The Grim Collection
Hudson River Environmental Society Collection
On the River: Video Documentary
The Seymour Collection
The Saunders Collection
The HRVC Collection
The Scenic Hudson Collection consists of materials documenting the landmark environmental law case that opposed the Consolidated Edison Company’s proposed pump storage facility at Storm King Mountain, near Cornwall, NY. The Scenic Hudson Decision, as the case is called in law books, launched the modern environmental movement.
The records consist of correspondence, legal documents, transcripts of hearings, agenda and minutes of meetings, memoranda, studies, reports, publicity materials, printed matter, clippings, photographs, and audiovisual materials.
Scenic Hudson, Inc. presented the records to the Marist College Library in 1982.
In September 1962, the Consolidated Edison Company announced plans to build a pumped storage facility, the largest of its kind in the world, at Storm King Mountain near Cornwall, New York. The initial application for license to construct the plant was filed with the Federal Power Commission in January 1963. On November 8, 1963, a small group of concerned citizens met at the home of Carl Carmer and formed the Scenic Hudson Preservation Conference to fight the pumped storage project on the grounds that it posed a threat to the Cornwall water supply and Hudson River fisheries as well as to scenic and historic Storm King Mountain. The case lasted for 17 years. In a negotiated settlement in December 1980, Consolidated Edison agreed to drop the plan for the Storm King facility. In the meantime, Scenic Hudson emerged at the forefront of the environmental movement. Over the past thirty-five years, Scenic Hudson, Inc. has safeguarded over 18,000 acres of irreplaceable landscapes, protected productive farmland, reclaimed and transformed neglected industrial waterfront sites, and purchased strategic properties to revive community centers.
Carl Carmer, author of The Hudson River and other historic works, became honorary chairman and Leo O. Rothchild was named chairman. Rothchild served until 1968 and was succeeded by Alexander Saunders. Initially, the members, working in their own homes or borrowed office space, contacted friends, prominent citizens, politicians, and other organizations for financial support, letter writing campaigns, and legal intervention.
The organizations grew rapidly. Contributions were channeled through the Natural Area Council until Scenic Hudson was incorporated in 1974. Rod Vandivert became the executive director in the mid-1960s. An office was set up in New York City, but the location changed several times during Storm King case and there were a number of office managers during that period. Professional fundraisers and public relations firms were employed in later years.
Aided by other organizations and individuals, the group conducted an intensive campaign to educate the public and to deter Consolidated Edison by legal means. The records, which document the organization’s activities, include publicity materials, copies of legal documents submitted by Scenic Hudson and others, and transcripts of hearings before Congressional sub-committees and the Federal Power Commission. The case lasted for 17 years. In a negotiated settlement in December 1980, Consolidated Edison agreed to drop the plan for the Storm King facility.
The lengthy and controversial case set important precedents in environmental law and is generally credited with spawning the modern environmental movement. Scenic Hudson, Inc. continues to serve as an environmental watchdog in the Hudson Valley.
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Advertising, annual reports, clippings, correspondence, legal briefs and petitions, publicity materials, releases and reports, and subject files relating to the Storm King case.
alphabetical
Incoming and outgoing correspondence and memoranda between Scenic Hudson members concerning the Storm King case, inquiries from the general public, and acknowledgments of contributions, arranged in rough alphabetical order. Correspondents include Brooks Atkinson, Walter Boardman, Larry Bogart, Robert Boyle, David Brower, James Buckley, Albert K. Butzel, James Cagney, Thomas P. Callahan, Carl Carmer, James Cope, Ronald Dagon, M. A. Darville, Henry Diamond, Michael J. Donahue, John Dow, Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Duggan, Lou Frankel, Benjamin Frazier, Lloyd Garrison, Robert Glode, Harold L. Oram, Inc., Richard E. Harrison, Hudson River Valley Commission, Jacob K. Javits, President and Mrs. Lyndon B. Johnson, Harry J. Kangieser, Kenneth B. Keating, Lawrence E. Kennedy, Jr., W. M. Kitzmiller, Mr. and Mrs. Richard Lamb, Pierre Ledoux, Norman P. Lent, John Lindsay, Charles F. Luce, Alexander Lurkis, Thomas Macres, Mrs. Lee Mieczkowski, Frank D. O’Connor, Richard Ottinger, Henry D. Paley, Philips-town Citizens Association, Dominick Pirone, R. Watson Pomeroy, Frank Potter, Richard Purdue, Susan Reed, Charles Reich, Nelson Rockefeller, Nicholas Roosevelt, Kay Rorimer, Leo Rothchild, Fynette Rowe, Alexander Saunders, Catryna Seymour, Whitney Seymour, Dr. Donald Shaughnessy, Helen Sherwood, Corneliea Otis Skinner, Godfrey Stamm, Calvin Stillman, Esty Stowell, Joseph Swidler, John Tamsen, Herbert Tenzer, Rod Vandivert, and John W. Wydler.
roughly alphabetical
Correspondence, interrogatories, responses, petitions, motions, analyses, reports, and depositions, 1965-1981, arranged chronologically.
chronological
Briefs, opinions, and petitions, arranged chronologically; exhibits; studies; publicity releases; reports, statements; correspondence; clippings; and printed matter relating to hearings before the FPC.
Chronological
Information on fund raising activities, including mailings, hikes, boat rides, cocktail parties, etc.; correspondence regarding the exchange of mailing lists with other organizations; general background information; and newsletter materials.
chronological
Materials concerning hearings before the Federal Power Commission, Congressional sub-committees, and New York State environmental groups. This series includes the official stenographic transcripts of the FPC hearings, 1964-1970, arranged chronologically. (For additional Stenographic Transcripts please see the H.R.V.C. Collection, Series 3, Boxes 3-7)
Chronological
Correspondence relating to the Storm King case, collected by Mr. Ledoux, a member of the Board of Directors of Scenic Hudson. The correspondence is arranged alphabetically.
alphabetical
Briefs, petitions, motions, and other legal documents submitted by Scenic Hudson and others; testimony before the Federal Power Commission; exhibits; legislation introduced in the New York State Assembly, U.S. Senate, and the House of Representatives; and related materials.
chronological
Agenda, minutes, informational materials, and notices of board meetings, 1965-1975, arranged chronologically.
chronological
Arranged alphabetically by name of organization or by surname of the individual. The organizations include the AFL-CIO, Army Corps of Engineers, Atomic Energy Commission, Audubon Society, Town of Cornwall, Harvard University, Hudson River Valley Commission, Hudson River Fishermen’s Association, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Nature Conservancy, Sierra Club, and the Wilderness Society. Individuals include C. Girard Davidson, Henry Diamond, John G. Dow, Jerome Kretchmer, John Lindsay, Roberty Moses, Eugene H. Nickerson, Richard Ottinger, Lelan F. Sillin, Jr., Lyall Stuart, and John J. Tamsen.
alphabetical
Copies of periodicals, including Electrical World, 1964 - 1972; corporation reports and publications; information on power and pollution; publications of New York State and the Federal Government; brochures; and reprints of articles, arranged alphabetically by name of periodical or publication.
alphabetical
Reports, testimony, minutes of hearings, exhibits, briefs, policy statements, clippings, bulletins, and press releases documenting the role of the PSC in the Storm King case, 1967-1977. Papers are arranged chronologically.
chronological
Correspondence, press releases subject files, printed matter, and clippings on the Storm King case collected by Miss Sherwood, an active member of Scenic Hudson, Inc.
chronological alphabetical
Materials used in the preparation of legal documents and publicity materials, and the scholarly papers written about the case. A complete list of documents is available in the shelf list.
alphabetical
Information on a variety of topics, arranged alphabetically. These files contain some of the earliest material collected by the group. Similar material is found under Other Organizations and Printed Matter. Subjects include Blackouts, Catskill Aqueduct, Central Hudson Gas and Electric Company, Cornwall Project, Dams, Edison Electric Institute, Environmental Concerns, Gas Turbines, Geological Data, Highways, Hudson River Expressway, Hudson River Valley Commission, Hudson Valley Project, Interior Department, Natural Area Council, Nuclear Power, Palisades Interstate Park Commission, Pollution, Power Lines, Power Plants, Pumped Storage, Radio and Television, Storm King, U.S. Court of Appeals, Utilities, Water, Wetlands, Wilderness Society, and Yorktown.
alphabetical
Copies of press releases, membership bulletins, reprints of periodical and newspaper articles, information kits, and background materials. Materials are arranged chronologically. Some of the binders contain related correspondence.
chronological
Bound and loose newspaper and magazine clippings, arranged in rough chronological order; clippings from specific local newspapers; and clippings on particular topics, arranged alphabetically.
roughly chronological
Proofs and layouts of publicity materials.
roughly alphabetical
File of individuals invited to the Alexander Saunders luncheon, Dec. 9, 1969.
alphabetical
Tapes, films, and still photographs are housed at the end of the collection.
roughly chronological