Overview:

How can we support environmentally marginalized communities to engage deeply and actively with the Hudson River in a time of ever increasing ecological urgency? How can we work with these communities so that they can gain meaningful access to the river and develop their own ecological voice and vision?

The Future Water Commons project provides arts and science-based environmental education for marginalized communities from Kingston and Poughkeepsie (environmental justice areas with limited access due to exclusionary infrastructure, environmental racism, and pollution). They will explore environmental issues on the river itself, using a floating classroom, and with partner institutions on land. The goal is to foster direct experience with the river and generate visions for sustainable ecological futures. This project builds on the DEC-funded water access infrastructure upgrades in both Kingston and Poughkeepsie.

The Future Water Commons is a collaboration between SUNY New Paltz and the communities of Kingston and Poughkeepsie to equip and utilize a universally accessible, custom built pontoon boat that will serve as a floating classroom and community space. This project creates field opportunities for environmental stewardship and builds education capacity and excellence by providing assistance to the State University of New York New Paltz to enhance opportunities for students to expand on their interests in science and public policy research about the Hudson River. By collectively exploring shared dependencies on the Hudson for ecological sustenance, and deep belonging, communities will connect to the complex realities of history, stewardship, and water and climate science. These newly developed ties between people, place and ecology will give communities a new sense of belonging, understanding, and agency to be stewards, advocates, and powerful agents of their own and the river’s ecological change and resilience. Working collaboratively with Hudson Riverkeeper, the Wooden Boat School at the Hudson River Maritime Museum, and art education programs including the Department of Regional Art Workers and the Art Effect, we will develop a series of twelve river-based events for the summers of 2025-26. The workshops will promote direct ecological engagement. Student participants and their families will be invited to share ecological histories and collectively develop visions for new vibrant futures with the Hudson River. The workshops will culminate in exhibitions in Kingston, Poughkeepsie, and New Paltz, as well as participation in the Hudson River Estuary Program sponsored Day in the Life of the Hudson River, an annual event that brings together schools and educational partners.