Sloop Club stalwart Sam Merrett with GC Jason Wyckoff after receiving key components of the Nack Center.

The beginning pieces have been put in place for the Everett Nack Estuary Education Center (ENEEC or Nack Center), with an anticipated opening in summer 2019.

The Nack Center is being constructed by the Hudson Sloop Club, in partnership with the City of Hudson. It is funded by a grant from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. The General Contractor is Jason Wyckoff and the architect is Liam Turkle.

The Nack Center will be a community resource open to the public, a “plug and play” location for educational and environmental organizations and river-related programming.The Nack Center is designed to offer hands on and experiential displays and activities, and will host visiting environmental educators and scientists. The Nack Center will also serve as a riverfront information center for community members and visitors to Hudson. A small aquarium, regularly stocked with local marine life, will be a visual centerpiece, alongside wildlife and habitat displays. River data about tides, temperature, turbidity, and other factors will be on display on real time screens. The Center will have a learning library of books and resources about the River’s ecology, and history, and information about local boat rentals, tours, and other recreational opportunities. The facility will be equipped with technology for water quality monitoring and recording, for seine netting, and with shared fishing gear and tackle. A full cycle estuary viewing station will include a digital microscope connected to a computer and projector for large scale viewing. The Nack Center will be a resource for local scientists, students and researchers, enabling access to valuable ecological data and a flexible space for interpretive learning.

The facility’s location at Hudson’s waterfront will place this dynamic environmental and educational resource directly in the heart of an urban community. The Nack Center will be within walking distance from the City’s public housing and shopping district, and directly located off public transit lines stretching from NYC to Montreal. This unique location will make the Nack Center accessible and visible from land and the river, will allow it to serve not only the residents of Hudson in all of their diversity, but also partner organizations, school groups and tourists from the greater Hudson Valley and beyond.

Our first event of 2019 will be the Riverkeeper Sweep on Saturday, May 4th from 10am-2pm. We will meet at Henry Hudson Riverfront Park in Hudson at 10am and walk over to the Nack Center site for the cleanup. We ask all Sweep volunteers to wear sturdy boots and clothing that can get dirty, and to bring a hat, sunscreen, water bottle, and snacks. We look forward to seeing you there and showing you the progress on the Nack Center!