#ParksWeLove: Lake Sophia at Sojourner Truth State Park KINGSTON, Ulster County — In case you missed it: This new local swim spot tucked into a former quarry opened in mid-July, and it's already become the place to be in Kingston! Open daily, 10 a.m. – 5:45 p.m. ➡️ thehv.life/4xbTYzh

A new month = time for a reset! 🌿 This August, we’re challenging you to “touch grass.” Twenty minutes a day of being outdoors can reduce stress, improve mood, and increase focus + memory. https://thehv.life/3S4qQLq

The Summer Challenge Week 1: Log Off and Get Outside

Your phone may distract you, but it doesn’t restore you. Here’s what does.

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Meet Maria Mitchell — the nation's first professional woman astronomer, who worked right here in the #HudsonValley at @vassar.bsky.social. Gaze into Mitchell's story this #WomensAstronomersDay. 💫 ➡️ https://thehv.life/4fALqL2 #HVViewfinder

Pioneering Female Astronomer's Legacy Lives On

Hudson Valley Viewfinder is a collaborative digital magazine celebrating the inspirational beauty of Hudson Valley communities and nature.

scenichudson.org

⚠️ Heads up! ⚠️ Falling Waters Preserve in Glasco is currently closed. Recent weather has made the trails dangerous to explore. Our team will be working on clearing trees but is unsure when the trail will be safe to pass. Check the park page for updates: thehv.life/4fKFoYD

It's #NationalClimbAMountainDay, and the 'Gunks have always delivered — with quartz cliffs and stellar views. Their heyday inspired intrepid women, infamous parties, and *even* naked climbs. Now the next generation is discovering the mountains' magic: https://thehv.life/3TdoREY #HVViewfinder

The Legendary History of Rock Climbing in the Shawangunks

Hudson Valley Viewfinder is a collaborative digital magazine celebrating the inspirational beauty of Hudson Valley communities and nature.

scenichudson.org

How clean is the air you're breathing? What pollutants are present? Amazingly, #lichen are the humble, subtly beautiful indicator species that can tell you! https://thehv.life/44KjEqM #HVViewfinder

Learning From Lichen, an Indicator Species

Hudson Valley Viewfinder is a collaborative digital magazine celebrating the inspirational beauty of Hudson Valley communities and nature.

scenichudson.org

#ParksWeLove: Mt Beacon Park Beacon, Dutchess County — 144 stairs. 6 switchbacks. 1,610+ feet. Watch us tackle the climb up #MountBeacon in under 30 seconds — thighs will burn, but the payoff is panoramic views of Beacon & beyond. 🤩 . 🎥: Amy Brown / ScenicHudson.​org

It's #NationalDisabilityIndependenceDay, marking 36 years since the ADA was signed into law. One way New York is putting that spirit into action: guided adaptive hikes for people with limited mobility. Read more accessible ways to explore NY: https://thehv.life/4gVkSXu #DisabilityPrideMonth

13 Ways to Celebrate Disability Pride in New York State

July is Disability Pride Month, honoring the history, achievements, and lived experiences of the disability community, and commemorating the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on

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#ParksWeLove: Franny Reese State Park Wander a historic carriage road, discover 19th-century estate ruins, and take in views of the Mid-Hudson Bridge. This July marks 23 years since #ScenicHudson conserved these 251 acres: https://thehv.life/3SXDgVI . 🎥: Tyler Blodgett

Sweating through summer? One spot in the #HudsonValley isn't. Sam's Point ice caves at #Minnewaska stay near 55 degrees year-round — cold enough to have kept a rare, eyeless crustacean alive for millennia. https://www.scenichudson.org/viewfinder/secrets-of-the-sams-point-ice-caves/ #HVViewfinder

Races, lakes, river swims, and a whole community that shows up for it — open-water swimming is having a moment in the #HudsonValley this summer! Discover how to dive in: https://bit.ly/44bBC55 #HVViewfinder

#ParksWeLove: Hudson Highlands Gateway Park In July 2000, Scenic Hudson partnered with the Town of Cortlandt and Westchester County to protect these 352-acres from development! Today, the park offers 5 miles of winding trails to explore woods, rock ridges, streams & wetlands. https://bit.ly/3QBvH6i

Hudson Highlands Gateway Park

Letting wildlife and people abound.

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NY's plastic bag policy turned 6 this year — and the data shows it's paying off. Policies like NY's have eliminated an estimated 300 bags per person, per year. See the impact of the sustainable swap: https://bit.ly/44HPDYk #PlasticFreeJuly #HVViewfinder

How N.Y. Has Won From Saying Bye-Bye to Plastic Bags

Hudson Valley Viewfinder is a collaborative digital magazine celebrating the inspirational beauty of Hudson Valley communities and nature.

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This #FourthofJuly, the country turns 250 — a milestone that means something different for everyone. However you're marking the day, Hudson Valley places like Mount Beacon offer sweeping views & quiet that can put things in perspective. How are you spending the day? 📷: rmbarricarte / Adobe Stock

The Hudson Valley wasn't just a backdrop to the Revolutionary War — it was one of its most strategic battlegrounds. 250 years later, we're still uncovering its pivotal role. https://www.scenichudson.org/viewfinder/a-revolutionary-start/ #HVViewfinder #America250

A Revolutionary Start

Hudson Valley Viewfinder is a collaborative digital magazine celebrating the inspirational beauty of Hudson Valley communities and nature.

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#ParksWeLove: Scenic Hudson Park at Irvington — 25 years ago, a former lumberyard became something years in the making: a riverfront park for everyone. What's now a beloved spot with Hudson River + NYC skyline views was once a contaminated industrial site. https://bit.ly/4w6dtIX 📷: John Halpern

The fight for LGBTQ+ rights in the United States has been profound — & over the decades, Hudson Valley advocates have often been at the center of it, making history. Celebrate #PrideMonth by honoring these amazing local pathbreakers. https://bit.ly/44v3RvC

Six Ways the LGBTQ+ Community Has Made History From the Hudson Valley

Hudson Valley Viewfinder is a collaborative digital magazine celebrating the inspirational beauty of Hudson Valley communities and nature.

scenichudson.org

Mulberries, goldenrod, clay — #HudsonValley artists are turning the landscape into a living palette. See how they do it: https://www.scenichudson.org/viewfinder/painting-with-natures-own-pigments/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=hvviewfinder&utm_content=plants_animals #HVViewfinder

Painting With Nature's Own Pigments

Hudson Valley Viewfinder is a collaborative digital magazine celebrating the inspirational beauty of Hudson Valley communities and nature.

scenichudson.org

Call it "Fatal Attraction" for small mammals, amphibians, and even birds. The #PurplePitcherPlant makes itself beautiful, then draws in creatures like salamanders and mice for the kill. Here's how it works: https://bit.ly/3QW7gjV #HVViewfinder

The Plant That Bites Back

Hudson Valley Viewfinder is a collaborative digital magazine celebrating the inspirational beauty of Hudson Valley communities and nature.

scenichudson.org

#ParksWeLove: Poets' Walk Park opened #OnThisDay in 1996! This summer, the parks team completed a new trail with locally sourced material. Designed to feel like it belongs in the forest & built to last for the next 30 years! 📷: 1. Seth Martel 2. Morgan Bennett 3. Sean Ryan / ScenicHudson​.​org

In honor of #Juneteenth, we are returning to this silent ceremonial lighting of the Sojourner Truth Trail at Shaupeneak Ridge — a tribute to Black freedom & achievement. It traces the path where the great abolitionist & civil rights leader walked to freedom. https://thehv.life/4uEblXI

Juneteenth Lighting Ceremony: Scenic Hudson's Sojourner Truth Trail

Juneteenth shines a light on the unimaginable hardships endured by enslaved people. To mark the day, we're honored to share this video of the lighting ceremony held to celebrate the opening of the Sojourner Truth Trail at Shaupeneak Ridge. The famed abo...

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Spanish poet Federico García Lorca found inspiration in the Hudson Valley. This #PrideMonth, his work is celebrated with the full context of his identity he once had to hide. www.scenichudson.org/viewfinder/f... #HVViewfinder

Federico García Lorca's Hudson Valley Inspiration

Hudson Valley Viewfinder is a collaborative digital magazine celebrating the inspirational beauty of Hudson Valley communities and nature.

scenichudson.org

Turtles are on the move across New York! 🐢 This time of year, many are struck by vehicles while crossing roads to nest. @dec.ny.gov has tips for safely helping them on their journey: https://bit.ly/43q3VfP #GiveTurtlesABrake

DEC Reminds New Yorkers to "Give Turtles a Brake"

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Amanda Lefton reminded New Yorkers that turtles are nesting in May and June and encouraged motorists to “Give Turtles a Brake...

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#ParksWeLove: Hudson River Brickyard Trail (Ulster County) This 1.9-mile section of the Kingston Greenline & NY's Empire State Trail offers one of the few spots along the 750-mile EST with stunning Hudson River views! https://bit.ly/4orDa4f . 📹: Tyler Blodgett

The #WorldCup has arrived & the #HudsonValley has a stake in the action! ⚽ Hailing from Wappingers Falls, Tyler Adams takes the pitch for the U.S. Men's National Team. It's the latest chapter in a soccer legacy that runs deep in the region. ➡️ https://bit.ly/3RXWZ7b . 📹: futuralaboratories​.​com

Turns out, you don't need a yacht club membership to sail the Hudson River! ⛵ The region has more accessible ways to get on the water than you might think: affordable lessons, free river sails & options for all experience levels. Get on the river this summer: https://bit.ly/4vwMFBr #HVViewfinder

Regional Sailing Within Reach

Hudson Valley Viewfinder is a collaborative digital magazine celebrating the inspirational beauty of Hudson Valley communities and nature.

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The Hudson Valley's underground history runs pretty deep. 🪨 The old cement mines of #RosendaleNY once produced more than half of the country's natural cement. ➡️ https://www.scenichudson.org/viewfinder/the-valleys-world-beating-natural-cement-industry/ #CaveAndKarstWeek #HVViewfinder

The Valley's World-Beating Natural Cement Industry

Hudson Valley Viewfinder is a collaborative digital magazine celebrating the inspirational beauty of Hudson Valley communities and nature.

scenichudson.org

The plants you choose for your garden matter more than you might think. 🌱 This #NationalGardeningExerciseDay, dig into how (and why!) to plant native: https://www.scenichudson.org/viewfinder/how-and-why-to-plant-native-this-spring/ #HVViewfinder

How and Why To Plant Native

Hudson Valley Viewfinder is a collaborative digital magazine celebrating the inspirational beauty of Hudson Valley communities and nature.

scenichudson.org

From Wappingers Falls to the world stage! The Hudson Valley's own Tyler Adams captains the U.S. at the World Cup next week. And the connection is no coincidence. The region has been a soccer home (or football home, depending on what you call the sport⚽) for over a century. https://bit.ly/4dOCr9B

The Valley's Soccer Legacy + World Cup Connection

Hudson Valley Viewfinder is a collaborative digital magazine celebrating the inspirational beauty of Hudson Valley communities and nature.

scenichudson.org

#ParksWeLove: Franny Reese State Park HIGHLAND, Ulster County — This bluff-top forest honors Frances “Franny” Reese — Scenic Hudson co-founder and fierce protector of the Hudson Valley. The park’s trails wind past 19th-century ruins and lead to this impressive view… . 📹: Tyler Blodgett