Due to Fresno’s location, its marine hobbyist community is much smaller than other cities. But that does not change the fact that oceans are still a part of the local eco system and environment. It also does not change the need for ocean education for the next generation.

The closest large aquarium to the Fresno community is the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which serves as one of the largest in the world and contains a vast array of marine animals.

Although the Monterey Bay Aquarium has one of the biggest collections of fish and sea animals in the world, it focuses mainly on the ocean area near Monterey. This is one of the main reasons that the Fresno Aquarium will not only feature ocean life, but rather it will focus more on local water life.

The Fresno Aquarium will have a unique theme, unlike any aquarium in our area. It will document the movement of a single drop of water from the mighty Sierra Nevada mountain range through the rivers of the San Joaquin Valley and out to the delta in northern California, finally into the Pacific Ocean.

The community of Fresno has come together to develop a conceptual mock up of an aquarium near the San Joaquin River.

This project is being headed up by Aquarius Aquariums Institute president Tom Lang. Lang has been a marine professional in Fresno since 1980. His knowledge and ability in designing and maintaining aquariums made him want to create something for the community to be able to learn from.

A project this big requires a lot of monetary support, not only during the building phase, but also once it has opened. The Aquarium will need a large revenue to support all the things that go along with keeping the animals alive.

Lang wants to open the Fresno Aquarium’s doors with absolutely no debt. This has been a momentous task, but 10 years of promoting the aquarium and collecting donations has paid off.

The remaining $730,000 originally needed to begin construction is being collected in many different fund raising ways. Businesses as well as regular aquarium supporters can purchase blocks with their names on it; over 10% of the remaining sum has been collected already.

Although many support Langs efforts to create an aquarium for the community of Fresno, some do not think that the circumstances support such an undertaking.

Such as Matt Saul, Vice President of the Central Valley Reefers, a local marine hobbyist group. Saul shares his personal opinion of the Aquarium.

“The inevitable financial burden of the city as well as the required water amounts to keep the aquarium viable is staggering,” Saul said. “In my opinion this ‘good idea’ is not logical in a place going through the driest years that we have seen in a long time.”

The project will go on despite the concerns some may have concerning the construction. To support the Fresno Aquarium visit aquariusaquarium.org

To support the Aquarium make a donation at all Jamba Juice locations in Fresno. Upon the donations, one will receive a paper crab, Loretta, to write a name on and post on the walls at Jamba Juice.

This author can be reached via Twitter: @beal_trevor. Follow The Feather via Twitter: @thefeather.

For more news, read the April 1 article, Music department to travel south for critique.