Flo Beichert was 82 years old when she, and several friends, swam the Hudson River, from Rhinecliff to Kingston, in 2005

MID-HUDSON – Some 40 years ago, the Hudson River was considered a lost hope, highly polluted and toxic.

That has changed since then thanks to the efforts of a handful of now-powerful environmental organizations, communities and individuals.

The Quadricentennial celebrations are, in many respects, the culmination of those efforts, state Environmental Conservation Commissioner Pete Grannis told MidHudsonNews.com.

“The Quad celebration, I think, brings it all to fruition this year, but the real goal here is to not just have a celebration this year, but to do things and to  build a legacy and to have projects and make improvements that will be ongoing,” he said. “This is a great year for celebration, but celebrations don’t do anything unless they provide real commitment for the future, and I think that’s what our real goal is with this whole Quadricentennial celebration.”

Grannis said the river is nearing its goal of being swimmable. There are areas in the Mid-Hudson where that is the case already.