Feiro Marine Life
Center315 North Lincoln Street P.O. Box 625 Port Angeles Washington 98362 360-417-6254
March 24, 2009
For Immediate Release
Contact: Deborah Moriarty
Phone: 417-6254 or 457-6622 ext 31
Port Angeles – Feiro Marine Life Center has recently received a $30,000 grant from The Russell Family Foundation of Gig Harbor. The Feiro, operating now as a new nonprofit, has worked hard and it has succeeded, in securing funds to replace those previously provided by the City of Port Angeles and Peninsula College to run the center. Local businesses, individuals and foundations have all contributed generously to ensure the continuation of not just the education programs at the Feiro, but of the operations and growth of the center.
Russell Family funds support Feiro’s education program Marine Ecosystem Explorations (M.E.E.). This successful program is beginning its third year and Feiro anticipates up to 1100 hundred 4th and 5th grade students participating. Staff naturalists, volunteers and educators worked hard all winter to develop a program which will enhance students’ classroom learning. The program is developed in partnership with Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, and aims to help students better understand how they influence the ocean and how the ocean influences them. Additional funding from Rotary Club of Port Angeles supports the purchase of plankton and seine nets to enhance the students’ hands-on experience.
"When the students skim the water with plankton nets and take the samples into the microscope lab it truly opens up a world to them," said George Kheriaty, 5th grade teacher at Hamilton Elementary. "It confirms that what they learn in a marine science unit is the ecosystem right before their eyes. Many of the students that are given this opportunity would not otherwise have this type of experience…"
The funding covers all program and transportation costs. If you are a 4th or 5th grade teacher in the Port Angeles or Sequim School District please contact the Feiro Marine Life Center at 417-6254 or e-mail deborah.moriarty@noaa.gov.
The Feiro Marine Life Center is open from 12:00 noon to 4:00 pm on Saturdays and Sundays throughout the winter and is free of charge. For more information, please call the Feiro at 417-6254 or visit the Feiro website www.olypen.com/feirolab