PORT ANGELES — The Arthur D. Feiro Marine Life Center has received $20,000 in annual funding for the third consecutive year from the Benjamin N. Phillips Memorial Fund — and is preparing to mail requests for private donations to match the grant.
“This funding is imperative to the continued operation of the center,” said Deborah Moriarty, administrative and education coordinator of the center on City Pier in Port Angeles.
“Feiro has successfully secured funding for dynamic education programs over the past five years.
“However, funding to turn on the lights and keep the pumps running is more difficult to find.”
For the past two years, the Port Angeles community has matched the annual Phillips’ contribution with individual donations to the nonprofit center.
Mailings next week
Letters requesting private donations will be mailed next week, Moriarty said.
The center also received $20,500 from the city of Port Angeles for 2010.
Hundreds of examples of marine life inhabiting the Strait of Juan de Fuca are on display at the center — including some in touch tanks.
Among the attractions are two octopi — one 3 1/2 years old and the other 1 1/2 years old.
The center also provides classroom space for marine science programs, and has a small laboratory for studies.
1,600 students tour
Some 1,600 students tour the facilities each school year, Moriarty said.
Also on display is a model of the Glines Canyon Dam, showing how it will be torn down beginning next September in a $350 million project that will remove both that dam and fellow Elwha Dam to free the 70-mile Elwha River and create salmon habitat.
The model is a hands-on interpretative display that can be viewed now, Moriarty said.
The interpretive work for the display will be completed by the end of January, she said.
Benjamin Phillips was a pioneer in the banking industry in Clallam County and his family established a memorial fund to make grants to organizations which improve the lives of county residents.
In the winter, the center is open to general visitors from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Admission is $3 for adults, $2 for seniors, and $1 for children 4 to 17. Children under 3 are admitted free.
The center also is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday for schools groups or special tours.
To schedule school field trips or special tours, phone 360-417-6254.
For more information, or to make a donation, visit the center’s website at www.feiromarinelifecenter.org.
Donation checks can be mailed to Feiro Marine Life Center, P.O. Box 625, Port Angeles, WA 98362.