Tufted Puffins—Photo: Dow Lambert
OPAS Program: "Olympic Coast Exploration Center—Design in Progress!"
Presenter: Melissa Williams, Executive Director, Olympic Coast Exploration Center
Wednesday, October 21, 2026 at 7:00 p.m.
Rainshadow Hall, Dungeness River Nature Center
Free to attend; donations appreciated
Note: Come early for cookies!
Melissa Williams
Everyone is welcome to hear Melissa Williams share exciting design plans for the Olympic Coast Exploration Center (OCEC) in Port Angeles, which will prominently feature a live seabird exhibit! Melissa will provide insights into conservation building design that considers the environment upon which we humans and all other species depend. Learn how the OCEC team is incorporating modern technologies specifically for the wellbeing of birds. Such innovations include bird-friendly glass treatments to limit the number of collisions resulting in injury and death, shielded outdoor lighting to avoid “skyglow” that disrupts bird migrations at night—and thoughtful approaches to landscaping, water, and energy that consider the OCEC complex’s relationship to the surrounding environment.
Sample bird-friendly glazing options reviewed by the OCEC design team
Melissa Williams has served as Executive Director of Feiro Marine Life Center since 2014. Prior to joining Feiro, she was Vice President of Learning at Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, where she worked at the intersection of marine science, education, and public engagement. At Feiro, Melissa is helping guide the organization’s evolution into the Olympic Coast Exploration Center, a new aquarium and education facility on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, while growing opportunities for community science, conservation, and connection to the region’s remarkable coastal environment.