Against the odds, the Hudson Valley has cleaned up its act and rediscovered its soul. In this well researched and passionate treatise on the much celebrated but long abused Hudson River, author Roger D. Stone describes how protecting New York City's drinking water supply, making innovative efforts to safeguard views and open space, and reconnecting communities with long abandoned stretches of priceless shoreline have combined to bring about a new age of spirted restoration in a region that long seemed condemned to cultural and environmental mediocrity.

Stone links disparate historical, cultural, political, and environmental threads to clearly show the multiple forces that have made this turnaround happen, a vivid example of new ideas and values for a nation struggling to counter devastating economic and environmental effects of misusing the landscape. The extraordinary revival of the majestic Hudson River estuary and its surrounding areas, even in communities where hope was long in short supply, shows remarkable results when it's done right.