EagleFest Draws Record Numbers
Teatown Hudson River EagleFest has been an annual event for the past fifteen years as of February 2020. Bald Eagles were near extinction in the Hudson Valley some years ago — due to chemicals like DDT — but thanks to federal and state protections, the bald eagle population has been able to recover.
The EagleFest is an event where thousands of people come together to watch birds of prey, but more specifically, the Bald Eagles’ winter migration pattern.
Headquarters for the EagleFest are located at Croton Point Park, but there are seven partner sights located along the river. These sites include Groundwork Hudson Valley’s Science Barge, The Echo Boat Launch in the Village of Croton (sponsored by Saw Mill River Audubon), George’s Island Park in Montrose (sponsored by Saw Mill River Audubon), the New Croton Dam (sponsored by Bedford Audubon), Steamboat Riverfront Park in Verplanck (Sponsored by the Town of Cortlandt), The Riverfront Green in Peekskill (sponsored by the City of Peekskill), and the Boscobel House and Gardens in Garrison.
Turnout for Eaglefest this past Saturday, February 8th, was notable coming in at 4,000 participants who were spread across the headquarters and seven partner sites.
This year welcomed some very important guests to the event. Bill and Hillary Clinton made an appearance along with their daughter Chelsea and grandchildren who were excited to see the live bird shows. Other distinguished guests include County Executive George Latimer, State Senator Peter Harckham, State Assemblywoman Sandy Galef, Ossining Town Supervisor Dana Levenberg, Corton-on-Hudson Mayor Brian Pugh, and Westchester County Parks Department Commissioner Kathy O’Connor.
A new goal for the 2020 EagleFest was headed by Teatown’s Community Environmentalist, Nadya Hall. The goal was to produce only one bag of trash for the whole day. Hall stated to interviewers at EagleFest, “Festivals are notorious for producing obscene amounts of trash. As we reflect on our own responsibility as environmental stewards, we are excited to rise to the challenge and tackle this ambitious goal with the help of our extended family of community volunteers.”
The goal was nearly achieved by only producing 1.5 bags of trash for the entire event. In 2021 they will try once more to stay under the limit of one trash bag for the event.
