Dr. Michael Jackson - Executive Director of Ruby Lake Society Pacific Ocean Discovery Station - for the Concept see www.lagoonsociety.com Dr Jackson's Vision for 2020 is to have the Ruby Lake Lagoon Society open an iconic learning and gathering space in Madeira Park called PODS, which will include a spectacular salt and fresh water aquarium and state-of-the-art marine research centre, along with conference and meeting facilities, and indoor and outdoor interactive classrooms for students of all ages.
 
 
The Society wants the two buildings designed to be iconic and something boaters and visitors will remember.  They will also be green buildings with geothermal energy and LEED certified.
He expects the total budget will be about $12 million in the end but is very confident that the funding can be raised. 
The conference room should seat 200 and could double as a cinema for Pender Harbour. 

There is a real need to study the fish on the coast - in our local lakes we have 12 unique and rare species of fish. The Stickleback are very rare and now being used for cancer research in the USA.    
 
Dr Jackson and the Society now has the active support of the Vancouver Aquarium, the Simon Fraser University (Pacific Water Research Centre), and this summer has been invited to the Monterey Aquarium in CA.
The Lagoon Society is already actively engaged in citizen sci­ence projects with research partners at Simon Fraser Universi­ty, the University of British Columbia, and the Pacific Salmon Foundation, which are proving extremely valuable. PODS will provide vital facilities for conducting further, more elaborate marine research programs and will be within easy reach for students from numerous universities and colleges. For exam­ple, they may be able to spark additional research about herring recruitment, invasive species, and the distribution of kelp beds in the area.
The Society needs money for Phase 1, expected to be about $500,000,  to engage an architect and get the design done.  World Water Day on March 22nd will be the occasion to invite more donors in the effort to reach the $12m target.
 
There were about 30 people in the room on March 11th to hear Dr Jackson give a presentation on the proposed Ocean Discovery Centre.
 
 

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