Exploring the Hudson Aboard the Evening Star

By Schenine Mitchell

Louis P. Zicari, Jr., has been a long-standing contributor to the Brownfields Program at EPA Region 2.  He currently serves as Project Manager on an EPA Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training grant awarded to the Research Foundation of SUNY Buffalo.  He is Associate Director of the Center for Integrated Waste Management at SUNY Buffalo and has successfully managed several other brownfield grants in the region.  We can now say we know him on another level.  This EPA Project Manager is also known as Captain Louis P. Zicari (“Captain Lou”), working part-time on a vessel called the Evening Star. The Evening Star is an old Coast Guard vessel built in 1966 that has been converted to touring boat on the Hudson River.  This is the second year that the tour boat has been in operation.

Captain Lou is a USCG licensed Merchant Mariner, 50 ton Master. He has spent significant time on the Great Lakes, Finger Lakes and St. Lawrence River on vessels of all sizes.   Captain Lou has long standing interests in the environment, urban history, sport fishing – and enjoys combining his knowledge of those areas while at the helm of the Evening Star.  Thanks to Captain Lou’s knowledge and experience, the river tours serve as a great way to learn about some of the ecology and history of the Hudson River.  Recently, Vince Pitruzzello, the Program Support Branch Chief for the Emergency and Remedial Response Division at EPA Region 2, took part in a tour on the Evening Star.

The Evening Star offers river tours several times each week, Wednesday through Sunday, from Charles Point Marina or Riverfront Green Park.  Metro North has partnered with the Evening Star to provide discounted cruise tickets for those who travel by train. It’s a great way to escape the city, take an evening cruise, and then check out a local restaurant for dinner!  More information on times, locations, and prices can be found online at www.trinitycruises.com or call (914) 589-7773.

About the author: Schenine Mitchell is an Environmental Protection Specialist in the Brownfields Program of the Superfund Program Support Branch. She has a BS in International Environmental Studies from Rutgers University (Cook College), a graduate degree in Environmental Management from Montclair State University, and is a PhD student in Environmental Management at Montclair – specializing in Environmental Justice and Brownfields Redevelopment. She serves as Regional Brownfields Job Training Coordinator and currently Co-Chair of the Region 2 EJ Work Group.

Editor's Note: The opinions expressed in Greenversations are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.