RIVERKEEPER’S STAR-STUDDED EARTH DAY BENEFIT MARKS LAUNCH OF FESTIVITIES CELEBRATING 400TH ANNIVERSARY OF HENRY HUDSON’S VOYAGE

gchambers@riverkeeper.org — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 10:25:47 -0400

Tony Bennett Set to Perform at April 22 Gala in NYC; Mayor Bloomberg Among Honorees

NEW YORK – April 15, 2009 - A celebrity-filled guest list will add glamour and excitement to Riverkeeper’s Fishermen’s Ball, at Pier Sixty on the Hudson (Chelsea Piers, Manhattan) on Earth Day, Wednesday, April 22. The evening will also feature an intimate live performance by Tony Bennett.

The dinner dance begins with a cocktail reception at 6:30, followed by dinner and honors for environmental advocates who have given generously to improve the health of our waterways, including the Honorable Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, “green” architect William McDonough, Majora Carter, Pete Seeger and others.

Riverkeeper’s Fishermen’s Ball marks the launch of festivities celebrating the 400th Anniversary of Henry Hudson’s memorable voyage of discovery. Special events are scheduled throughout summer and fall, including a 10-day river flotilla in June that marks the start of Hudson’s voyage and visiting Dutch dignitaries in September marking its completion.

Riverkeeper has produced a touring exhibit and lecture, titled: “A Hudson River Journey: 1609 - 2109” that will travel to communities throughout the Hudson Valley as a featured attraction at state sponsored and local events. The exhibition examines the Hudson River from three perspectives, including: pre-contact when the Lenape lived on the river’s shores, the present day, and a look ahead to a possible future for the Hudson 100 years from now.

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Riverkeeper’s Chief Prosecuting Attorney and Waterkeeper Alliance founder, commented, “When Henry Hudson sailed into New York Harbor on the Half Moon in 1609, he found a vibrant and healthy river valley inhabited by our region’s first “riverkeepers” – Native Americans who lived off the abundance of the river and the river valley. Today, we are all stewards of the river, and it is our hope that this Anniversary inspires a renewed dedication to the protection and revitalization of the Hudson River.”

Alex Matthiessen, Hudson Riverkeeper and President, said, “The restoration of the Hudson River is one of our nation’s great environmental success stories. But major challenges remain. While overall water quality has improved in the nearly four decades since passage of the Clean Water Act, we are now witnessing more raw sewage overflows, significant declines in local fish populations, and an increase in the amount of radioactive material entering the river from Indian Point. This year’s annual dinner is dedicated to celebrating our long-term progress while recruiting a new generation of river advocates to help us address these new challenges.”

The April 22 Fishermen’s Ball is expected to raise more than one million dollars to benefit Riverkeeper’s critical, year-round environmental work. For more information, please email riverkeeper@eventassociatesinc.com or call 212-245-6570 ext. 23.

About Riverkeeper: Riverkeeper is an independent member-supported environmental organization. Riverkeeper's mission is to protect the ecological integrity of the Hudson River and its tributaries, and to safeguard the drinking water supply of New York City and the lower Hudson Valley. For more information, please visit www.riverkeeper.org.

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Riverkeeper Press Room

"Flow" to Sundance to Save Wisconsin's Rivers

Dave Pausch — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 10:28:47 -0400

MADISON--The River Alliance of Wisconsin, in cooperation with Sundance Cinemas and Oscilloscope Pictures, will host a screening of the critically acclaimed new documentary, Flow: For the Love of Water, at 7pm on Friday October 10, 2008. Tickets for the event are $30, and include admission to the screening, a Q&A featuring Wisconsin state senator Mark Miller and Natalie Lloyd from Food & Water Watch, and a post-screening reception. Proceeds from the event support the River Alliance's work to save Wisconsin's flowing waters.

Flow, director Irena Salina's new award-winning documentary, investigates what experts label the most important political and environmental issue of the 21st century - The World Water Crisis. Using interviews with scientists and activists, Salina builds a case against the growing privatization of the world's dwindling fresh water supply with an unflinching focus on politics, pollution, human rights, and the emergence of a domineering world water cartel.

The New York Times says Flow provides a "...informed and heartfelt examination of the tug of war between public health and private interests" and "ruthlessly dismantles our assumptions about water safety and government oversight."

Leading a brief discussion after the showing is Sen. Mark Miller (D-Monona), chair of the state Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee, where he successfully championed the passage of the Great Lakes Compact. He also co-chairs the Legislature's Joint Finance Committee. Senator Miller has been a long and good friend of conservation and the environment.

The film's director is Irena Salena, who started her career at 15 as a radio journalist in Paris, then worked in production on numerous US films before writing and directing her first short, See You on Monday, sponsored by LifeTime Televsion for the Hamptons Film Festival. Her first film, Ghost Bird: The Life and Art of Judith Deim (2000) is an award-winning documentary that delves into the remarkable life of St. Louis-born artist Judith Deim.

Tickets for this event can be purchased in person at the Sundance Cinemas Madison box office or by calling 608-316-6900. All sales are cash or check only for this event; no credit cards will be accepted. Screening start time is subject to change. More information on the event can be found at http://www.wisconsinrivers.org.

Formed in 1993, the River Alliance of Wisconsin is a statewide nonprofit, nonpartisan citizen advocacy organization that works to protect and restore Wisconsin's rivers and watersheds. The organization's membership includes more than 3,000 individuals and businesses and more than 80 local watershed groups--one fo the largest memberships of statewide river groups in the country.

River Alliance of Wisconsin

Event release

RIVERKEEPER’S STAR-STUDDED EARTH DAY BENEFIT MARKS LAUNCH OF FESTIVITIES CELEBRATING 400TH ANNIVERSARY OF HENRY HUDSON’S VOYAGE

"Flow" to Sundance to Save Wisconsin's Rivers