OUR EXPANSION

WHAT DID WE BUILD?

PMMC closed to the public in 2023 to begin a historic expansion project, elevating our facilities and mission to better meet the needs of the ocean and marine mammals.

Prior to Expansion, 2023

PMMC previously cleaned and filled pools 3 times a day, manually and by hand, to maintain standards for pinniped care - making the center the second highest water user in the City of Laguna Beach.

Jeff & Carla Meberg Water Reclamation Center

PMMC spent $5 million to build a 2,000 sq. ft, water recycling facility for their marine mammal hospital. The building will allow PMMC to reclaim nearly 5 million gallons of water each year, or 90% of their total usage and increase opportunities for water quality education.


Massen Greene Education Center, generously funded by the Massen Greene Foundation, provides the center with a brand new, 1600 sq. ft, classroom and educational spaces- doubling the capacity for onsite programs.

MacGillivray Media Center & Studio, funded by Greg and Barbara MacGillivray, adding brand new broadcasting capabilities for PMMC’s distance learning programs, speakers series, and presentations.

Center for Collaboration, a 2,000 sq. ft shared building, housing an expanded Laguna Beach Animal Shelter, a communication center for the Laguna Beach Police Department and the Orange County Sheriff’s office, PMMC’s new Necropsy Suite, the PMMC Development Office, and John Kinney Reception Deck.

10 Rehabilitation Pools - The center previously had 7 small pools. Additions elevate animal capacity and better support rehabilitation care. PMMC added a 5,000-gallon pre-release pool, thanks to The Sue J. Gross Foundation in honor of Nicholas W. Gross. The expansion also added a 10,000-gallon rehabilitation pool, thanks to Marilyn Green.

NEW Patient Treatment Suite, which improves patient care and hospital operations. PMMC installed a Treatment Suite viewing window to increase educational opportunities with the public.

NEW Necropsy Suite with public educational viewing opportunities - expanded capacity for post-mortem research and sample collection.

Remodeled our Bob Barker Visitor Yard, visitor experience, whale bone yard, onsite programs, and installed meaningful works of art by local creators.

2023-2026 TIMELINE

  • $20,000,000

  • Our expansion construction started in October 2023 and was completed in October 2026.

  • Thank you for your generous support.

    • Anahata Foundation

    • Bob Barker & the Barker Family Trust

    • Carolyn Berndt

    • Charles T. Bauer Foundation

    • Cynthia and Doug Harmon

    • Deborah & Cody Engle

    • Dechomai Foundation

    • Diane Halvorsen

    • Donald Slavik Family Foundation

    • Ed Batlle

    • Elizabeth and Lou Mastro

    • First American Trust

    • Jeff & Carla Meberg

    • Jeff Brumett

    • Jeffrey Byer

    • John Kinney

    • Latham & Watkins

    • Lisa Locklear

    • MacGillivray Family Foundation

    • Marilyn & Terry Green

    • Marcelo Mottesi

    • McBeth Foundation

    • Morgan Stanley GIFT

    • National Christian Foundation California

    • Nicholas W. Gross & Family

    • Orange County Community Foundation

    • Philip Shuluk

    • Robert & Nena Harrington, Jr.

    • Sara & Fred Cook

    • Schwab Charitable Fund

    • Stanley E. Hanson Foundation

    • Strut Cares

    • Sue & Scott Redsun

    • Sue J. Gross Foundation

    • The Highest Peak Foundation

    • The Jerry C. Dearing Family Foundation

    • William Prappas

FUNDRAISING

We invite you to ride the wave with us. PMMC’s mission is to rescue, rehabilitate, and release marine mammals, and to educate and inspire our community to become ocean stewards for the future. The better we can increase the quality of our animal care, educate the community, and contribute to research, the better we can reverse the effects humans have caused on our marine mammal population.

A better future for marine mammals starts here →

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MeetING an Urgent Need

Water Reclamation

By reclaiming an estimated 5 million gallons of water per year, PMMC will be contributing to Laguna Beach’s longstanding title as the nation’s ‘Most Waterwise City’. The system will also be incorporated into our education curriculum related to water conservation.

Hospital Expansion

Additional patient units and pools will improve patient care and increase capacity, better preparing us for future UMEs (Unusual Mortality Events). The expansion will also add surgical suites, increasing care options for patients, as well as necropsy space, improving our research capacity, and facilitating improved collaboration.

Education

The expansion doubles the square footage allocated to our educational programs, which already serve more than 35,000 students per year. More space will allow PMMC to increase their impact in their community.

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