The stewardship of the unique ecosystem at Race Rocks has for centuries been closely linked to technology. It started with the First Nations People of the Salish Sea who were closely linked into this ecosystem. They used their boats, their skillfully crafted tools and their ingenuity to harvest sustainably from this archipelago and the surrounding swift flowing waters they called  .In 1860, the technology of a nineteenth century British Lightstation and foghorn was added to protect the area from human catastrophe.
In 1978, students and faculty of nearby Lester B. Pearson College started working to seek protection for the area as a provincial ecological reserve. Access to the wave swept archipelago for ecological study and measurement above and below the water was highly dependent on the weather. We also benefited immensely from the cooperation of the light keepers working at Race Rocks for the Canadian Coast Guard. The reserve was set aside for research and education and for years the students of the diving service shared the area on a seasonally limited basis with several researchers and with small groups of local elementary school children in the "schools marine program". In October of 1992 we had the experience of assisting with the broadcast from Race Rocks of 24 programs in the Underwater Safari television series. We reached by satellite, microwave and cable technology the classrooms and science centers across the nation and for the first time the unique resources of the area were shared with a wide audience. 
On January 13, 1998, BCTEL** (Discovery Learning) representatives took a trip to Race Rocks Ecological Reserve with Pearson College faculty member Garry Fletcher and some of his students. They had invited them to see first hand many of the Pearson College marine science educational projects that are highlighted on the College's web page. BCTEL (Discovery Learning) provides the College with internet support, making this unique marine science project globally accessible. Following the Race Rocks visit, BCTEL presented the students with a $5,000 cash gift for the College's annual fund.
**now Telus
With the decision of the government to close the station in 1997, a proposal was generated at Pearson College to bring to the island modern technology that would enable a continued role for education and research and prevent the imminent removal of the facilities and the abandonment of a human presence for the protection of the reserve. Central to this proposal was the concept that the international students on scholarship from 83 countries at Lester B. Pearson College would benefit by the ability to continue to use Race Rocks as an educational resource. Moreover they would be able to be involved in operating this project as a model for ecological stewardship that they would be able to take back with them and apply to sensitive areas in their own countries. The potential for a global network of such education and research areas had exciting possibilities.
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