River Project to fl ow on under Trust
BY GABE HERMAN
The Hudson River Park Trust
is starting the process of taking
over management of The
River Project after the retirement of
the latter’s founder, Cathy Drew. The
two groups announced the transition
earlier this month.
The River Project, an independent
marine science group, has been on
the West Side since the 1980s. Drew,
its executive director, retired on May
31.
Drew founded the project in 1986
at Pier 26 in Tribeca, with the goals of
doing estuarine research, providing
educational programs about the Hudson
River, and promoting the well-being
of the local waters. Working with
New York State, Drew helped create
the Hudson River Estuarine Sanctuary
.T
he River Project’s mission will
continue under the Trust, the statecity
authority that operates and is
building the 4.5-mile-long waterfront
park. Over a period of 12 to 18
months, TRP will transition from an
independent nonprofi t to an entity under
the Trust’s leadership. Two TRP
staff members have begun working
full time at the Trust, and other TRP
staff will help with the transition.
TRP relocated to Pier 40, at W.
Houston St., in 2005, where it has
its offi ces and Wetlab. The group has
worked with the Hudson River Park’s
Estuary Lab on environmental research
and education projects, along
with improving the health of the waters.
This work will continue and expand
as TRP merges into the Trust,
according to the announcement.
“My vision in founding The River
Project 33 years ago was of publicly
accessible scientifi c research and
hands-on, get-wet education for all
ages,” Drew said when the announcement
was made. “We believe that in
connecting people to the Harbor and
Hudson Estuary, they would come to
appreciate and protect our rich and
vulnerable marine life.”
Drew highlighted ways TRP connects
people to the river, such as a
marine science fi eld station with access
for the public and the Wetlab for
research and education.
“I am excited that this vision will
continue and grow under the leadership
of Hudson River Park Trust as
part of the Hudson River Estuarine
Sanctuary,” she said.
Madelyn Wils, president and
C.E.O. of the Trust, said Drew has
A tank at The River Project, with the Lower Manhattan skyline in the background.
An intern with children at TRP’s “touch tank.”
set the bar high.
“Under Cathy Drew’s visionary
leadership,” she said, “The River
Project has played a vital role in
protecting and promoting the longterm
nhattan th
COURTESY THE RIVER PROJECT
health of the river, wildlife and
surrounding habitat.”
Wils noted that Drew’s initial programming
of TRP back when it was at
Pier 26, with its Wetlab — fi sh tanks
COURTESY THE RIVER PROJECT
full of local aquatic animals — inspired
the designation of the Hudson
River Park Estuarine Sanctuary.
“In this next chapter, we look
forward to pooling our collective
knowledge and resources to preserve
Cathy’s legacy and advance our work
in the fi eld,” Wils added.
The Trust will preserve The River
Project’s name after the transition,
along with recognizing Drew’s contributions
and the grassroots group’s
founding story.
The new TRP executive director is
Richard Corman, a longtime Tribeca
resident, who recently became president
of the Downtown Independent
Democrats political club. Corman has
been on the TRP board since 2017.
“During the transition, we will
be working closely with the Trust to
expand, enhance and integrate our
programming and we continue to
look forward to the wonderful public
support we have always had,” Corman
said. He said TRP will continue
working with the Trust on plans for a
new, more extensive estuarium at Pier
26, The River Project’s fi rst site.
The plan, which calls for a wetland
tidal pool, is scheduled to fi nish
by 2020, though there is no specifi
c timetable for the new estuarium
building.
Schneps Media TVG August 22, 2019 15