Tenth Anniversary CoastFest
Celebrated July 16 and 17, 2004

Port Angeles - NOAA's Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary will celebrate ten years of marine protection, research and education programs with a gala two-day event July 16 and 17. In addition, the sanctuary will dedicate its 800-square foot exhibit, Olympic Discovery Center, at its headquarters in The Landing on the Port Angeles Waterfront.

CoastFest will feature booths and exhibits of education and marine agencies and non-profits, a free music concert, port call and open house on The Lady Washington, a canoe welcoming and landing from coastal Indian tribes, public lecture, free admission to the Arthur D. Feiro Marine Life Center and dedication of the Olympic Coast Discovery Center.

The event begins on Friday, July 16 with a free public lecture by Julia Parrish at 8 pm at The Little Theatre on the Peninsula College campus.

On Saturday, July 17, events begin at 9 am on City Pier on the Port Angeles waterfront and last through the day.

Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary was dedicated on July 16, 1994, making it the 12th and third largest National Marine Sanctuary in NOAA's National Marine Sanctuary Program. All together, America's National Marine Sanctuaries cover about 18,000 square miles and include such marine gems as Monterey Bay, the Florida Keys, and the Civil War shipwreck, The Monitor.

Sanctuary Unveils
Olympic Coast Discovery Center

Port Angeles - NOAA's Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary will officially dedicate its new 800-square foot visitor center in Port Angeles on Saturday, July 17 as part of its tenth anniversary celebration. The Olympic Coast Discovery Center features a visitor information booth, graphics, maps, interactive kiosks and models of submersibles used by the Sanctuary for research.

The visitor center will host 45,000 visitors annually in The Landing, the Sanctuary's headquarters next to ferry docks on the Port Angeles waterfront. The facility was designed and constructed by BIOS, an aquarium and exhibit designer whose other projects include the Seattle Aquarium and the Oregon Coast Aquarium. Cost of the project is about $420,000.

The Olympic Coast Discovery Center will be open year-round with the highest visitation during the Olympic Peninsula's high summer season. Naturalists and volunteers will staff the center.

One exhibit, on Ocean Exploration, will feature a mock-up of a submersible in which visitors can view underwater video taken in Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary. Other exhibits teach about natural resources of the Sanctuary, and research and exploration projects carried out by NOAA and other scientists on the Olympic Coast.

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