Words by Steve Fennell
For recreational boaters and all kinds of outdoor enthusiasts, the Sunshine Coast and the surrounding region are a fundamental source of enjoyment. Cruising, relaxing at anchorages, sportfishing, and countless watersports are reveled in by millions of visitors every season. The region is home to an amazingly diverse aquatic ecosystem where many species of marine life prosper throughout the year.
To further preserve this sanctuary of the BC Coast, The Loon Foundation encourages research, long-term monitoring, education, and community collaboration. After receiving approval of the necessary rezoning and development permits from the Sunshine Coast Regional District the Foundation, plans are in the works to move ahead with the construction of the Pender Harbour Ocean Discovery Station (PODS) over the next two years.
Pender Harbour Ocean Discovery Station
The Lagoon Foundation has been given the green light to break ground for its new Pender Harbour Ocean Discovery Station (PODS) in September 2021 at Irvine’s Landing.
A multi-faceted marine freshwater research and education facility located at Irvine’s Landing at the mouth of Pender Harbour, the 2,286 sq m (24,600 sq ft) facility will provide much needed support and more extensive research programs for protecting the marine and freshwater ecosystems in the coastal regions of Pender Harbour, the Sunshine Coast, and the northern Salish Sea. According to the PODS Business Plan (see www.openpods.com), research will be collected to observe “environmental health; preserve species-at-risk; maintain and enhance biodiversity; and clarify ecosystem responses to climate change and ocean acidification.”
“The Pender Harbour Ocean Discovery Station is an essential part of protecting and learning more about the aquatic biodiversity of the entire Sunshine Coast,” says Dr. Michael Jackson, executive director for The Loon Foundation, which will build, operate and staff the facility. “PODS will certainly improve our knowledge of the region and having a better understanding of its aquatic ecology will allow us to preserve the local biodiversity for generations to come.”
The Pender Harbour Ocean Discovery Station will complement the existing Iris Griffith Wetland Centre at Ruby Lake, which was built by the Loon Foundation in 2005 to help preserve wetlands on the Coast. It also provides a unique Nature School Program for local schools. According to Jackson, the concept of the PODS was devised after they held the First Sunshine Coast Biodiversity Summit that identified a serious gap in our monitoring this part of the BC coast.
The Loon Foundation’s goal is to raise up to $25,000,000 to complete the construction of PODS (through public and private funding) and is expected to be open in the summer of 2023. In addition to four laboratories on its lower level to conduct research, the facility will include interpretive displays, underwater galleries, and space for a wide variety of community and cultural activities and events, including the performing arts. It will also have a family restaurant and limited boat moorage to offer access for recreational boaters.
With its strong mandate to better educate visitors of all ages on the ecological aspects of the region, PODS will establish many learning opportunities through engaging workshops, stewardship courses, hands-on biological studies, as well as scuba diving training. All educational programs will align with existing elementary and secondary curricula in British Columbia.
“The many different elements of PODS will help people, especially the younger generation, to understand more about the ecology and archaeology of the area,” says Jackson. “It will also be a facility where university students and researchers can conduct valuable research. The fact that we are bringing both the arts and the sciences together will attract more visitors to Pender Harbour and allow the community to become more engaged in the performing arts.”
Jackson went on to explain that PODS will create infrastructure in the community for increased employment and business opportunities all year, especially during the slower, winter season.
With its avant-garde architecture and sprawling grounds, PODS will be hard to miss from land or water and will stand at the same iconic site where Union Steamships once operated at the main port on Pender Harbour.
“The Pender Harbour Ocean Discovery Station is on the original site where steamships would ferry passengers and goods to the area in the late 1800s and was once a very rich first nation settlement as well,” says Jackson. “So, right from the start, we wanted to have an iconic building that would stand out from the water at Irving’s Landing and reflect the significance of this site particularly for the First Nations.”
For more information and all of the details of PODS be sure to visit www.openpods.com