The Clearwater Restoration Project, Main Page

Clearwater Receives Dyson Foundation Grant for Sloop Restoration $300,000 Leadership Grant Will Anchor More Than $1.6 Million Restoration   Contact: Andy Mele, Executive Director 845-454-7673 x121 Poughkeepsie, NY—December 6, 2004. Clearwater, Inc. announced today that it will receive $300,000 over two years from the Dyson Foundation towards major restoration on the 35-year-old sloop Clearwater, which was named to the National Register of Historic Places in May 2004. “We couldn’t be more excited!” said Clearwater Executive Director, Andy Mele “This is the largest single grant in Clearwater’s history.” Mele noted, “Clearwater has undergone a revolutionary makeover in the last three years, something that would not have been possible without program and capacity building support from the Dyson Foundation.”   The Dyson Foundation is a major supporter of Clearwater’s award-winning environmental education programs that serve more than 15,000 young people annually onboard and at the riverfront. In September 2004, a Dyson grant helped Clearwater pilot a weeklong Community River Days program to bring a full complement of Clearwater activities for youth and their families to the Poughkeepsie waterfront. “The Dyson Foundation is making a very impressive investment in youth and the environment—and the investment is very much needed in this part of the river,” said Anne Todd Osborn, President of the Clearwater Board of Directors.   Diana M. Gurieva, the foundation’s executive vice president, said, “The Dyson Foundation is pleased to award this grant to Clearwater. The restoration of the sloop is vitally important, not just because of its symbolic status, but also so that it can continue to function as an environmental classroom for Hudson River communities.”   “Wooden sloops, once the commercial workhorses of the Hudson River, were not designed for use over decades,” said Mele. “Made of common wood and materials, they were simply scuttled on the river bank and replaced when they wore out,” Mele continued. “But the Clearwater is a national icon, and a living classroom for thousands of youngsters each year. It must be painstakingly restored and preserved.”   Restoration of a traditionally-constructed old wooden boat isn’t easy. The current restoration began in 2001 and is expected to continue through 2008, costing more than $1.6 million. “To date, we’ve replaced the after deck, cabin deck, deck beams, a lot of hull planking and the boom, and last year, the sloop got a new suit of sails,” Captain Samantha Heyman reported.   “Next up, we are looking at replacement of the massive foredeck, worn away by the footsteps of the more than 430,000 young people who’ve sailed on the Clearwater over the past three decades, not to mention all those seasons of sun, water and wind,” said Heyman. “Replacing the foredeck will require a long haulout. It will take hundreds of hours of traditional shipwrighting to get the job done in time for us to be back on the river in the spring,” Heyman said. “You have to have a lot of respect for the craftsmanship that kept these old boats floating.”   Cheap in their 18th and 19th-century heyday, sloops take both know-how and lots of money today. Built in 1969 for less than $250,000, a brand-new Clearwater would cost between $3 and $4 million now. Neither the historic skills nor boat-building grades of wood and other materials are as readily available as they once commonly were. The restoration will culminate in a six-month haulout in 2008 for replacement of major hull components such as sections of the keel, transom and stem. Click here for a complete narrative and photos of the multi-year restoration project.   “Ongoing maintenance of the Hudson Valley’s most recognizable icon isn’t inexpensive either,” says Clearwater President Osborn. “The Board is looking at the wisdom of launching a comprehensive campaign for the sloop that would include an endowment for the annual maintenance, which is expected to cost about $100,000 per year once the restoration is completed.” Annual maintenance includes a full haulout for U. S. Coast Guard inspection every second year.   Osborn noted that an endowment capable of generating annual maintenance funds would increase the current $1.6 million goal for restoration work to over $3 million. “That’s a huge undertaking for Clearwater,” said Osborn. “ Our organizational culture drives us to sink everything into educating kids and building coalitions to help citizens participate in environmental matters. The sloop Clearwater is a huge responsibility, and we are going to need a lot of support from the communities we serve!”   Because Clearwater believes in walking the walk in terms of sustainable living, the restoration will also include installation of a new diesel engine capable of running on renewable soy-based fuels thanks to the generosity of two anonymous donors. According to Andy Mele, “If everyone began using agricultural biofuels, we could help support America’s farms, preserve open space, bolster national security and fight global warming. People need to know this. With the new engine, we’ll be teaching about biofuels from the sloop.” Clearwater also purchases wind power sufficient to run its entire operation.   The Clearwater was placed on the State and National Registers for its national significance in the history of the American Environmental Movement. Through more than three decades, Clearwater members initiated or joined virtually every significant battle to protect the Hudson River. The Clean Water Act, which celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2002, began to take shape in 1970 when Pete Seeger sailed the Clearwater to Washington and set up an impromptu concert in the House of Representatives office building. Clearwater was first to enter the battle against General Electric’s PCBs in 1975. In 2000 and 2001 the organization collected 67 municipal resolutions and more than 11,000 petition signatures to help secure the EPA’s Record of Decision. “It was very gratifying to see the Clearwater’s important environmental role recognized by the National Trust and New York State,” said Mele. “We take great pride in caring for a national treasure.”   The Dyson Foundation is a private, family-directed grantmaking foundation established in 1957. The Foundation is led by Robert R. Dyson who has served as the Foundation’s President since 2000. Headquartered in Millbrook, NY, the Foundation awards grants in two main funding areas: a diverse regional funding program in the Dyson family’s home community of the Mid-Hudson Valley of New York State, and a national initiative in training in community pediatrics, known as the Anne E. Dyson Community Pediatrics Training Initiative. The Foundation’s assets presently stand at approximately $275,000,000 and in the year 2003 it awarded grants in excess of $13,600,000.