Shope, left, and Seeger

POUGHKEEPSIE – Environmental organization Hudson River Sloop Clearwater Tuesday rolled out is new “Next Generation Legacy Project,” which will see a number of educational and environmental activities at its soon-to-be new headquarters, the former University Settlement Camp in Beacon.

The group’s signature vessel, the sloop Clearwater, will also call Beacon home, said Clearwater Board Chairman Allan Shope.

“Clearwater getting a home port dock near the ferry or on the ferry dock and a building right next to that, that greets children as they come off the train from New York City will be a fantastic contribution to the City of Beacon,” he said.

The new Clearwater Center for Environmental Leadership will open its doors in May with the group seeking to establish eight Green Cities/Green Jobs Satellite Centers in Environmental Leadership along the Hudson.

Clearwater is in its 40th year since famed folk singer and activist Pete Seeger of Beacon first formed the group. Seeger, who will turn 90 on May 3, urged a grassroots effort at raising the funds needed to launch and grow the new program.

The total project is expected to cost about $20 million.