All-New Bowen Aquarium Coming to Life at Florida’s Space Coast
The new aquarium is intended to serve as a regional nature and species conservation center, with a particular emphasis on the restoration of the Indian River Lagoon and the surrounding ecosystems. // Rendering: Courtesy of ECZF
(eap) Florida’s Space Coast is already home to well-known visitor attractions such as the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and Brevard Zoo. In the future, Bowen Aquarium is set to add another visitor destination to the Cape Canaveral region. The all-new facility will be built on a coastal site measuring around 5.6 hectares at Port Canaveral and is part of the “Our Legacy Campaign” of the East Coast Zoological Foundation (ECZF). The foundation already manages the nearby Brevard Zoo and will also operate the aquarium.
“Every day, we move closer to seeing Bowen Aquarium come to life,” Keith Winsten, CEO of ECZF, said. “We will continue to make progress and begin construction later this year, sharing our updates and accomplishments with the community and stakeholders along the way.”
The aquarium will be built on around 5.6 hectares of shoreline on Florida's space coast. // Rendering: Courtesy of ECZF
The official groundbreaking is scheduled for December 2 of this year. Construction company PCL has been commissioned to implement the project. The new aquarium is expected to focus on Florida’s native wildlife. At the same time, the facility is intended to serve as a regional nature and species conservation center, with a particular emphasis on the restoration of the Indian River Lagoon and the surrounding ecosystems.
So far, 74 million US dollars have already been raised for the fundraising project. This means that slightly more than half of the targeted total volume of 140 million US dollars has been secured. A new fundraising campaign is set to launch next month to attract further donations for the project. ■
