PODS IN A NUTSHELL
The Pender Harbour Ocean Discovery Station (PODS) will be an innovative new marine and freshwater research and education facility located in Pender Harbour on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia, just 100 kilometres north of Vancouver.
Local, national, and international researchers will find practical support from PODS in their studies of marine and freshwater ecosystems in our region. Research will focus on environmental health, preserving species-at-risk, maintaining and enhancing biodiversity, and clarifying ecosystem responses to climate change and ocean acidification.
Long-term monitoring programs will be established through PODS to better understand spatial and temporal variation in our myriad aquatic environments and enable us to make better-informed decisions about our future. Universities, colleges, schools, non-profits, and other organizations will be able to use our lab facilities to gain a much better understanding of the coastal waters of Pender Harbour, the Sunshine Coast, and the northern region of the Salish Sea.
At PODS, the laboratories, galleries, performance spaces, and restaurant will bring a significant increase in the number of visitors to the Pender Harbour area. The added tourists and greater employment opportunities over the winter months will keep businesses bustling year-round, and encourage more young families to consider making Pender Harbour their permanent home.
PODS will provide the public with a wide variety of learning opportunities, through engaging workshops, stewardship courses, scuba-diving training, and hands-on biological studies. The educational program will be designed to align with existing elementary and secondary curricula in British Columbia.
PODS will foster meaningful connections with the shíshálh Nation and the entire Sunshine Coast community, stretching from Langdale to Lund. Art and science will combine to create more diverse understandings and connections to the natural world around us. PODS will curate art events, and host live musical and theatrical performances to help disseminate scientific knowledge to a broader audience.
