A beloved, floating fieldtrip for Pittsburgh students has just gotten greener.
RiverQuest, formerly Pittsburgh Voyager, an on-board education lab that has taught students about Pittsburgh’s rivers for 13 years, has upgraded its fleet with a sustainable vessel equipped with the latest in environmental educational technology.
“With this larger vessel, we intend to make ourselves a community asset,” says Karl Thomas, executive director. “We really want to draw people in to learn about the ecology and transformation of Pittsburgh. We want to embody the change that Pittsburgh is going through and interpret it on our rivers.”
The freshly minted 90-foot, 80-ton, 150 passenger hybrid sailed into the Pittsburgh Pool of the Ohio River after a 1,600 mile journey from Alabama. Explorer will replace two older wooden boats, Discovery and Scout, and will operate educational programs from its mooring next to the Carnegie Science Center.
Thomas ultimately sees the RiverQuest program expanding. He hopes to offer green tours and educational dinner cruises to the general public, in addition to the popular school programs that have been the hallmark of Pittsburgh Voyager through the years. The programs have provided award-winning educational opportunities to 80,000 school-age students and teachers in the region.
Public programs, interpretive cruises and private charters for businesses and organizations are also available. The Explorer purchase was made possible in-part through The Heinz Endowments, the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and a large number of local foundations.
Writer: Deb Smit
Source: Karl Thomas, RiverQuest
Image courtesy Riverquest