08/14/2026
When the Morgan Duke Conservation Society signed a New York State Department of Environmental Conservation DEC Volunteer Stewardship Agreement in 2013, we became part of a much longer history of people working to protect and care for what is now known as the Hudson River Special Management Area.
That history goes back to 1992 and the opening of the former Hudson River Recreation Area.
The Hudson River Recreation Area officially opened on July 2, 1992, in the Buttermilk Falls area between Lake Luzerne and Warrensburg. The property had previously been owned by Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation for a proposed hydroelectric project. The project was never completed, allowing this scenic portion of the Hudson River corridor to eventually be preserved and opened for public recreation.
The 1992 River Stewards
The River Stewards Program began during the first season of the Hudson River Recreation Area in 1992.
Management of the new recreation area was a partnership between the Adirondack Mountain Club, Warren County Division of Parks and Recreation, and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. The Adirondack Mountain Club provided River Stewards as an onsite educational and stewardship presence. Warren County provided infrastructure and operational support, while DEC provided technical guidance and oversight.
The River Stewards worked from the gatehouse on River Road near the Lake Luzerne and Warrensburg town line. The gatehouse served as the visitor registration station, information center, checkpoint, and headquarters for the River Stewards and recreation staff.
The summer of 1992 was the first season the recreation area was open to the public. Between July 2 and September 23, the gatehouse recorded 4,124 visitors. People came to picnic along the Hudson River, hike to Bear Slide, mountain bike, canoe, and enjoy the newly opened public recreation area.
The River Stewards were there during that historic first season to help introduce the public to the area and encourage responsible recreation.
In August 1992, the Adirondack Mountain Club held an Open House at the gatehouse. The event introduced visitors to the history of the area, recreational opportunities, trail systems, conservation goals, and stewardship efforts. River Stewards gave introductory talks and answered questions about the newly opened recreation area. This helped establish the educational mission that would become one of the defining features of the River Stewards Program.
Historical records also identify Paul Marangelo as Chief River Steward for the 1992 season. The Hudson River Recreation Area Final Management Report for the 1992 summer season was prepared by Marangelo and dated September 27, 1992.
Expanding the River Stewards Program in 1993
Building on the success of that first season, the River Stewards Program expanded significantly in 1993.
Four River Stewards, Laura Greeno, Dean Moore, Laura Nowicki, and Jennie Lobb, were hired to assist with recreation management, environmental education, trail inventories, and natural resource documentation. All four were graduates of the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry.
The River Stewards registered visitors, provided public information, patrolled the recreation area, collected litter, and presented educational programs. They also documented approximately 40 species of trees, 62 species of other plants, and numerous birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians.
One of their most important projects was mapping and documenting the trail system. They surveyed hiking trails, former logging roads, and recreational corridors throughout approximately 4,800 acres of recreation area and adjacent state lands.
Environmental education also became a defining part of the program. River Stewards offered programs about the Hudson River, wildlife, trees, fungi, aquatic ecosystems, geology, fishing, migration, and other subjects. They led interpretive walks, canoe programs, tree identification walks, and educational activities at locations including Bear Slide.
The River Stewards Program continued until 1997, when Warren County moved its environmental education program to Up Yonda Farm Environmental Education Center. Later management documents noted that after the program ended, visitor tracking declined, official oversight became more limited, and misuse of the area increased.
Continuing the Tradition
More than two decades after those first River Stewards welcomed visitors to the Hudson River Recreation Area, another chapter in the area's stewardship history began.
In 2013, Morgan Duke Conservation Society founder James Sullivan signed a New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Volunteer Stewardship Agreement and began volunteering within the Hudson River Special Management Area.
During camping trips with family and friends, he witnessed litter, impacts to vegetation, and threats to wildlife habitat. James and his family began volunteering during the summer months by picking up litter, assisting with tree planting projects alongside Forest Rangers, and helping care for public recreation areas.
Today, Morgan Duke Conservation Society continues many of the principles that were present during the original River Stewards Program.
Our volunteers remove litter, participate in tree planting and conservation projects, help care for public recreation facilities, promote environmental education, encourage responsible outdoor recreation, and teach Leave No Trace principles.
From the River Stewards who welcomed the first visitors in 1992, through the expanded River Stewards Program of the 1990s, to the DEC Volunteer Stewardship efforts taking place today, stewardship has been part of the history of this Hudson River corridor for more than three decades.
Morgan Duke Conservation Society is proud to help carry that tradition forward.
Protect the land. Respect the river. Educate the public. Preserve it for future generations.
Morgan Duke Conservation Society
Continuing a tradition of stewardship along the Hudson River.
