Film Screening of “One Dam at a Time”

Join us for a film screening of One Dam at a Time followed by a Q&A with Captain John Lipscomb, Vice-President and Co-Director of the Science and Patrol Program of Riverkeeper, and George Jackman, PhD, Senior Habitat Restoration Manager for Riverkeeper. One Dam at a Time (22 minutes) visualizes Riverkeeper’s efforts to restore, revitalize, and reconnect the Hudson’s tributaries. The film is designed to build the ‘dam removal movement’ in New York State and restore historic aquatic abundance in the Hudson Valley.

John Lipscomb, Vice President and Co-Director of Science and Patrol Program, became Riverkeeper’s boat captain in 2000. Having grown up in Irvington and Tarrytown, he learned to swim and sail in the Hudson River. Most of his career has revolved around the building, maintenance, and repair of both wood and fiberglass vessels. Lipscomb has sailed as Captain aboard a number of 30’ to 65’ blue water sailing vessels in the Mediterranean, North Atlantic, Caribbean, Pacific, and South China Sea. His ocean voyages include three transatlantic crossings and one transpacific crossing from Los Angeles to Singapore. Lipscomb has also worked as a soundman and co-producer on a number of documentary TV specials focused on the conservation of animals and the environment. Since September 2000, Mr. Lipscomb has been patrolling the Hudson for Riverkeeper aboard the “R. Ian Fletcher,” a 36-foot Chesapeake Bay style wooden vessel. From April into December each year, he travels approximately 4,000 to 5,000 nautical miles between New York Harbor and Troy, searching out and deterring polluters, monitoring tributaries and waterfront facilities, conducting a sampling program to measure fecal contamination and supporting other scientific studies, as well as taking regional decision makers and media out on the river so that “the river has a chance to advocate for itself.”

George Jackman, PhD, Senior Habitat Restoration Manager, is a retired NYPD police lieutenant turned aquatic ecologist. George is an experienced environmental activist and adjunct professor at Queens College. He holds a PhD in ecology, evolution, and behavior from the CUNY Graduate Center in conjunction with SUNY ESF and has extensive experience and academic research working with migratory fishes. He is currently working on dam removals in the Hudson Valley, especially ones that are considered priority barriers to migratory fish. Dam removals are needed to restore and reconnect critical habitat in which migratory fishes need to survive, reproduce, or complete a necessary part of their life cycle. George conducts planning, outreach, fundraising, communications, and advocacy to promote fish passage, and mitigate the damaging effects of barriers.

Image: Courtesy of Riverkeeper.