Mercer Slough Environmental Education Center Construction
The new Mercer Slough Environmental Education Center, which opened in 2008, brings year-round wetlands education to a much larger audience than could be accommodated at the old facility.
With the first two phases of expansion complete, the MSEEC now provides a place for interpretation, education and research of freshwater ecosystems, wetland ecology and the effects of urban development. It is the keystone of interpretive facilities and programs for Bellevue, as well as the Eastside focal point for the Pacific Science Center. MSEEC programs, facilities and trails.
Design plans for the expanded facility called for two wet labs and two classroom buildings. When the first phase of construction was completed, only the foundations for the second wet lab and classroom building were done.
Funding for Phase 1 construction came from a variety of public and private sources, including a private fundraising campaign led by Puget Sound Energy (Jerry Henry) and Jim Ellis. Fundraising for the second phase of construction is underway.
In July 2009, the Master Builders Association (MBA) of King and Snohomish Counties offered to complete the second wet lab as a service project, leaving only the second classroom building to complete the entire MSEEC campus.
Now complete, the Wet Lab 2 is a “Built Green" 5-Star project, the highest level of environmental certification from the MBA. The Pacific Science Center will use this wet lab to facilitate additional environmental education classes for school-aged children.