Meet John Henkelman, a Ph.D. student in Natural Resources and Earth Systems Science, who recently completed a solo canoe journey down the entire Hudson River, from the Adirondacks to the Statue of Liberty. 🛶 John's expedition had a purpose beyond adventure: measuring water quality along the Hudson to understand how environmental protections impact the people who use these waterways for recreation. "Clean water is good for recreation," John explains. By collecting data throughout his journey, he's helping to show why protecting our rivers matters — not just for ecosystems, but for the communities that paddle, fish, and play in them. Along the way, he raised money for American Rivers, an advocacy group working to conserve clean, healthy and free-flowing rivers across the country. He met outfitters facing challenges in the Adirondacks, rolled his canoe a few times in low water (yikes!), followed an eagle through the gorge and even had the New York Fire Department help him reach his fi...