By Khalida Sarwari
A 14,000-gallon deep-sea submarine canyon exhibit was installed this morning at the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Exploration Center in Santa Cruz.
A crane lifted the two-story tank and placed it into the steel frame of the new National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Exploration Center as part of the first phase of the building’s construction.
“Seeing that first step today is a really exciting thing for me,” said Dawn Hayes, an education and outreach coordinator for the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Exploration Center. “It’s a culmination of eight years of planning for the whole project.”
A construction crew will now work on finishing the walls to enclose the building.
When the second phase and remainder of the exhibits are completed by late spring 2012, the center will offer a mix of interpretive and interactive exhibits focusing on the watershed, geology, biodiversity and stewardship of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
The cost for all exhibits is estimated around $3 million, according to Hayes.
The canyon installation took place from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the corner of Pacific Avenue and Beach Street.