Blakely Island Field Station in the San Juan Islands provides amazing opportunities for students to work in intensive short-term courses involving rugged, undeveloped land and both freshwater and ocean environments. With large lakes, thousands of acres of forest, and surrounded by marine water, the station supports a variety of biology classes and undergraduate research projects. Due to the lack of artificial light on the island, students in Astronomy get a stunning view of the night sky. Students not majoring in the sciences have benefited from writing, art, and theology courses.
The generosity of past donors has provided us with excellent facilities, but as the facilities age, we must repair and update them. In particular, our iconic bridge needs to be rebuilt. Besides being a connector between our housing units and the dining hall and lab facilities, the bridge also carries critical water and septic lines. We are also hoping to rebuild the retaining wall protecting our dining hall and lab building. Last year, your generosity brought us very close to having the funds to replace the bridge. We hope this year will put us over the top.
Funds raised on Giving Day this year will be used to:
- Rebuild the bridge
- Replace the aging retaining wall
- Replace a deck around the side of the dorm
- Begin funding for larger projects, including an improved lab space