‘It Takes a Community’

Today's blog brought to you by:
DARLENE LIM
Geobiolobist, Limnologist
http://www.pavilionlake.com/information/contributors/lim.htm

PLRP’s youngest supporter:
Darlene’s wee one trying on
new PLRP t-shirt
displaying the new PLRP logo.

T-minus 6 days and counting – on June 23 we’ll be launching our Deepworker, one-person submersible science and exploration project of Pavilion Lake, British Columbia, Canada. It’s going to be an incredible journey for all involved.

Planning for an endeavor such as this is a non-stop activity. I liken it to a roller coaster ride – with an upward trend, of course. ☺ There are many parts to making a whole. For us, it all started with some sweat, toil and carpel tunnel setting in, and the production of proposal after proposal. Next, the ball started rolling when our proposals were approved for support, and our current funding partners agreed to take on our vision as their own. The PLRP has been generously supported by the Canadian Space Agency’s (CSA) Canadian Analogue Research Network (CARN), with additional funding coming from NASA's ASTEP and Spaceward Bound Programs, and the National Geographic Society. McMaster University and Nuytco Research are also providing support for the 2008 PLRP field season. Without these agencies, institutions and companies, we would not be embarking on the journey which is nearly upon us.

It is also important for us to acknowledge the community of Pavilion Lake, the Ts’kw’aylaxw people, and B.C. Parks. Each of these three groups has welcomed PLRP members into their area with warmth, generosity and constant support. We hold a community day each year to have an opportunity to interact with the community and so that folks in the region can ask us about what we are doing. I think that this dialogue engenders a true partnership between the community and the PLRP in advancing the science, exploration and protection of the area. Each year the PLRP members look forward to this evening, and this year will be no exception given that we will have the opportunity to share in our Deepworker adventures with the community. We hope that the community will be equally as excited, and are all looking forward to their questions as they always take us in new directions of thought and discussion.

Finally, I thought I’d use this blog entry to talk about the group that I work with – the members of the PLRP. Nobody’s getting paid the big bucks to do this, and yet every year everyone puts their backs into everything no matter how mundane the task. Folks sacrifice their summers, time with their families, sleep, eating, you name it, to make this come together. I am buoyed through my tired hours by the energy, excitement and constant smiles of so many of the incredible people who make up our research and support team. I think what I am proudest of with the PLRP is the person to person support that exists amongst the group, and the friendships that have sprung from hours of hard work together. I have read somewhere that the average age at NASA during the Gemini and Apollo missions was 27. This has been held up as the key to their innovation and energy during that time. The average age of the PLRP is likely around 28, and I also think that our youthfulness is one of the wonderful aspects of our group. Everyone is hungry to grow, learn, and expand their horizons. Everyone wants to move forward and recognizes that moving forward together, as a group, will have the greatest impact. It’s so exciting to be a part of this inspiring project.
--DSSL, June 16, 2008