Debra
Hazelett is a persistent woman. She is pursuing a dream that has
nothing to do with her former career. She was working for a Catholic
school, doing accounting and fundraising, at a time when she and
her husband, Howard, and her mother-in-law took a vacation to
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. They stopped along their route
at a butterfly habitat and it was hard for Debra to leave the
exhibit. Even after leaving, an idea kept nagging at her. "I
couldn't get the idea of a butterfly garden out of my mind,"
she said. Two months later, she contacted organizers of the exhibit
and got the "You don't really want to do this tour,"
from them: That didn't deter her.
Years later, she finally gets to see her dream become a reality.
Butterflies Forever will open for a summer educational exhibit
at the former Pacific Power property on the northwest corner of
Highway 101 and Broadway in Seaside. The exhibit will run through
September, 1999 and then re-open for the next three summers. The
property consists of an existing 6,000 square foot building that
will house an educational store, staff and volunteer offices and
a meeting room. In addition, Cannon Beach architect Bob Johnson,
AIA, has provided a site plan that includes a new structure to
house the live portions, the critical portions to a butterfly
exhibit....the butterflies. As many as 150 butterflies will live
their short lifespans (only 2 weeks) in a 3,600 square-foot, fabric-covered
quonset hut that has been provided by Poly-Steel Shelters, Inc.,
out of Florida. The fabric covering the structure will let in
diffused sunlight, as well as some wind and rain.
Mark Mead of Astoria has been helping with the engineering requirements
for the City of Seaside, and Mike Weissman has been serving on
the board and providing animal handling expertise - he is the
co-founder of Butterfly Pavilion in Westminster, Colorado. Other
board members are Howard Hazelett, Garyanna Linhart from Albany,
David McCorkle from Monmouth, Dana Ross from Corvallis, and Robert
Michael Pyle from Grays River, Washington.
Debra is currently recruiting staff members and volunteers, and
is in need of gardening tools, a fountain, first aid kits, stacking
chairs, a postage meter, cash registers and bar coding software,
computers, plastic lumber, recycled gardening bed kits, bark mulch
and gravel fine enough for walking. LCB
Butterflies Forever
Principal: Debra Hazelett, executive director
Address: Northwest corner, Broadway &Highway 101, Seaside
Mailing Address: 91906 Lewis & Clark Road, Astoria, OR 97103-9108
Telephone: 503/738-3180 or 325-4574
Fax: 503/738-2118
Website: www.beforever.org
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