December 21, 2006

AQUARIUM DONATES $5,000 TO STANLEY PARK TREE FUND

The Aquarium will also donate cash donations from visitors

Vancouver, BC:In response to the extensive damage to Stanley Park from last week’s windstorm, the Vancouver Aquarium is donating $5,000 to the Stanley Park Tree Fund to help with restoration of the park. The Aquarium will also match any cash donations made on-site by visitors during the next two weeks, until January 5.

“Stanley Park is our home, and it’s very important to us,” said Dr. John Nightingale, President, Vancouver Aquarium. “It has been hard for all of us at the Aquarium to see the uprooted trees and damage to this amazing park. We want to contribute to helping reforest the area.”

Last Friday’s windstorm caused significant damage to the park and resulted in the loss of thousands of trees; closing Stanley Park for three days. The Vancouver Park Board estimates that it will take many months to clean up the debris.

The Aquarium is open to visitors over the holidays, including Christmas and New Year’s Day. We are expecting strong attendance during the Winter Break as families come explore the Aquarium’s newly opened Aquaquest building, complete with new galleries, a wet lab and an environmental newsroom. As well, this weekend, Santa Claus will be scuba diving in the Aquarium’s Strait of Georgia exhibit on Saturday and Sunday at 11:30 a.m.

The Vancouver Aquarium is a non-profit, self-supporting organization, which receives no annual operational funding from any level of government.  

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For further information, please contact:

Brenda Jones

Manager, Public Relations

publicrelations@vanaqua.org