The Joe Hackett Riverfront Legacy Fund 

Joe Hackett spent a lifetime opening the Adirondacks to others—teaching anglers, families, and first-time explorers how to read the water, move with the current, and discover the peace that comes from time near or on the river. As a beloved Adirondack fishing guide and outdoor educator, Joe’s true gift was connection: to the landscape he knew by heart and to the many people he helped feel at home in the outdoors.

To honor Joe’s remarkable life and the countless individuals he led through the North Country, the Joe Hackett Riverfront Legacy Fund will offer a lasting way for friends, former clients, and the wider community to celebrate him.

Gifts to the fund will support water-based educational and recreational experiences at The Wild Center’s new Riverfront—a place where future generations will learn to paddle, observe wildlife, understand river ecology, and build confidence and joy on the water. These programs reflect the essence of Joe’s work: helping people connect deeply with Adirondack waterways and inspiring lifelong stewardship of our natural world.

Before his passing, as Joe lived with Lewy body dementia, his family shared how meaningful it would be to create something enduring—something that honors his lifetime of guiding, teaching, and caring for both people and place. This fund provides a way for those whose lives he touched to express gratitude, share stories, and continue supporting the waters that shaped so much of his life.

Contributions made in Joe Hackett’s honor will carry forward his legacy—opening the outdoors to all, one river experience at a time.

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Gifts in Joe Hackett’s memory may be made in the following ways: online through this page; by check payable to The Wild Center, mailed to 45 Museum Drive, Tupper Lake, NY 12986; or by calling the Development Office at 518-359-7800, ext. 1-110.

Stock gifts may be made via electronic transfer through Fidelity Investments (Account name: Natural History Museum of the Adirondacks; Tax ID #: 14-1811534; DTC #: 0226; Account #: Z41175722). Please notify Libby Clark at 518-359-7800, ext. 1-107 or [email protected] so the gift may be properly documented.