Stewardship Pemberton has received a solid shot in the arm for its key project, the development of the long-awaited Pemberton Eco-Interpretive Centre in One Mile Lake Park, thanks to the Pacific Salmon Foundation.

The foundation is contributing more than $150,000 toward the construction of the environmental centre, which is expected to be alive with activities and educational opportunities when it takes shape on the shores of One Mile Lake.

Veronica Woodruff of Stewardship Pemberton said the society has been striving to bring this project to life since the 2003 flood damaged the Birkenhead Hatchery, and they hope to have the centre ready before the salmon spawn this fall.

The centre “will bring together community stewardship, education, habitat restoration and protection, resource sharing, watershed planning, celebration days and volunteer enhancement activities,” Woodruff said in a statement.

The plans for the centre include a classroom-style learning area, space for lab and multimedia gear, and a hatchery for coho salmon. That hatchery will support the Salmonids in the Classroom incubation program, which reaches more than 275 students in Pemberton, Mount Currie, D’Arcy and Whistler schools.

The Salmonids in the Classroom program connects kids with salmon and their life cycles to help foster a sense of understanding of ecosystems and how people are linked with them, as well as the desire to respect and protect them.

Stewardship Pemberton will be able to run its own popular summer programs in the centre, and offer extended opportunities to learn about and connect with the surrounding environment and habitats, such as a range of workshops and nature tours.

Woodruff said the building is expected to be about 600 square feet, plus the outdoor area, and it will be constructed in One Mile Lake Park across the new bridge behind the Peaks townhomes.

The initial vision for the Eco-Interpretive Centre called for an “educational experience” supporting a sense of interconnection and biodiversity, one that fosters “a deep connection to nature that inspires ecologically sustainable behaviour transferrable into daily life actions,” according to Stewardship Pemberton’s website.

Stewardship Pemberton is looking for community participation and input about the centre. To get involved, come to the new Pemberton Community Centre on Wednesday, March 10, at 6 p.m., or contact Woodruff at (604) 966-8229 or veronicarobin@yahoo.ca.