OCTOBER 1,2000
9
Popular "Passages of the Deep" will
additional fish, sharks for their new exhibi
Grant from Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde will help stock the Oregon Coast Aquarium.
get
By Chris Mercier
From the icy reaches of the Bering,
to the milder climates of Puget Sound
and Coos Bay, one force has main
tained a peculiar consistency in the
lives of the region's Natives for cen
turies the ocean. Whether as a
reliable source of food, or transporta
tion, or destruction, or religious inspi
ration, indigenous people of the Pa
cific Northwest to this day still regard
the big blue with uncanny respect.
Some things never change.
The Oregon Coast Aquarium's new
Passages of the Deep exhibit will get
a healthy boost thanks to a recent
grant from the Confederated Tribes
of Grand Ronde and their Spirit
Mountain Community Fund.
A $48,250 grant will be used to ac
quire additional specimens for the
' aquarium's new exhibit, which fea
tures a 200-foot long acrylic tube sus
pended in the middle of a 1.3 million-gallon
tank. The tube allows
visitors a 360-degree view of the
ocean environment. ;
"Exhibits like Passages of the Deep
help us better understand the rich
environment that exists under the
ocean's surface," said Ed Pearsall,
Tribal Council member and a Spirit
Mountain Community Fund trustee.
"Through educational exhibits like
this one we create more knowledge
and appreciation of the natural world
that has sustained human life for
thousands of years."
Many aquarium-goers will already
be partially familiar with the exhibit
the tank is the same one that
housed the unforgettable Keiko, the
world famous killer whale who re
turned to Iceland in 1998. Since his
departure in November of that year,
work on the nearly $7 million project
began immediately, finishing earlier
this year and opening May 27.
The exhibit is divided into three dif
ferent habitats: the Orford Reef fea
turing sea life that would live on a
rocky reef and kelp forest; Halibut
Flats, featuring skates, flounders and
other fish that live on the sandy bot
tom; and Open Sea, featuring leopard
sharks, seven-gill sharks, bat rays, and
long-nosed sharks, among others.
Passages of the Deep boasts some
rather exotic touches, among them a
hefty fiberglass rendition of a sunken
shipwreck. The aquarium also con
sulted divers to design the artificial
rocks that adorn the Orford Reef, giv
ing it a rustic, real appearance.
The success of the exhibit has been
unprecedented. Since its opening
Memorial Day weekend, the exhibit
has drawn roughly 450,000 people,
popularity enjoyed not even during
the Keiko heydays.
"So far, we have had nothing but
positive comments on the exhibit,"
said Phyllis Bell, President of the Or
egon Coast Aquarium. "This may be
the most successful exhibit we've ever
had."
One recurring problem with Keiko,
Bell said, was that his tank was a much
bigger 2 million gallons, meaning less
visibility. Thus if Keiko was not in a
particularly social mood, he would re
lax in some unseen portion of the tank,
and on many occasions aquarium
goers could not see him at all. This
inconsistency drew many complaints.
The set-up of Passages of the Deep
affords viewers unhindered views of
the tank, with hundreds of fish,
sharks and rays to marvel at.
The Community Fund grant will
allow aquarium staff to make more
expeditions with local fishermen to
gather Oregon coastal specimens.
Some of the fish on the wanted list
are more sharks and a few of the elu
sive sunfish.
The grant also will underwrite the
cost of bringing the aquarium's
school outreach program to Grand
Ronde and Willamina elementary
schools. Additionally, all students in
the two schools will be able to visit
the aquarium for a reduced $1 per
student admission fee in January
and February.
About the Spirit Mountain Community Fund:
The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde created the Community Fund in 1997 as
a way to practice the Tribal tradition of sharing in the community. Fund grants have
helped thousands of schoolchildren in Yamhill County, and throughout Western Or
egon, visit OMSI, the Oregon Zoo and the Oregon Coast Aquarium by subsidizing field
trips. The Community Fund supported the aquarium's development of salmon, frog,
and whale exhibits and has given money to the Oregon Coast Children's Theater.
A major grant allowed Life Flight emergency helicopters to purchase a navigation
system and build weather stations in Lincoln City, Tillamook, and Grand Ronde so Life
Flight can operate in inclement weather.
The Community Fund also has funded domestic abuse prevention programs run by
the Henderson House Family Crisis Center and transportation services for Yamhill
County Veteran's Services. The Community Fund also has helped bring the SMART
reading program to greater Portland-area schools. -
Each year, the Community Fund distributes six percent of the profits from Spirit
Mountain Casino to worthy non-profit organizations and projects in the 11 western
counties that make up the Tribe's ancestral homelands.
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The purchase of books and expansion of the SMART reading program in a partnership
with the Blazers is just one example of how Oregon benefits from the Grand Ronde
Tribes and Spirit Mountain Community Fund. The Community Fund gives 6 of profits
from Spirit Mountain Casino to local schools, health care, environmental protection,
and other worthy programs. Since its 1997 inception, thousands of Oregonians have
shared in the benefits of the Community Fund, proving that the spirit of giving something
back is alive and well at Spirit Mountain.
SPIRJT MOUNTAIN
COMMUNITY FUND
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