100 years ago, some by just using a earthen dam are impressive. They didnt know half of the information we use now. Now I know dams have there place and these dams are obsolete. Im both for and against dams depending on there location. Great video on why there are dams that need to be removed!

The Susquehanna is waiting, Pennsylvania.

It'd be neat if people started using the better-condition dams for their original purpose. Imagine a zero-carbon textile mill making boutique upmarket fabrics or even garments with water power, like it was 300 years ago, when the first industrial mills had their starts in England. The industrial revolution started a century before steam engines became popular.

It's amazing how we continue to misuse our waterways and rivers. The city I live in, we have two major rivers and that's where you find water treatment plants, oil refineries, industrial parks, and several rail yards. Historically, we once depended heavily on our rivers for transporting, which is why they are zoned the way they are. But I wish that city planners would find a way to rezone these areas and develop them.

A beautiful film and fantastic work you're doing.

Remove the dams and restore the beavers. Fish and beaver grew up together.

Please come to New Mexico. The Rio Grande has been so altered and our wetlands all drained and floodplains deprived.

I watch dam removal and rewilding contributions and I am elated to see us become more and more aware that we will be spiritually rewarded when we work with nature. It was very impressive to see the emotions with the people, doubtlessly after overcoming many hurdles. Very positive reactions and much support in the comment section, restoring hope in humanity.

Good for you all ! God speed in your work!❤

What they arn't saying is that a dam in the river hurts the beaches along the coast. The river delivers sediment to the ocean and the wave action starts to separate the sediment leaving only the heavy sand behind. Sure we have hurt the beaches by killing off the plants that help hold the sand but we also hurt them by removing the natural delivery and creation of new sand.

Faith in humanity restored

Set them free! Is there anything more beautiful?! Let's restore the damage we've collectively done while there still is time.

15 minutes and not a single explosion 💥😢

This was fascinating.... good job

That marina in Rondout Creek is a really beautiful spot for a burger and a beer in the summertime. If I’m ever passing thru that area on a nice day I always try to make time for a detour down to the creek.

Very moving, makes you think also there probably wouldn't be as many desert situations with less useless dams

Great Video. Keep up the good work! I'm much anticipating the removal of the Klamath dams in my home state.

Thank you.

This guy is the Flo-rax. He speaks for the creeks. "Let them flow!"

Excellent.

Thank-you.

Undam the Hudson river

Simply brilliant. Inspiring!!

I’m a little sad this isn’t trending or in the news

Get Post10 on the job!

"Break the dam, release the river!" - Treebeard

Great piece!

Nice job, very nice job

economics and decay will win out over virtue. these abandoned dams will go down. better sooner rather than later

Great video for a great cause but I was hoping to see some removal of the dams and to show some progress.

Great job guys. I hope you can knock 'em all down. Perhaps Atlantic Salmon could make a comeback.

Dams don't help with flood control. They've never been designed for that. If anything, the raise the water above the dam artificially and when it rains, it doesn't take as much to get to a tipping point of causing damaging floods. I really wish she hadn't said that.

Where's Post 10 when you need him?

It is a really good thing. Thats a JOB!

nice piece of work!!!! definitely has a poetic meter to it. Back again. The film is so good. But I would suggest that the music is a bit mournful as opposed to (?) thoughtful, reflective.

I respect the hustle

anyone else hear the word damn when they say dam?

Water supply can be arranged in such a way that where there is heavy flow of deep river water,, there water can be measuredly drawn out just as we draw water from a borewell when required instead of daming for water supply .

I have seen eels traversing around a dam to get upstream.

"Never stop flowing water, beyond its season." Ancient Egyptian Proverb. (Like to see them all gone. Controlling the flowing water does not mean, dam it!)

Interesting how all these dams ware removed and now there are so many areas around America that have little to now water anymore.

Very interesting

Currently a college Sophmore, and future Geoscience major. Two of my professors are some of the leaders in stream restorations and one was recently voted into the NAS. I’ve been wondering about stream restorations from Mill dams in the Hudson Valley and I’m glad to see that there’s dam removals and restorations. Doing amazing work!

I was looking forward to seeing a few dams get blown up, or at least pulled down. Nice film though.

The various speakers said the same thing but just reworded. Very important topic, covered inadequately

The people who put up these dams should be responsible for taking them down. Yes, good luck with holding industry responsible for anything.

I wonder if they have done anything yet or are they still talking?

God's work... that's an understatement. Amazing 😄