Hear UR Hear UR

The lake sturgeon is the oldest and largest native fish species in the Great Lakes for more than 10,000 years. Prior to European contact, indigenous tribes like the Haudenosaunee revered the lake sturgeon and hunted them responsibly. With the establishment of fisheries and the industrial revolution, European immigrants caught lake sturgeons in excess. In the late 1980s, New York State evaluated that lake sturgeons were regionally extinct in the Genesee River.

The Genesee River has experienced pollution since its first settlers arrived, but how has pollution changed over time? Through the lens of Eastman Kodak and the Genesee River, this episode will follow how chemical pollution can become a permanent member of the river’s chemistry, and how we can remediate that damage.

In the Summer of 1972, the Mount Morris Dam stood between Rochester and Hurricane Agnes, one of the most devastating storms to ever hit the United States. The storm threatened to flood the Genesee River and send thousands of cubic yards of degree hurtling into the city. Despite the water almost overtopping the dam, the city was protected.

We examine the history of the Mount Morris Dam, Hurricane Agne’s impact on upstate New York, and questions surrounding the continued efficacy of dams in light of climate change.

Rochester was no stranger to the flooding of the Genesee River. Four devastating floods of note wreaked havoc in the first half of the 19th century alone. We will explore the historic floods that shattered Rochester and examine how disaster can bring a community together — or not.

We cannot talk about the history of the Genesee River without talking about the history of the people who have lived along it. The Genesee Valley has been home to members of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy — specifically the Seneca tribe — for centuries. However, popular narratives of Rochester history all too often mischaracterize Indigenous people as a disappearing race or simply ignore their entrenched connections to the region. In analyzing works by two key historians, George Harris and Arthur Parker, we illustrate the importance of looking at how context, values, and visions for the future shape the way people have written about the Haudenosaunee.

Aquaculture is the controlled breeding and farming of fish and aquatic plants. In this episode, we discuss the life and work of Seth Green, and how a local Rochesterian pioneered the modern practice of fish farming in the Genesee valley.