Riverkeeper has christened a new boat, which it says will enhance its ability to monitor water quality of the Hudson River and help protect the ecosystem and water quality. The City of Poughkeepsie, Village of Rhinebeck and the Towns of Esopus, Hyde Park, Lloyd, Poughkeepsie and Rhinebeck draw drinking water from the Hudson.
The boat is named in honor of the late Bob Boyle, who founded Riverkeeper in 1966. He was a journalist who wrote for Sports Illustrated, Time, and Life magazines and the United Press among others. Boyle is credited with discovering the PCB contamination of the striped bass population in the Hudson, negotiating the settlement in the historic Storm King case, leading the fight to stop the Westway highway project, and bringing dozens of polluters to justice.
“By increasing Riverkeeper’s on-the-water presence, the Bob Boyle allows us to assess and meet the next generation of challenges facing the Hudson,” said Riverkeeper President Tracy Brown, “Riverkeeper is deeply grateful to Senator Pete Harckham for securing the New York state funding for the purchase of the Bob Boyle, and our board member Emmanuel Morlet for providing the scientific equipment.”
Harckham said that the work done by Riverkeeper “bolsters legislative efforts in combating pollution and promoting climate adaptation policies.”
The 25-foot boat has been refurbished and equipped with a new Yamaha engine. It will be used in part to collect water samples, which then would be tested for quality using onboard equipment.
