Little Chapel on the River

Chuck Leavell , keyboardist for the Rolling Stones and a founder of the new environmental Web site Mother Nature Network , talks to local art curator Amy Lipton and artist Simon Draper in the Carl Van Brunt Gallery in Beacon N.Y. Amy and Simon discuss their two projects -- ecoartspace and Habitat For Artists -- with Chuck. Cool projects with national reach; check them out.

The Hudson Valley's own Ned Sullivan of Scenic Hudson talks with Chuck Leavell of the Mother Nature Network (and Rolling Stones keyboardist) about smart growth, brownfields and conservation easements in the Hudson River Valley.

The Hudson River Valley has a number of groups working to preserve its lands, and they all depend on donations big and small to do their work. We're lucky to have this land around us -- this gorgeous, mysterious shot looking at Osborn Castle by Christine Ashburn reminds us of that. One group is Scenic Hudson , which is working to protect 65,000 acres of what it dubs the most important land along the river -- the "must save" landscapes that meet New York State's highest standards for ecological, scenic and agricultural values. Another is the Hudson Highlands Land Trust , which has been working privately with landowners since 1989, when local residents united to form an organization that would provide conservation options for individuals. A third is Open Space Institute . OSI achieves its goals through land acquisition, conservation easements, regional loan programs, fiscal sponsorship, creative partnerships, and analytical research. Online donations are accepted for al...