A new wet lab building will open to the public on April 21, providing expanded opportunities for environmental exploration of the 320-acre Mercer Slough Nature Park, Lake Washington’s largest remaining urban wetland.
The lab was donated to the community and actually constructed by the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties, which chose the wet lab project to commemorate its 100th anniversary.
The City of Bellevue and Pacific Science Center partner to operate a wide variety of programs for youth and adults at the center, and they’ll host a ribbon-cutting celebration of the “Pond Lily” Wet Lab 2 building from 4-5:30 p.m. April 21.The event will feature interactive tours of the wet lab and “green-built” features throughout the Mercer Slough Environmental Education Center, environmental displays and demonstrations of “Bug TV” microscope.
Wet labs are rugged classrooms that allow for messy, hands-on study of water, animals, plants and soils.
The city and Pacific Science Center work in partnership to provide programming at Mercer Slough for adults and students from schools throughout the region designed to inspire lifelong awareness, understanding and appreciation for stewardship of the natural world.Pacific Science Center, a private, not-for-profit educational institution, provides science-based education programs targeted to youth.The city provides environmental interpretive programs for adults and families, and maintains the property that serves almost 20,000 students each year.
