Environmentalist John Cronin to speak at Tang Museum

	John Cronin

Pioneering environmentalist John Cronin will present a lecture titled "Brains vs. Brawn: The Future Hudson, " at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 24, at the Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore. The talk serves as the annual keynote address of the college's Environmental Studies program and is presented in collaboration with the Tang and in conjunction with the museum's exhibition, Lives of the Hudson, which will remain open during the lecture and the reception following it.  The lecture and reception are free and open to the public.

Cronin is the director and CEO of the Beacon Institute for Rivers and Estuaries. He began his work on the Hudson River in 1973, at the prodding of folksinger Pete Seeger. Since then, he has worked as an advocate, a state and congressional legislative aide, and a commercial fisherman. He is a co-founder and senior fellow at the Pace Academy for Applied Environmental Studies at Pace University.

For 17 years, Cronin served as Hudson Riverkeeper, during which time his work in citizen environmental enforcement gained widespread prominence and served as the inspiration for 170 similar programs around the world. He has been the subject of print, broadcast and documentary profiles that have brought international attention to the story of the Hudson River's rebirth. Cronin co-authored the book The Riverkeepers with Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and wrote and co-produced the film, The Last Rivermen, which was named an outstanding documentary by the Motion Picture Academy Foundation.  The Wall Street Journal called him "a unique presence on America's major waterways," and Time magazine honored him as a "Hero for the Planet."

In 2000, New York Gov. George E. Pataki appointed Cronin to help develop "a global center for river and estuary research." Beacon Institute for Rivers and Estuaries was founded in 2004 on the shores of the Hudson River with Cronin as interim chief; he became the institute's first director and CEO in 2006. Under his leadership, Beacon Institute has adopted technological innovation as a central mission.  Its River and Estuary Observatory Network (REON) will monitor the Hudson "source to sea," through a network of sensors and robotics that provide real-time data to researchers, policy makers and educators. The institute's education program is built around training in the "STEM" skills of science, technology, engineering and mathematics for students and technology-based professional development for teachers. To advance new thinking in environmental policy, Cronin is heading a science, technology and policy center with Pace University School of Law.

The public reception following the Cronin lecture will feature environmental-studies faculty, students, and local environmental organizations such as the Wilton Wildlife Preserve and Park, Hudson Crossing, Saratoga P.L.A.N., and the American Farmland Trust, among others. Members of the participating organizations will present displays and talk with community members and students about internships and volunteer opportunities. (For more information about the Environmental Studies reception, call 518-580-5195.)

Lives of the Hudson, which will be on view at the Tang Museum through March 14, 2010, includes important works by Hudson River School painters along with objects of material culture and science. The exhibition combines information about the river (ranging from physical and artistic descriptions to the effects of tourism and industry) with provocative images by contemporary artists whose works pose questions about our use of the river and our relationships with nature and history. Tang Museum hours are 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Tuesday–Friday; 10 a.m. –9 p.m. Thursday; and noon–5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The museum is closed Mondays. For more information call (518) 580-8080 or click here.

Tags: john cronin, lives of the hudson