Green Sanctuary Program
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Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship
Green Sanctuary Program |
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Bellingham Herald - March 6, 2007 http://www.discovery.org/scripts/viewDB/index.php?command=view&id=3939 The Bellingham-Whatcom Chamber of Commerce and the Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism Bureau have endorsed the Northwest Discovery Project's proposed Terr Aquarium, and have voted to encourage government funding. Proponent Bob Goodwin has made presentations locally and in Olympia. The Terr Aquarium, modeled after the Monterey Bay Aquarium, would serve the local community as a tourist attraction, drawing visitors from Seattle to Vancouver, B.C. Exhibits would include the world's largest collection of giant Pacific octopuses, and river and sea otters. A virtual orca tour would give visitors the sensation of swimming inside the pod. The Terr Aquarium is expected to take about six years to move from vision to reality; the next two years will be used to complete a marketing analysis, concept and funding plans. Northwest Discovery Project is seeking state funding to help with some of those immediate planning costs. The Northwest Discovery Project operates the Squalicum Harbor Marine Life Center, which has more than 70,000 visitors a year. by Heidi Schiller Bellingham Business Journal (E-Journal) http://www.thebellinghambusinessjournal.com/february_07/frontpage.html The starfish are aligning for the TerrAquarium project, as organizers are poised to begin a major fundraising push. The local nonprofit organization, Northwest Discovery Project, is launching a campaign to raise $1.7 million by this summer in order to begin preconstruction planning for the aquarium envisioned on the New Whatcom waterfront, organizer Bob Goodwin said. The Port of Bellingham and city of Bellingham included the aquarium in a September presentation of the New Whatcom site's draft framework plan. TerrAquarium organizers are in the process of discussing a lease agreement with the port to locate the aquarium at the southern tip of Hilton Ave., across from the Hotel Bellwether - a site currently being used for dry boat storage, Goodwin said. However, no New Whatcom lease agreements can be made until the site's master plan is complete, said Lydia Bennett, director of real estate for the port. Bennett said she expects the master plan to be completed by spring at the earliest or by the end of the year at the latest. Northwest Discovery Project members envision the aquarium on a 2.5-acre footprint, but Goodwin said they wouldn't know for sure until completion of a market analysis and concept plan. The nonprofit TerrAquarium project has been in the works for several years, Goodwin said. The goal of the aquarium would be to tell the story of the varied biological habitats of the Pacific Northwest, from Mount Baker's ice caves to the forests and valleys of the Skagit, Nooksack and Fraser rivers, to Puget Sound and the Pacific Ocean. The aquarium would include a 300-seat auditorium and two "discovery" labs for live interpretive programs. Members of the Northwest Discovery Project have been consulting with several representatives of the Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey Bay, Calif., including its project manager and the original senior marine biologist on the TerrAquarium's plan. A 2004 study of the economic impact of the Monterey Bay Aquarium found that it generated $173 million a year that flowed into Monterey County, created 930 jobs and attracted approximately 1.6 million visitors to the area in 2003. Goodwin said he hopes the TerrAquarium would have a similar effect on Whatcom County's economy. John Cooper, president and CEO of Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism, said he has heard about various incarnations of an aquarium project in Bellingham since he moved here 14 years ago, and that this version seems to be gaining traction. "This would be a great match for the community. On one side, it will help bring visitors to town, and conversely, it will be a great educational resource for our community," Cooper said. Organizers anticipate a six-year process for development of the aquarium. The $1.7 million they are raising now would be used in the next two years to complete a marketing analysis; concept plan; budgeting, scheduling and operations plan; and an economic and funding feasibility plan. After that, organizers will need to raise more money for the project's architectural design, engineering, permitting and construction, Goodwin said. Goodwin said the current campaign will focus on getting funding from both public and private parties. "We are looking right now for anyone in the community who supports the idea of this kind of facility," he said. |
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