Svalbard Global Seed Vault: 300 visited the seed vault

 

Svalbard Global Seed Vault: More than 300 people took the opportunity to visit the Svalbard Global Seed Vault on Open Day.

• Picetures from Open Day 17.11.2007

Many of Svalbard's locals have had some idea of what was going on in the mountainside above Longyearbyen airport. Some information has been available in Svalbardposten, other Norwegian newspapers and on TV; either on Norwegian TV or on one of the 60 (!) other TV channels that have visited the seed vault so far. However, not many have had the chance to see the plant with their own eyes. They had their opportunity on Saturday.

Considerable interest
More than 300 people turned up for the three guided tours at 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. This was far more than what one usually expects for this type of event. Geir Dalholt from the Ministry of Agriculture and Food (head of the controlling group) welcomed the guests and provided information on the organisation of the work and the role of the government in the project. Per Kyrre, acting environmental adviser with the district governor of Svalbard, then held a short welcome speech. The attendants were then divided into groups and given a thorough briefing on the purpose of the vault and the selection of seeds (by seed vault project manager Grethe Evjen), about the work on choosing the location for the plant (by Statsbygg project manager Magnus Bredeli Tveiten) and about the construction’s technical details (Dag Rindal Brox from Barlinghaug). Questions, from both adults and children, revealed great interest in the project.       

The last civilians
The locals were thus the last ”civilians” to visit the vault. Immediately following the conclusion of Open Day, the plant was closed to visitors. Now the seed vault staff will be given the time to complete the final work, and the temperature will be brought down from normal permafrost of approximately -4 degrees Celsius to -18 degrees Celsius.

On 26 Februar 2008 everything will be ready for the opening ceremony. 

Svalbard Globale Seed Vault november 2007. Photo Marie Tefre.