We the People: Environmental Activism
New York’s landscape, rich in natural resources and beauty, has long attracted people and industry alike. However, population growth and industrial pollution have led to habitat and species loss, and at times, threats to human health. In response, citizens have responded through activism and progressive environmental legislation.
On November 2, 2021, voters in New York approved a new constitutional amendment, the “Green Amendment,” to enshrine environmental rights in the Bill of Rights of the New York State Constitution. It asserts that “each person shall have the right to clean air and water, and to a healthful environment.”
Highlights
Daniel Goodale
Decorations on this pitcher include a Bald Eagle and a Sturgeon. The Bald Eagle became a symbol of the new republic when it was placed on the United States seal in 1782, but by the mid–20th century, it was in danger of disappearing altogether. Widespread use of the pesticide DDT thinned the eggshells of raptors and fish-eating birds, lowering their survival rates. Sturgeon were reported in the Hudson River during colonial times. These accounts were contrasted with the state of the fisheries in the mid-20th century as activists observed fish kills and declining populations and called for greater protections against pollution and development.
New York State Museum H-2015.35.13
Adirondack Park was established in 1892 by the New York State Legislature. Measuring 2,800,000 acres when it was created, Adirondack Park is the largest parkland in the contiguous United States.
New York State Museum H-1988.8.1
Pete Seeger sailed to Washington, D.C., on the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater in 1970 to deliver evidence on pollution to congress, dramatically increasing public support for the legislation.
New York State Museum H-2025.43.2
The Tonawanda Seneca Nation lives on a 7,500-acre Reservation Territory in western New York. The nearby Big Woods sustain them and other Haudenosaunee Nations, providing food, medicine plants, and habitats for threatened and endangered species.
The proposed Western New York Science and Technology Advanced Manufacturing Park (STAMP) threatens the Big Woods. Despite the Nation’s opposition, construction is underway on adjacent farmland near protected areas, including the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge.
The Nation and its allies are urging developers to “Rethink STAMP,” arguing the project violates the 1794 Treaty of Canandaigua, which guarantees the Haudenosaunee “free use and enjoyment” of their lands.
New York State Museum H-2025.74.1