Category Archives: Partners and Sponsors

Provincial Proposal for Race Rocks MPA Funding

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Ecological Reserve and Marine Protected Area
OPERATIONAL PROPOSAL 2001/2002

Presented to: Province of British Columbia
BC Parks
Attention:Denis O’Gorman
Assistant Deputy Minister
January 31, 2001

Background

BC Parks was among the first to recognize the extraordinary value of this treasured eco-system. In 1980 the Race Rocks Ecological Reserve was established to protect marine life on the rocky outcrops and the ocean floor extending to a depth of 20 fathoms. Great Race Island, home to the Race Rocks light station was leased to the Federal Government since BC joined confederation. As a result the Island was excluded from the Ecological Reserve.

As a consequence of a Federal decision to de-staff the light station in 1997, the keepers were to be removed and they would no longer provide the essential supervision required for full protection of the Reserve. In excess of $25 million worth of commercially exploitable species are known to exist within the Reserve area. The presence of the keepers was determined to be essential for continued protection. Coast Guard agreed to a special short-term agreement whereby Pearson College would retain the former light keepers as eco-guardians and operate the surplus facilities as a new Marine Education Centre until such time as a permanent solution for the operation of Race Rocks could be found.

BC Parks and the Federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans began community consultations in 1998 to assess the possibility of Race Rocks being recognized as Canada’s first Marine Protected Area. For the first time, Race Rocks, with the cooperation of both levels of government would be truly protected with a management plan that included both the Provincially managed Ecological Reserve and the Federally controlled water column.

On January 24, 2001 Great Race Island (except for a small piece of land which accommodates the navigational aids) reverted back to the Province of British Columbia under the control of BC Parks.

A New Beginning

A long-term Parks permit is currently being prepared by BC Parks to allow Pearson College to operate the facilities at Race Rocks as a Marine Science and Education Centre in accordance with the new management plan and the original rationale from 1980 when the Race Rocks Ecological Reserve was established.

For the first time, the Race Rocks eco-system enjoys full protection under a unified management plan with the authority of both the Provincial and Federal governments. An important new provision has also been made for the full involvement of First Nations in on-going management of the Race Rocks area. The priorities of protecting ecological values, education and research are the primary focus of the recently developed management plan.

Scope of the Race Rocks Project

  • The key activities that Pearson College will manage on behalf of BC Parks include:
  • Protection
    • Continuous supervision of the island and Reserve by resident eco-guardian.
    • Security for buildings, equipment and infrastructure (24 hrs/day all year).
    • Vigilant observation of activities within the Reserve and if needed, reporting of infractions to appropriate agencies.
    • Electronic video monitoring of the Ecological Reserve by enforcement agencies.
    • Restrict access to specific areas as necessary.
  • Safety
    • Observe and report any situations which may represent a safety hazard.
    • Assist individuals in distress when required and liaise with rescue agencies.
    • Assist in emergency communications.
    • Be vigilant for fire hazards.
    • Monitor for the occurrence of hazardous material spills.

    Science

    Continue monitoring program for weather conditions.

    • Continue monitoring program for seawater temperature and salinity.
    • Ongoing protection of unique Northern Abalone populations and monitoring of population and growth rates.
    • Annual intertidal and subtidal transect site monitoring.
    • Installation of environmental scan sensor arrays for air, soil and seawater with full accessibility on the Internet.
    • Observation and recording of marine mammal and bird populations.
    • Daily ecological events log.
    • Support for visiting scientists.
    • Development of alternative energy solutions.

    The Federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans began community

    Education

    • Development of curriculum materials for K-12 use.
    • Cooperative development of information about First Nations focusing on the history of traditional uses and creating a supporting curriculum.
    • Operation and continuous upgrading of the racerocks.com education site with a major commitment for the production of online archived video for classroom and public use.
    • Interactive web cast production and delivery for use by schools, science centres, museums and conferences.
    • Public education programs for visitors to the Race Rocks area.
    • Education programs in cooperation with eco-tourism industry and dive community.

     Operations

      • Supervision and monitoring of operating systems including generators, water systems, heating systems and data network.
      • Routine preventative maintenance for all buildings, equipment and infrastructure.
      • Maintenance of station vessel.
      • Assistance to government agencies with equipment installed at Race Rocks.

    Eco-guardian / Project Management

     Pearson College is uniquely qualified and suited to operate and manage Race Rocks on behalf of BC Parks and the public.
    Located 3.7 nautical miles from Pearson Collegeâs docks at Pedder Bay, Race Rocks is within easy reach in moderate weather conditions. In addition to the Race Rocks station boat, Pearson College operates two purpose built aluminum workboats suitable for transporting fuel, personnel, equipment and supplies to Race Rocks.

    Pearson College staff provides all logistical support required for the efficient operation of Race Rocks. Qualified staffing for maintenance, accounting, purchasing and deliveries are all coordinated by existing College systems. Mike and Carol Slater, the former light-house keepers, are now employed by Pearson College and they live at Race Rocks. They are particularly well qualified to supervise and operate the facility after 30 years of experience with the Coast Guard and extensive experience observing marine life. Over the past 14 years they have been responsible for dealing with the public in the Reserve area and, when necessary, reporting infractions to the appropriate agency. Many of the College’s suppliers such as Nixon Electrical Services, Day’s Welding, Aramark Services, Henning’s Plumbing and others offer their services to Race Rocks at reduced rates or by donation.

  • It is an extraordinary legacy of the Millennium Partnership Fund and our partners that Race Rocks is now the most technologically advanced Marine Protected Area in the world. The state of the art information technology system includes a full island network, wireless technology, remote controlled live video streams from above and below water and an environmental data array all streamed live on the Internet for public use. Major sponsorships from Apple, Apple Learning, LGS Group, Sorenson, Sony, Telus, Yamaha, Seapoint Sensors, the Vancouver Aquarium and others support the Race Rocks project.As an educational institution Pearson College applies significant educational resources to the Race Rocks project. Environmental Systems/Biology faculty member Garry Fletcher serves as Educational Director of the Race Rocks program. Supported by students involved in web design, scuba diving, vessel operation, photography, video production, research and school program delivery, Garry has established an award winning education program at Race Rocks. This program is widely used by provincial agencies such as the Open Learning Agency, Ministry of Education, University of Victoria and the Royal British Columbia Museum. In the past year alone there have been over 65,000 users of the racerocks.com site.
  • This project has proved conclusively that there can be mass electronic public access to a protected area without the negative impact of large numbers of visitors to the islands. Race Rocks provides a viable alternative to the potentially high impact personal site visit. Rather than a BC Parks Ecological Reserve being a secret resource this approach encourages public education and appreciation of the area while maintaining a high level of protection.Pearson College has a proven record of successful fundraising for the Race Rocks project. Since 1997 over $280,000 has been raised from private donors to operate Race Rocks. This was an emergency initiative to save the site from demolition while a long-term solution could be found. Pearson College will continue this commitment to fundraising for the project by raising one third of the annual operating costs for the ongoing operation of Race Rocks.

 

Community Commitment

BC Environment Minister The Hon. Joan Sawicki and Federal Fisheries Minister The Hon. Herb Dhaliwal committed their respective governments to the establishment of a Marine Protected Area at Race Rocks on September 14, 2000. Their action was based on the unanimous recommendations of the Race Rocks Advisory Board. The Advisory Board includes senior staff from BC Parks, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and south island First Nations leadership. In addition there is broad public representation from groups such as sports fishers, the dive community, ecotourism companies, marina operators, scientists, Friends of Ecological Reserves, Georgia Strait Alliance, and the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society. A key feature of the Race Rocks Advisory Board conclusions is a recommendation that both the Federal and Provincial governments provide financial support for the Race Rocks Marine Protected Area.

So many Parks so little money

British Columbia leads Canada in the establishment of parks and protected areas. The fact BC is the first jurisdiction in Canada to attain the 12% of total landmass under protection goal is an extraordinary accomplishment that places British Columbia as a world leader. In only the past nine years the NDP government has doubled total park space to 11.7 million hectares to meet itâs declared objective. One might think the Ministry budget would also have been increased to provide financial support for this initiative. The Ministry budget has in fact decreased.

 

The financial reality of the Ministry of the Environment, Lands and Parks budget situation makes it extremely difficult for BC Parks managers to fulfill the operational challenges of administering this burgeoning parks system. One solution to the budget crisis as identified by the BC Parks Legacy Panel in their 2000 report is partnership funding arrangements with the private charitable giving sector. This is exactly what we propose for Race Rocks. Under the formula presented here BC Parks will contribute only one third of the annual operating cost of Race Rocks. For every dollar expended by BC Parks two additional dollars will be contributed to operate this BC Parks facility.

Why is Race Rocks funding special?

Race Rocks is a unique Provincial asset with specific circumstances that qualify it to be deserving of a special funding allocation designated at the Ministerial level.

 

So many Parks so little money

British Columbia leads Canada in the establishment of parks and protected areas. The fact BC is the first jurisdiction in Canada to attain the 12% of total landmass under protection goal is an extraordinary accomplishment that places British Columbia as a world leader. In only the past nine years the NDP government has doubled total park space to 11.7 million hectares to meet itâs declared objective. One might think the Ministry budget would also have been increased to provide financial support for this initiative. The Ministry budget has in fact decreased.

 

The financial reality of the Ministry of the Environment, Lands and Parks budget situation makes it extremely difficult for BC Parks managers to fulfill the operational challenges of administering this burgeoning parks system. One solution to the budget crisis as identified by the BC Parks Legacy Panel in their 2000 report is partnership funding arrangements with the private charitable giving sector. This is exactly what we propose for Race Rocks. Under the formula presented here BC Parks will contribute only one third of the annual operating cost of Race Rocks. For every dollar expended by BC Parks two additional dollars will be contributed to operate this BC Parks facility.

Why is Race Rocks funding special?

Race Rocks is a unique Provincial asset with specific circumstances that qualify it to be deserving of a special funding allocation designated at the Ministerial level.

Race Rocks is:

  • an internationally recognized Marine Protected Area established jointly by the Province and the Federal government.
  • Canadaâs first and only Marine Protected Area and therefore success is essential if others are to follow.
  • the only Ecological Reserve in BC with over $650,000 in physical building and equipment assets owned by the Province which clearly require security and routine maintenance.
  • over $25 million worth of extremely marketable sea-life that has prospered under 20 years of protection would be subject to immediate poaching without the presence of the resident eco-guardians.
  • Race Rocks has the most comprehensive accumulation of scientific data of any marine Ecological Reserve. The continuous data chain some of which dates back to 1926 must be sustained.
  • Race Rocks, through award winning web based education programming, is recognized as a word leader in environmental monitoring and education delivery.
  • partnerships with Provincial agencies such as the Open Learning Agency, Royal BC Museum, and Ministry of Education provide direct benefit to the BC Government and British Columbians.
  • the funding formula proposed is in accordance with recommendations of both the Race Rocks Advisory Board and the BC Parks Legacy Panel.
  • BC Parks investment in Race Rocks will be directly matched at a two to one ratio by other independent funding sources.
  • when gift in kind contributions from our other sponsors are considered the ratio of private contribution is over ten times the BC Parks contribution level.
  • the involvement of BC Parks assures the project of stable funding. The lack of involvement by BC Parks will lead to immediate financial collapse.

Financial Proposal

The following operational budget provides details of projected minimum operational expenses at Race Rocks for the period April 1, 2001 to March 31, 2002. The budget is based on our four years of experience in funding the Race Rocks project and the highly efficient operational format we have established. Pearson College guarantees to cover any cost over runs if they should occur.

It is proposed that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, BC Parks, and Pearson College each contribute $50,000 to cover the 2001-2002 operating budget.

Race Rocks MPA/ER
Operating Budget April 1, 2001 to March 31, 2002
Salaries
Eco-guardian(s)
42,000
Educator (1/2 time)
30,000
Shoreside support (1/3 time)
14,000
Benefits
9,460
95,460
Fuel
Generator
11,000
Heating
1,400
Boat
1,750
Lube/oils
2,000
16,150
Maintenance
Buildings
6,000
Generators
4,300
Water pumps
2,100
Desalinator
2,200
Winches
800
Boat and motor
4,700
Jetty
400
Fuel system
450
Radios
200
Diving equipment
2,500
23,650
Administration Costs
Phone
600
Insurance
1,800
Stationery/printing
1,150
3,550
Education Program
Classroom materials
4,500
Communication/outreach programs
2,500
First Nations’ program
5,000
Internet access
2,000
14,000
 
Total expenditures
$152,810

 

 Pearson College is a registered charity and as such is subject to an annual audit. Our auditors KPMG will provide fully audited accounting details of all Race Rocks expenditures to the partner agencies. In addition the College will file an annual operating report with BC Parks.

Conclusion

 We had not expected to operate the facility on an interim basis without any financial support from any government for the past four years. Our donors are experiencing fatigue and our largest private financial supporter has indicated their continued support is conditional upon governments entering into this cost sharing formula.  A similar proposal has been well received by the Federal Government. Race Rocks is an essential investment by BC Parks, a cost effective arrangement, a unique innovation in the field of environmental protection and education and a proud accomplishment for all British Columbians. We ask that you agree to support Race Rocks Ecological Reserve as it begins a new life.

Respectfully submitted,

Angus Matthews
Director of Special Projects
Lester B. Pearson College of the Pacific
650 Pearson College Drive
Victoria, BC

 

Race Rocks goes Live on at the Quick-Time Live Conference in California

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On October 11 2000, a special live webcast from Race Rocks was arranged for a presentation at the Distance Education session by faculty member Garry Fletcher at the QuickTme Live Conference in Beverly Hills. The Apple Learning Interchange, an educational arm of Apple at the time had helped with the funding to register and stay at the conference.

Photos by Jaffar. Our thanks to Tiyona and Michael, also in the racerocks.com activity, who helped behind the scenes to make this webcast a success in California! ‘

NOTE: Followup on Damien Guihen doing research in Antarctica

“From my perspective, standing on a stage in front of more than 150 people in the conference centre in California, this was a big risk .. We had already done it to an Apple Conference in New York, but this was the first time the students were managing it completely on their own from the RaceRocks end. Although this was a QuickTime Live conference, several members of the audience remarked later after that this was the first real  “Live”and remote presentation they had seen at the Conference. Connections were made at that time with several companies interested in us using their webcasting software. ” Garry Fletcher 

Building the LAN for Race Rocks ( racerocks.ca)

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Digging the Trenches for cable:

At Race Rocks: This composite image was made from a set of images taken from the balcony on the tower in mid-May of 2000. The route of the conduit installed in February is barely evident in the grass areas.

At Pearson College: Behind the observatory at Lester B. Pearson College, this trench carries the cable from the antennae donated by Telus  to the observatory.

First Computers Installed at Race Rocks: News Update Feb 25

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KEN DUNHAM and the Crew from  LGS I install the FIRST of the iMac COMPUTERS and SONY and SITEZAP CAMERAS at RACE ROCKS.. February 2000

NOTE : By 4:00 PM. today, Feb. 25, 2000, the first live images came up in QuickTime on a computer in the marine biology lab at Lester B. Pearson College. It is hard to adequately express enough our deep appreciation to all those who have worked especially hard this week to get things working well ahead of schedule.

  • –Aengus MacIntosh and his team from LGS for the camera and computer configurations,
  • –the crew from Telus and Glentel for the radio and antenna installation
  • –Ken Dunham our alumni from year 9 who flew out from Ontario to perform his networking wizardry at the college and Race Rocks,

For all your efforts we are particularly grateful.The beautiful live streaming video of waves breaking on Race Rocks that is coming through this afternoon to the college network makes this collaborative process incredibly worthwhile.

Garry Fletcher,
Educational Director of racerocks.com
Faculty member, Lester B. Pearson

 

VIDEO, I-MAC UP AND RUNNING
The first camera, along with the I-mac required to run it, were also brought out to the island. The team hooked up all of the equipment out on the rock, and completed set-up of the LAN. On Friday, the first remote video feed from Race Rocks was displayed on a computer in the Pearson biology lab. The transmission from Race Rocks to the campus is running at 98-99%, in spite of the project being several days ahead of schedule. Any scepticism as to the site being on-line in time for the March 11 deadline were proved unfounded, as all of the components necessary for live video transmission were up and running by the 26th of February. Peter Seem(LBPC)

Telus Crew Installs Microwave tower- Feb.22, 2000

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The TELUS Crew Installs the Antenna on Observatory Hill behind Pearson College.


Not only has the antenna been donated, but the costs of crew and equipment for several days of installation, and the routers for operation have been provided. Telus has also agreed to assist the college in its bandwidth requirements necessary to run the streaming video from Race Rocks . We greatly appreciate their commitment as a collaborating partner in this unique venture.
Garry Fletcher on behalf of the students and faculty of Lester B. Pearson College

CONTINUE TO DISH AND RADIO INSTALLATION AT RACE ROCKS

racerocks.com Project Update Feb 13, 2000

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The week of February 6 through 13, 2000 has plotted more progress for the racerocks.com project.

With only 27 days remaining until the system is scheduled to go on line, daily progress is required so we will meet the project deadlines.

On Monday, Coast Guard officials granted permission for us to temporarily install a 24 inch radio antenna atop the historic Race Rocks lighthouse tower. Required for the transmission of our Race Rocks video
and data signal, the antenna will be fastened by Coast Guard technicians to the ladder structure above the main light room on the tower. We are very grateful to Coast Guard officials Fred Stepchuck and Noelani Taylor for reviewing our request so efficiently.

Wednesday morning Lyle Kosola, the radio engineer from Comlink caught the 7:00 am BC Ferry from the mainland to Vancouver Island along with Telus antenna and microwave specialists Al Mireau, Dave Farley and Rob Robinson. These top Telus staff members pulled together to make the radio link happen. While Chris Blondeau took Lyle and Dave to Race Rocks Al and Rob drove to the top of the hill near Pearson College’s observatory. As the island crew laboured up the spiral staircase in the 140 year old light tower Dave set about the tough task of hand climbing a 200 plus year old Douglas Fir tree. At the 60 foot mark Dave thankfully and somewhat breathlessly reported seeing the top two stripes of the black and white lighthouse. With a strobe light held just in front of a mirror Dave was finally seen in his tree by Chris Blondeau from atop the lighthouse. With two towering trees framing the radio path like goal posts on a ridge Lyle collected the information he would need to determine the tower height required to make all this work. The swell from Tuesday’s storm was still throwing waves at the Race Rocks jetty despite the pleasant day causing the Pearson College workboat Second Nature to plunge on her spring lines so it was decided to evacuate the island crew as quickly as possible. At the antenna location Al determined the best lay out for the tower and Lyle scouted locations for the radio equipment and wiring. A very good day filled with promise.

On Thursday Lyle completed his calculations and determined that the tower height could be reduced to 60′ provided we shot the radio right through the middle of the Douglas Fir “goalposts” on the Rocky Point ridge. Its worth a try. The shorter tower (as opposed to the 100′ considered) will have much less aesthetic impact at the college site, protect a clear sky view for the College’s telescope and, we hope, save Telus a bit of money. The antenna tower was a late addition to the Telus contribution.

Friday was a very positive day for the development of the project. Work on wiring Great Race Island for the network that system designer Ken Dunham has prescribed is 75% installed. Al Mireau from Telus reports that antenna installation will begin on Tuesday February 15. Our ever watchful professional worry specialist Aengus MacIntosh will review the critical time paths at this stage. Unlike the picture 10 days ago this looks like it can actually happen! We have a few wrinkles in our server delivery plans. We meet with Ian Scott our guardian angel at Telus to devise final plans for delivery of the signal to the internet. Ian as always has some creative solutions. We also have a good conversation with Richard Catinus our contact at Apple. We are very keen on using Apple’s remarkable QuickTime software to stream our video on the net. This will of course also commit us to Apple’s computer equipment. Garry Fletcher has lusted for Apple’s new G4 computer. We are very close to a decision. Mid afternoon we meet with John Nightingale, Director of the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre and his senior science and external relations staff. Their enthusiastic support backed by a significant financial contribution is greatly appreciated. At the end of a network planning discussion with Ken Dunham it suddenly dawns on me that we have spoken with every one of our sponsors and suppliers today and they are all doing their very best for us.

Saturday, members of the public and various interested groups joined DFO and BC Parks staff to review the status of the Race Rocks Marine Protected Area plans. Marc Pakenham the DFO coordinator has lead an exhaustive series of community consultations on the plan along with Jim Morris from BC Parks. Brian Smiley, a DFO scientist gave a compelling presentation about the ecological values of Race Rocks. There appears to be real enthusiasm for the protection of the Race Rocks area and many creative ideas of how the opportunities for public access and educational uses could be accommodated were suggested. The last public presentation on the MPA plan will be at the Olympic View Golf Club on Wednesday February 16, 2000 at 19:00 hrs.

PROCEED TO NEXT UPDATE- FEB 22/2000
Thank you for your interest.
Angus Matthews

racerocks.com Project Update, Feb 6 2000

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We have made very significant advances towards our goal of initiating Phase 1 on March 11, 2000. This is especially true in the week of January 31, 2000 thanks to an extraordinary effort from our lead partners at Telus and LGS.

NEWS FROM LGS
LGS Project Manager Aengus McIntosh has proven himself to be a stern task master and gifted conductor as he coordinates the various aspects of the project. We have ordered the radio equipment needed to beam the heavy bandwidth of streaming video from Race Rocks to Pearson College and our entry point into “mainland” fiber and the internet. With advice from the specialists at Telus we have selected Tsunami Radio, 5.8 GHz spread spectrum 4Mb equipment to deliver the signal from Race Rocks. This equipment has been ordered from Glentel in Edmonton. Web specialist Scott Nicholl at LGS is working with Garry Fletcher and his students from Pearson College to develop the new racerocks.com web page for the March 11 launch. Scott has sourced our first camera, a SiteZap from Reardon Technology which is on the way to us from California. Aengus McIntosh continues to track our activities to make sure we apply foresight in our design, maximize the value of our purchases and work together to meet the complex and interconnected deadlines.

TELUS TO THE RESCUE
At Telus, effective support from Ian Scott, has mobilized a dedicated group of specialists in various Telus departments. Telus provided the solution to our biggest challenge when they agreed to provide the tower required to mount the radio antenna at the Pearson College end of our radio link. This was a turning point for the whole project and we are all very grateful to Telus. Staff in their Advanced Communication division are working on the issues around delivering the streaming video out of Pearson College and onto the Internet through the Telus server farm. Tim will have more details on this in the near future.

AT PEARSON COLLEGE
With a red balloon tethered high above the College’s observatory it is obvious something is happening. Garry Fletcher and a group of students in the know are aware of the work being done by Tom Bates of Telus to find the site for a radio link to the Pearson College campus. Less obvious are the preliminary web activities and documenting of the project that Garry’s students are working on. As the educational leader | and Director of the project, Garry is researching the various needs and options of the project design. We are very grateful to Tom Sampson for his advice on First Nation’s aspects of the educational program. Throughout this time the public consultations onthe establishment of the Race Rocks Marine Protected Area are also proceeding. Garry and several students are very much involved in this process as well. Garry also finds time to teach as well!

MORE RESOURCES
We welcome more supporters to the project. Ken Dunham, a Pearson College graduate and the principal of Symmetrical Systems Consulting is a born again partner in the project. It was Ken Dunham and Garry Fletcher that first developed the idea of a virtual Race Rocks web site in 1996 (when the costs were prohibitive). Ken is donating his network design expertise to design and build the local area network on Great Race Island and across the campus of Pearson College to Telus fiber. It is amazing how much today’s design looks like Ken’s 1996 radical version! Vancouver Aquarium and Marine Science Centre have confirmed significant financial support for the project and we look forward to the benefits of the Centre’s extensive experience in delivering marine education programs as we move into subsequent phases of the project.

MILLENNIUM BUREAU
The Federal Millennium Partnership Bureau has made this project possible. We have been in extensive communication with Bureau staff in recent weeks and they have been of great assistance in developing our contract and accounting systems. Though detailed and precise the systems are efficiently expedited. The good news is that at this point we are exactly on budget.

On a personal note… it is a great experience to work on this project. I have never worked with a group of such eager problem solvers. Thank you to all those mentioned here and to the many others working on specific elements of racerocks.com who will I am sure be recognised as their particular component comes on line.

UPCOMING EVENTS
If you are interested in the Race Rocks Marine Protected Area plan you are welcome to attend a Department of Fisheries and Oceans and BC Parks open house on the plan at Royal Roads on Saturday February 12, 2000 from 9:00 to 15:00hrs or at the Olympic View Golf Club on Wednesday February 16, 2000 from 19:00 to 21:30hrs. Garry and some of our students will be there to discuss the issues and present information about Race Rocks from our existing web site at http://www.racerocks.com

please e-mail Marc Pakenham at DFO if you plan to attend.

Angus Matthews

PROCEED TO NEXT UPDATE- FEB 13/2000

Millenium Partners, LGS and Telus visit Race Rocks with Pearson College

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Photos by Victor Rakou, PC student (Russia) —–Text by Peter Seem, PC student ( US)

On January 14th, 2000, Tom Bates, Paul Longley, and a Telus representative, along with Angus Macintosh and Scott Nichol, from LGS, came out to Pearson College. After a whirlwind tour of campus from Garry Fletcher, Biology and Marine Science teacher, and Angus Matthews, administration and finance director,  the group headed out to Race Rocks along with several Pearson Students.The group’s main goal for the day was to find sites for the radio or microwave transceivers that would transmit data between the college and Race Rocks.

The transmission of data will be Telus’ contribution to the project. Paul Longley, from pre-sales technical support, and Tom Bates, with microwave engineering, were there to lend their expertise.   LGS’ Aengus Macintosh was acting as project manager, and Scott Nichol was recording the work for the web page the IT firm would be helping to create.

Other options, the tops of local mountains, would require running a ground cable from the site to the college, which would be both time consuming and costly. Clearly, the best option present was to aim for a site just behind Pearson College’s observatory, which was relatively clear of trees and already connected to the internet by a high speed line.

While the group also needed to deal with finding sites and running power to all of the equipment on Race Rocks, their primary concern was the data transmission. In order to get undisturbed transmission they needed a clear line of sight between two stable sites. Any trees, foliage, or other obstructions, or small movements at either end, would break up the transmission. Indeed, even being too close to the water would generate refraction that could disturb data flow.The best solution found was to start from the highest point on Race Rocks, and aim up. From the top of the lighthouse, with the aid of a sighting scope, they took stock of the options: William Head, the closest point to the island, was deemed too low to the water to allow for a clean shot.

 

examining the tide pool on the west side

Garry took the group over to the tidepool that has been constructed on the West side of the island.
Plans were to install one small camera underwater in this pool to provide a window to view the emerging life and the frequent surge action .

This tidepool was rearranged and no longer functioning after the hurricane of 2006. Fortunately the underwater camera had not been installed!

=============================================

The observatory could be seen from the top of the lighthouse through a gap in the trees. The next question that had to be dealt with was whether any of the taller trees in between would provide an obstruction, and need to be topped. The prospect of gaining permission from the DND to take the tops off of one or two old growth trees on their property was frowned on because of the delays that would undoubtedly ensue. To get an answer, the team decided to take a look at the situation from the other end. A boat ride later, things weren’t much clearer. From within the dome of the observatory, it was very difficult to catch site of Race Rocks, or more importantly, the lighthouse. Despite Garry’s excited, “I see red! ” the mood was skeptical. Stripped black and white, with a red cap, the lighthouse should have stood out, if it was visible. The difficulty catching sight of it suggested that they would either need to be higher up or that a clean shot wasn’t going to be possible.

No one was willing to go ahead with any other part of the project, trying to secure donors and expensive equipment, without being sure that this most fundamental requirement could be met. It was resolved that they would try a test the next day to find out just how high an observatory side tower would need to be, if indeed it was possible at all.

On January 15th, at noon at Pearson College there happened a strange sight. A giant red helium balloon flew high over the college, dancing in the breeze on a long tether tied to a banister at the observatory. While one part of the group headed out to Race Rocks, the other sent up the helium filled balloon.The helium filled balloon. Over radio from the lighthouse, they directed the balloon to be raised higher until they could see it, unmistakably and comfortably above any surrounding trees. The length of the tether, still well within the achievable height for a tower, was proof that a clear line for transmission had been found.

The project is ready to move into actually constructing the tower, setting up the transmission equipment, and obtaining the cameras and sensors. They hope to have transmission established and two cameras up and running by March 11, 2000.

PROCEED TO NEXT UPDATE- FEB 6/2000

LGS Project Management of the Millennium Project

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This Project Management was a donation of the LGS group the following .PDF files represent the valuable contribution that this group contributed to ensuring the successful completion of the Project.

 

 

1. Project Definition Statement
ganttreportfeb112000

2. January 6, 2000 Gantt Report
PDS01

3. LGS Project Management Methodology
PDS02

4.January 11 Gantt Report
PDS03