Beginning
January 1, 2024, the Hudson Highlands Nature Museum will become the Hudson
Highlands Nature Center. The Nature Center will continue to operate under the same
mission to “connect children with nature through hands-on education and play.”
In
1959 when the “Museum of the Hudson Highlands” was established, its focus was
on wildlife and local history. It was housed in a building on the Boulevard,
which is known today as the Wildlife Education Center (WEC). In the late 1990’s
when the Outdoor Discovery Center (ODC) was established, the organization’s
focus shifted to nature education & play, and the name was changed to the
“Hudson Highlands Nature Museum.”
In
recent years as their audience has expanded, they noticed that visitors were
sometimes confused by the word “Museum” in the name. Many have come to the ODC
and expected a traditional brick and mortar museum experience, rather than the
“Museum without Walls” concept on 177 acres of preserved land.
According
to Executive Director Jessica Oliveri, “The new name better represents the
varied array of hands-on, experiential education programs that helps people
establish a meaningful connection to the natural world.”
The Nature Center’s
locations will now be referred to as the Wildlife Education Campus in Cornwall-on-Hudson, the Outdoor
Discovery Campus in Cornwall, and the Mountain Lake Park Campus in
Warwick which houses the new Young Naturalist Preschool. For more information
about the organization, visit www.hhnm.org or
call (845) 534-5506.
Other articles by HVP News Reporters