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The Last Power Jam at Wetlands, N.Y. 2001 Part 1. Video by Larry Blumenstein Video Productions. Contact: LarryBlumenstein@aol.com, 917-817-2112. (Copyright 2001) (c) -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wetlands Preserve, commonly referred to as "Wetlands", was a nightclub that provided a habitat for nightlife in New York City for nearly thirteen years. Its dual purpose was to create an earth-conscious, intimate nightclub that would nurture great live music, integrated with a full-time environmental and social justice activist center. It was located at 161 Hudson Street in the TriBeCa neighborhood. The original concept came from founder-owner Larry Bloch, who set its course for over eight years before passing the helm to Peter Shapiro in 1997. Shapiro remained faithful to the mission until September 2001, when the gentrification of TriBeCa caused the building to be sold and the club was forced to close. Supported by the music, Wetlands spent over one million dollars during its lifetime to fund the Activism Center at Wetlands Preserve, originally named the Eco-Saloon. Using diverse strategies, in coalition with many local, national, international and native organizations, salaried staff worked with a crew of community and student activists to organize public education campaigns. Hundreds of non-violent direct actions raised awareness and effected change on a wide range of issues, from human and animal rights to helping save ecosystems and indigenous cultures around the world.[citation needed] Wetlands prominently displayed and circulated hundreds of petitions (club patrons accounted for over 30,000 signatures a year) and lobbied corporate and government leaders for action. Most effective were protests in the form of non-violent, direct actions, which included street theater, leafleting, attending shareholders meetings, demonstrating at conferences and corporate headquarters, testifying at public hearings, and peaceful blockades. Musical benefits were commonplace and distributed funds to these groups and causes. Thanks and credit to the committed group of staff and community and student activists, led and inspired by Eco-coordinators: Remy Chevalier, Russ Weis, Kathy Kane, James Hansen, and Adam Weisman, who sustains the Wetlands' ethics and efforts through The Wetlands Activists' Collective. Practicing what it preached, Wetlands was a model for environmental responsibility. The club had an extensive in-house recycling program and energy efficient lighting, and used environmentally sustainable products, from cleaning and paper supplies to organically grown cotton and hemp T-shirts. Larry Bloch explained his concept of The Wetlands Model: "We have proven that a for-profit enterprise can efficiently and dynamically create positive change in the world by including in its mission a purpose for being, beyond profit, and adequately funding that good work as an overhead expense. Combining music and fun with activism worked well at Wetlands, and can work wherever people who share a vision come together. With so many magical seeds sown, I am optimistic about what may grow." (September 2001) Monday, September 10, was an all-star jam that went into the early morning of September 11. The terrorist events of that day nearly shut down the club prematurely and permanently, but two weeks later, when restrictions into the area eased, Wetlands was granted a two-night reprieve. Its final night was September 30 and was an all-night jam kicked off by a surprise visit from Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter, and provided Wetlands its send-off.