27. Benefits of Cleaning Up the Hudson River
Water-dependent birds, once common along the Hudson and in New York Harbor, disappeared for many years because the river and its environs were becoming polluted and waterbird habitat was diminishing. Now, in response to successes in environmental cleanup and habitat protection, these birds are returning. In 1997, for the first time in more than a century, a young bald eagle was fledged from a nest along the river. By 2009, there were 24 eagle nests along the river.