Opposes trail structures in the Hudson River

At a Jan. 14 public hearing on the state environmental review of the proposed Hudson Highlands Fjord Trail, the environmental group Riverkeeper shared concerns over the plans and suggested alternatives.

Mike Dulong, the watchdog's legal program director, said the organization is concerned that the Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement (DGEIS) dismisses the impact of construction and shading that the trail could create and asked HHFT to avoid placing structures in or over the water.

The remote hearing, which drew 258 people over two sessions, was hosted by the state parks department, the lead agency for the environmental review.

Dulong said Riverkeeper, as a member of the HHFT Steering Committee, supported the Fjord Trail and its goals to increase public safety along Route 9D while providing opportunities for outdoor recreation, nature appreciation and education. He said many of the potential environmental impacts Riverkeeper identified could be avoided depending on the chosen route.

As proposed, the 7.5-mile Fjord Trail would link Cold Spring, Breakneck Ridge and Beacon. HHFT's preferred southern route would include two half-mile sections over the river, one running south from Breakneck and the other from Dockside Park in Cold Spring to Little Stony Point. According to the plans, the construction would include 149 piles and 1,920 cubic yards of fill, which Riverkeeper fears will endanger shortnose and Atlantic sturgeon.

Read Riverkeeper's Full Statement

Dulong said HHFT's assertion that the shoreline in those sections is not within the sturgeon's preferred habitat is incorrect. He said the DGEIS correctly states that the area from Denning's Point in Beacon to Little Stony Point is designated as a "significant coastal fish and wildlife habitat" for sturgeon, adding that the state Department of Environmental Conservation describes it as "critical habitat for most estuarine-dependent fisheries originating from the Hudson River" because it "contributes directly to the production of in-river and ocean populations of food, game and forage fish species."

The two in-river trail sections would require about 18 months to construct, according to HHFT. The shading, hydrological impacts on the shoreline and impacts on the ecosystem would also indirectly impact sturgeon, Dulong said.

In its comments, Riverkeeper also called for making wetland protection a priority in the northern section, where HHFT is considering two routes. It advocated avoiding a route that would include a boardwalk over a freshwater wetland south of Fishkill Creek that provides habitat for threatened and endangered species such as the eastern box turtle, spotted turtle, eastern hognose snake and pied-billed grebe.

Dulong said the possible presence of the Atlantic Coast leopard frog, which he said the DEC may add to its list of endangered species, should be considered. The group prefers the other proposed route, which it said could leave freshwater wetlands largely intact, although it requires further study.

Riverkeeper also objected to plans to add 22 acres of impervious or semipervious areas along the trail route, arguing that stormwater runoff from surfaces such as parking lots could increase contaminants entering the river and wetlands. Riverkeeper said it wants to see "minimal or no new impervious surfaces."

The group also spoke against expanding the Washburn parking lot opposite Little Stony Point, which it said is a potential habitat for the eastern fence lizard.

Dulong said Riverkeeper's comments at the public hearing were abridged, and its review of the DGEIS will continue.

HHFT Steering Committee

Project Lead

Scenic Hudson

State Agencies

Environmental Conservation

Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation

Transportation

Metro Area Agencies

Metro-North Railroad

NYC Environmental Protection

Nonprofits

Hudson Highlands Land Trust

Lenape Center

Open Space Institute

Riverkeeper

New York-New Jersey Trail Confe...