How is the Hudson River doing, especially in this year of the quadricentennial of its namesake’s voyage? Well, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation, it’s doing OK but still needs some work.

“Fittingly, we are issuing this report during the Quadricentennial celebration of the Hudson. But as we are celebrating 400 years of Hudson River history, we’d be wise to remember the river’s recent past,” DEC Commissioner Pete Grannis said. “The river has made a remarkable come back over the last 40 years, from the days it was regarded as an open sewer. Yet more work is needed – from keeping toxics out of the estuary to upgrading water infrastructure to increasing citizen stewardship. The State of the Hudson Report gives us a sense of where we are and what we need to do to continue the comeback.”

The agency this week released its State of the Hudson 2009 report. The report looks at a host of factors related to the river including water quality, habitat, fish and wildlife and land use patterns in the Hudson’s watershed.

(Photo shows the Half Moon, a replica of Henry Hudson’s ship, headed up the river this past weekend. Photo by TJN photographer Seth Harrison.)

There was a dead snapping turtle on Fishkill Road in Philipstown yesterday, its shell split open by a car or truck tire. It was one of two dead snapping turtles I’ve spotted in the past two days. Apparently, it’s that time of year, according to State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry.

Most people only see them (snapping turtles) when the females leave the water in early summer to locate nesting sites where they lay between 20 and 80 ping pong ball-shaped eggs. Unfortunately, many of the pregnant females get hit by cars when crossing roads to reach their nesting sites.

If you want to see a live one, tomorrow presents a chance. It’s the annual snapping turtle walk at Boscobel, the Federal-style house and gardens overlooking the Hudson River in Garrison.

(Photo by TJN photographer Joe Larese.)

BUCHANAN: Indian Point’s new emergency warning system had a nearly flawless quarterly test June 3, with only one of 172 sirens across four counties failing during the four-minute test. The new system met the 97 percent threshold required by federal regulators in four earlier tests, but the latest test will help make the case for shutting down the old system completely as scheduled for late summer. The malfunctioning siren was in Peekskill, Westchester County officials said. Indian Point workers are investigating that device, company officials said.

Some 10 years after its land was purchased by the state, Wonder Lake State Park in Kent/Patterson will have a grand opening of sorts on Saturday.

“Put on your hiking boots, bring some water and snacks and be prepared to hike 5 miles of new trails in Wonder Lake State Park,” reads one announcement.

More information and directions can be found here.

Previously on TNOT: Wonder-ful

Indian Point will conduct a full-volume test of its emergency alert sirens Wednesday June 3 at 10:30 a.m. The four-minute test will involve all four counties — Westchester, Rockland, Putnam and Orange — within the 10-mile emergency evacuation zone. There will be an activation of the Emergency Alert System on radio and television stations immediately following the test. No action by the public is required.

A month-old red-tailed hawk ended up this week at the Green Chimneys school in Patterson, most likely after falling out of its nest. The school cares for a slew of hawks, owls and eagles as part of its students’ animal-assisted therapy program.

Among the school’s residents are a pair of red-tailed hawks which, because of the injuries they once suffered, can’t be released back into the wild. They’re both females.

But that didn’t stop one of them from laying eggs this spring, unfertilized, of course. The pair tried to raise the eggs – sitting on them for 10 or 15 days more than required – before finally giving up. They abandoned their nest about two weeks ago, Paul Kupchok, the school’s wildlife director said.

Now, Kupchok hopes to harness that maternal instinct and have the two female red-tails raise the young bird. He plans to place the young bird in with the girls and see if they act like parents.

You would think Rule 1 on the state’s list of tips as to how to avoid black bear encounters would be an obvious one. Nevertheless, here it is: Never feed bears.

Read the entire press release.