Perry Center for Fisheries & Aquaculture Sciences
We Need Your Help
Bellingham Technical College has secured a $2 million matching grant from the State of Washington to build the Northwest Center for Fisheries and Aquaculture Sciences. But first, BTC must have the commitment of funds for this match by Winter of 2012 or we will lose the match.
BTC needs your help. Join the Board of Trustees and the community and state supporters who have demonstrated a commitment to this outstanding program and construction of this facility:
State of Washington Matching Grant...........................$2 mil
BTC Campus Community..........................................$16,000
Private/Public Funding..............................................$982,211
Rotary Club of Bellingham.......................................$107,778
BTC Board of Trustees...................................up to $500,000(the Board has committed this financial support to
help fund this facility and offset fundraising costs)
Money still needed as of May 2012.....................$434,788
The Program
Bellingham Technical College’s Fisheries and Aquaculture Sciences degree program is one of only two offered by 2-year colleges on the West Coast, including Alaska. The program’s scope and impact extends to creeks, tributaries and streams throughout Whatcom and Skagit Counties, including an acre of oyster and clam beds in Samish Bay.
Student interest in the hands-on Fisheries and Aquaculture Sciences program is high. Enrollment doubled last year and there is currently a wait list. This program provides important training where students build practical workforce skills through a combination of classroom study, lab research and field work.
Students in the Fisheries and Aquaculture Sciences program learn to:
• Incubate eggs for fish production and install remote site incubators in streams
• Track wild salmon spawning rates
• Plant native vegetation in riparian areas
• Monitor water quality
• Install gravel and woody debris to promote spawning
• Replace culverts that prevent fish passage
When BTC began operating and maintaining the state hatchery at the mouth of the creek in 1978, Whatcom Creek had no natural salmon runs. Today, Whatcom Creek boasts boasts multiple healthy runs of salmon species.
This facility is critical to BTC's Fisheries and Aquaculture Sciences Program
Q: What is required to support the program?
A: A new building to house our Fisheries and Aquaculture Sciences Program with
close proximity to the naturally flowing water of Whatcom Creek.
Q: Why is a new facility needed?
A: The Fisheries building is over 60 years old, with severe structural
and settlement problems that make renovation or improvements impossible.
The Structural Condition Assessment Report of the current building found that
the facility:
• Is structurally unsound, with leaking walls and roof
• Fails to meet seismic requirements
• Does not comply with ADA accessibility requirements
• Lacks adequate office, classroom and lab space
• Operates with outdated heating and electrical systems
• Is energy inefficient, with single pane windows and no insulation
Q: Why embark on this project now?
A: The program can no longer continue in this current facility. Critical logistic program requirements dictate access to Whatcom Creek. The new facility will allow BTC to deliver effective instruction that meets current technological requirements for the environmental, fisheries and aquaculture sciences. It will also sufficiently accommodate a projected significant increase in program enrollment by 2016 and enable BTC to train new fishery technicians for the considerable growth in demand predicted for this profession.
Learning should take place in classrooms and labs that are well-equipped, smartly designed, safe and functional. Our substandard facility fails in all these respects and cannot accommodate projected program growth.
Timeline
Planning & design.....................................................................................October 2011-May 2012
Construction begins......................................................................................................August 2012
Building complete & classes in session...........................................................September 2013
More Information
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To learn more about the new building, our fundraising campaign, or the Fisheries program click here. If you have more questions about this campaign, we invite you to contact Bellingham Technical College President Patricia McKeown at 360-752-8333 or email: . Please click the box to the right to make a pledge. Complete the form, save it, then bring it in, mail, or email it to Patricia. Your pledge can be paid over a period of weeks, months or years and counts toward our goal! |
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