How a Bay-loving naturalist helped
bring the Exploration Center & Aquarium back to life
 |
Peter Hanney
Communications Director |
John Haley got the call while on a business trip
to the Monterey Aquarium. “We need your help; you gotta come back!” It was Mike
Russo, the facilities manager for Save The Bay, calling to ask John for help
after Superstorm Sandy barreled through southern New England on October 29,
2012. The Exploration Center & Aquarium at Easton’s Beach in Newport, which
had served as a local educational institution for thousands of Rhode Island children,
had been knocked out of commission.
The day after the storm, Save The Bay staff
returned to the beachfront facility to survey the damage. Three to four feet of
water had pushed through the facility, depositing almost a foot of sand in its wake. “When I saw it for myself, I
couldn’t believe it,” recalls John. “The place was a disaster. Sand, water...it was awful.”
 |
John Haley of
BioProcessH20 |
John Haley is Chief Scientific
Officer for BioProcessH20, a Portsmouth, Rhode Island-based company that specializes
in wastewater treatment solutions. He and his engineers work on multi-million
dollar projects for municipal and industrial applications. Devoting the time to
getting a small beachfront aquarium back on its feet was not seen as a priority
to some of his colleagues, but John, who had a lifelong connection to
Narragansett Bay, was able to win them over. “I told them Save The Bay is
local. They’re our neighbors, how could we not do it?” recalls John. “I had a
lot of spare parts from other projects, so I thought that I could really trick
this place out.”
John’s
Connection to the Bay
John’s family connection to Narragansett Bay
dates back to the Colonial era of Roger Williams and Anne Hutchinson. “My family was here forever and ever.” His
ancestors farmed on Aquidneck Island and kept hogs on Dyer Island, a small
island that lies between Portsmouth and Prudence Island. John learned about the
history of Narragansett Bay from his grandfather, a Rhode Island historian.
“He
explained to me how Narragansett Bay is an ancient river valley with three big
rivers running through it—the West Passage, the East Passage, and the Sakonnet
River.” Growing up on the Barrington River, John was never far from the Bay. As
a child, he caught fish using a large circular fishing net called a seine. When
you live near a river, fish in it, and spend as much time growing up along it
like John did, you form a relationship with the river and its inhabitants.
John began keeping a diary of the fish he caught
in the Barrington River when he was ten years old. In the decade that he collected
data, it became evident to him that the Bay was changing. Since then, John says
he has seen a real decline in fish stocks. “There’s a kinship with those creatures,
just like you have here at the Exploration Center.” John points to a small,
thin fish in one of the tanks. “I caught that pipefish right there. I know his
whole life cycle. We have a kinship.”
Sandy’s
Destruction
On that fateful day in October of 2012, the storm
surge pushed through ocean-facing doors—knocking down displays, desks, and supply
shelves—and made its way to the lowest point in the building: the basement. The
storm surge caused a power failure, which affected the aquarium life support systems
located in the basement, and jeopardized the survival of the marine life in the
tanks.
Adam Kovarsky, lead aquarist for Save The Bay, arrived a few hours later
to survey the damage. Thankfully, aquarium staff had left battery-powered aerators
in the tanks prior to the storm to provide needed oxygen in the event of a power failure. As a
result, all of the specimens that were entrusted to him had survived the blow from
Sandy. “I had three feet of water and tons of sand in here,” says Adam. “We
grabbed buckets and aerators and brought the critters to our Bay Center in
Providence. Luckily, Mystic Aquarium and Aquidneck Lobster in Newport were able
to take in a few sea creatures, too.”
Birth of
the Exploration Center
John’s first foray into the Easton’s Beach aquarium was in 2006. Curt
Spalding, then executive director
of Save The Bay, and Bridget
Kubis Prescott, education director,
consulted
with John when the New England
Aquarium
was preparing to sell the facility
to
Save The Bay. “I
arrived on a gray February day,” says
John.
“There was no heat, and the place
was
stripped of most of the displays. Curt
said
to me, ‘What do you think about this
place?’
I told him I’d do an analysis and see
what
we could come up with.
I remember
saying
to Bridget, ‘We’ll make it work.’ And
we
did. I volunteered my services, got it up
and
running, and my work was done. Or so
I
thought.” Seven
years later, John was repairing
the
aquarium once again. He took apart
the
old hardware and replaced it with industrial-grade plumbing. “Save The Bay bought the spare
parts, and I
volunteered my time to put it all together
the
best I could,” he recalls. “Every
weekend,
all
winter, all spring,
early summer, during
my vacation, I worked
on it around the clock.
I
really tried to do it right,
thinking this place would be
here for 100 years.” Mike Russo wanted to protect the facility’s life systems from another storm surge, so all of the electrical
components had to be on the first floor, not in the basement. John was able to make
most of the systems portable, allowing for easy relocation, if needed. He also
incorporated redundant systems so that when a failure is detected, another pump
will automatically start.
An emergency air system was installed to protect the
fish from loss of air during a power outage. To John, the most important thing
at the Exploration Center isn’t the tanks or the pumps or the filtrations
system; it’s the enthusiasm of the people here—the volunteers, the staff, and
the members who visit the aquarium.
“People who come here support something
because they feel it’s worthwhile, and it’s a good cause,” says John. “You
don’t have to be a scientist to appreciate what’s going on. You can work in a
dress store, be a baker, whatever. But come here and learn what the Bay is
really about from people who feel the same way. You build up a relationship
with them, and suddenly you’re an advocate. And you know what? That, to me, is
the most important thing.”
Save The Bay is forever grateful to John Haley
and Tim Burns of BioProcessH2O, Hayward Pumps of North Kingstown, RI, and the countless
volunteers, supporters, and members who helped us bring the Exploration Center
& Aquarium back to life.
Save The Bay's biannual magazine.
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