Other individuals or groups focused on research, environmental education, conservation, or natural history may use the facilities as space allows. Access to the Field Station is scheduled by appointment only and all uses must be arranged in advance. Please contact us at
Use the menu below to learn more about the Field Station's laboratory spaces, specimen collection, library, equipment, and meeting spaces.
Laboratory Space
The teaching lab has a large central table that seats 12, a small blackboard, and a screen for digital projection. There are two counters with sinks and supply cabinets. This classroom-style space, which has a view of the bay, is used for meetings, classes, and by students and researchers.
The main lab offers many features of a standard academic science lab. This centrally located, open lab has chemical resistant benches with seating/space for approximately 10 students. In addition to sinks, an eyewash, and safety shower, the lab has refrigerators, freezers, a flammable cabinet, and a large drying oven.
This small, secure laboratory space is equipped with a fume hood, chemical resistant benches, and a sink. Clean and/or sterile conditions can be maintained in this space and specialized work can be kept isolated from the Main Lab as required for specific research projects.
The Wet Lab is a cement-floored room on the lower level that serves as a portal between the field to the lab. The mud room space, which opens to the outdoor field gear storage area, is used to load, unload, clean, and store field equipment as well as a place to change into field clothing/gear. It includes a sink, a chemical hood, and a shop area with a bench for working with tools to construct and repair field equipment.
The Mapping Lab houses Hudsonia's GIS laboratory.
Specimen Collections & Library
This room holds storage cabinets containing the plant, mammal, bird egg, and bird skin collections.
The library holds two large central bookshelves that are surrounded by wall shelving and filing cabinets that contain books, journals, reprints, maps and other resources. Additional library materials are housed in Field Station offices. Please see the Field Station page for more information.
This storage room protects fluid preserved specimens from ambient light. Specimens include fish, amphibians and reptiles collected from the Hudson Valley region.
Equipment
A meteorological and telemetry station, which transmits real-time data, is located on the back deck of the Field Station. This weather station is part of the Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve (HRNERR) system-wide monitoring program. The HRNERR station has collected continuous meteorological data (air temperature, relative humidity, rainfall, barometric pressure, wind speed and direction, and photosynthetically active radiation) since 1999, when the Reserve was based at the Field Station. HRNERR continues to maintain the weather station. Data is collected and processed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Office for Coastal Management/National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NOAA OCM/NERRS). Historic and real-time data access is provided through the Centralized Data Management Office website. The Field Station also holds a written record of historic weather observations taken before the weather station was installed.
More details about current weather conditions and tide predictions can be found on the page.
The Field Station is equipped with a number of watercraft used to access the bays. This includes canoes and an aluminum jon boat, a flat, more stable rowboat that is suitable for holding the field equipment needed for various research projects. Currently, boats are available for research-related use only. Those interested in canoe exploration, are encouraged to contact the Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve, which runs free public educational canoe trips from several launch sites, including North Tivoli Bay.
Two sets of storage cabinets are located below the back porch, outside the Wet Lab. These lockers hold field gear (e.g., waders, life jackets, paddles) and other equipment.
Meeting Space
Four offices on the upper-level, including the mapping lab and the caretaker room, are occupied by Bard and Hudsonia staff. A significant portion of the library is kept on shelves in these offices. While the Field Station no longer has a live-in caretaker, the caretaker room has ladder access to an upper loft that in the past provided short-term visitors (e.g., scientists and graduate students) with temporary lodging.
The back porch, which is accessible from the upper-level of the Field Station, faces Tivoli South Bay. This outdoor space, equipped with picnic tables, is used for meetings when weather permits. The Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve weather station is installed on the porch.
An open lounge with a kitchen is located on the lower-level of the Field Station along with a full bathroom. The kitchen contains a stovetop/oven, sink, refrigerator/freezer, and dining table. Two storage rooms, located off the lounge area, once served as bunkrooms for student caretakers and visiting researchers.
