THE FUTURE BRIGHTENS FOR THE HUTCHINSON RIVER

New York's waterways are lately teeming with success stories of environmental restoration and shoreline revival -- but the forsaken Hutchinson River has not been one of them. Until now.

Vying for the title of most neglected waterway in New York City, the Hutchinson River meanders from Scarsdale through the Bronx, past Co-op City, to empty into the East River at Pelham Bay Park. Polluted, bordered by highways and chain link fences, the Hutchinson River lacks a single public access point along its entire five miles. An occasional barge makes it partway up the river to deliver oil, scrap metal or gravel to several companies that still operate ports on the Hutchinson, but accumulating silt is making barge traffic more difficult.

A Long Term Control Plan to improve the water quality of the Hutchinson River is being developed by the NYC Dept. of Environmental Protection and is due for completion in September 2014. Some people, however, don't want to wait two more years for a plan to revive this river.

Four years ago, Eleanor Rae founded the Hutchinson River Restoration Project (HRRP). Originally intrigued by the story of the river's historic namesake -- a Bronx woman named Anne Hutchinson who was killed by Indians in 1643 -- Ms. Rae's interest had expanded to the sorry state of the river itself.

Starting slowly, with a small group of loyal volunteers, the HRRP has conducted exploratory trips of the river by canoe and sponsored clean-ups of shoreline sites (photo at right). In fact, the next clean-up -- of the Thomas Pell Wildlife Sanctuary -- will be held on Sunday, September 23, 9am-3pm. Volunteers are needed and welcome; see the website for details.

As HRRP president, Ms. Rae, with other members of the organization, were active participants in Mayor Bloomberg's Vision 2020 workshops, offering their perspective on the needs of the river.

Last year, the HRRP gained wider attention when it won a $14,000 grant to research a site for a canoe/kayak launch. The grant is funded by the Environmental Protection Agency and administered by the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission in partnership with the New York-New Jersey Harbor Estuary Program. As the HRRP consultant, B. Laing Associates, investigates potential launch sites and environmental and legal concerns, the organization is planning two community meetings about public access to the river -- one for the general public and one for Co-op City residents.

Marianne Anderson, the administrator of Pelham Bay Park for the NYC Parks Dept. is wholeheartedly supportive. "Pelham Bay Park attracts nearly 5.6 million visitors each year -- many of whom are drawn to its landscape, its respite, and the variety of recreational activities and institutions within its borders," she wrote in a letter supporting the HRRP's grant proposal. "The fact that the Hutchinson River remains inaccessible to canoes and kayaks is a significant drawback, and one that we would be eager to resolve."