Page "Orange Coast College" Paragraph 53

In December 2002, Rabbit Island, a island located in the North Gulf Islands of the Georgia Strait west of the city of Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada, was donated to the Orange Coast College Foundation.

Since then the OCC Foundation, using funds designated for the Orange Coast College School of Sailing & Seamanship, has refurbished the facilities on the island, made significant capital improvements, and has helped fund the use of the island as a field station to teach summer classes in Island Ecology, Biological Diversity, Vertebrate Biology, Intertidal Ecology, kayaking, and photography.

It is now referred to as " Wheeler Station " at Rabbit Island ( in honor of the donor, Henry Wheeler ).

OCC marine science and biology instructors have used the island to conduct research on species diversity, standing stock, species distribution, and oceanography.

Plans were underway to find separate funding for the island outside of OCC.

Possible funding sources included the National Science Foundation, rental of the island facilities to Canadians, funding from the Associated Students of OCC ( ASOCC ), and through other foundation grants and private donations.

In March 2007, the Orange Coast College Foundation Board of Directors voted to sell the island after determining that keeping and maintaining it was unfeasible.

As of July 2007, the island was in talks to be sold to a private party for 2. 41 million dollars.

However, the sale did not materialize and the island was sold in March 2008 to a privately-held Canadian corporation for 2. 19 million dollars.