Thank You, Pete

In memory of Pete Seeger (May 3, 1919 -- January 27, 2014)

This is the Hudson River, just minutes from my home, flowing out of the Adirondack Forest Preserve. I catch smallmouth bass and northern pike here, where bald eagles and ospreys do the same thing. Thirty miles downstream, however, the fish have been poisoned by industrial chemicals and sewage.for decades. But thanks in large part to folk singer and activist Pete Seeger, the river is in the final stages of a long and monumental cleanup effort that is transforming the Hudson's waters into a clean environment for all those who depend on it, including people. Pete Seeger's heart stopped beating last night, but the beat of his songs and his causes will continue, stronger than ever.

Pete Seeger's life was dedicated to human rights, environmental responsibility, and the belief that music can bring people together to work for just causes. You know his songs, even if you don't know him: If I Had a Hammer; Where Have All the Flowers Gone?; Turn! Turn! Turn! (to Everything There Is a Season); and hundreds more written over the the better part of the past century. Arlo Guthrie once said "Every kid who ever sat around a campfire singing an old song is indebted in some way to Pete Seeger." If that includes you, or if you have benefited from worker's rights, or Pete's environmental contributions from the Snake River to the Hudson, please join me in saying "THANK YOU, PETE."

Sailing up my dirty stream
Still I love it and I’ll dream
That some day, though maybe not this year
My Hudson and my country will run clear.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pete Seeger