Warren Paul Reiss

SALISBURY — Warren Paul Reiss, longtime resident and friend of the Hudson Valley, died peacefully on May 5, 2016, at his beloved home on Round Lake in Milan, N.Y. He was 61. 

He is survived by his daughters, Chelsea Reiss and Taylor Reiss Gouge; his son-in law, Andrew Gouge; his brother, Spencer Reiss of Salisbury; and his devoted friend and caregiver, Lauren Arcomano. 

Born in 1954 at New York Hospital, he was the son of Julia and Edward Reiss. Warren attended the Barnard School for Boys in Riverdale and graduated from Hobart College. He received his law degree from Catholic University and joined the office of the Manhattan District Attorney as a prosecutor. Later an attorney at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation in Albany, he went on to serve as general counsel at Scenic Hudson, where his work included many signature Hudson Valley environmental and conservation projects, ranging from the PCB cleanup and defeat of a proposed cement plant in Greenport to Poets’ Walk Park in Hyde Park and one of his special joys, the Walkway Over the Hudson. He also served on the board of the Winnakee Land Trust, whose mission is protecting farmland and natural habitat in northern Dutchess County.

Warren was a friend to many and also a mentor to a wide circle of former interns and younger colleagues. He was second to no one in his love for the Hudson Valley’s natural beauty and bounty, in particular the ever-changing parade of local birds who called his porch home. He was a stalwart of annual camping trips to Brownsville, Vt., with an enduring circle of old college friends. But most of all he was a devoted father, who sadly will miss the birth of his first grandchild, expected in July. He will be missed.

Donations in Warren’s memory can be made to The Winnakee Land Trust, 187 East Market St., Rhinebeck,  NY 12572.