For a guy supposedly retired, Garry Fletcher can’t seem to sit still.

At Race Rocks off Metchosin, Fletcher is spearheading projects in alternative energy sources and undersea scientific research — not much different from when he was a teacher at Lester Pearson College of the Pacific.

Now 63, Fletcher was the driving force in the 1980s behind having Race Rocks islands established as a provincial ecological reserve and then a federal marine protected area.

For his passion in marine ecology stewardship, the Capital Regional District bestowed Fletcher an EcoStar Community Environmental Lifetime Achievement award in April. With humility, he points out it was an effort of many teachers and students at Pearson, not just one man.

“We realized what a unique area it was, but with no level of protection,” Fletcher said at his Metchosin farm. “It has high biodiversity, but is fragile. We were quite concerned the hydrocoral would disappear and the bottom creatures would be harmed by (divers) taking souvenirs.”

Fletcher joined Pearson as a biology and environmental systems teacher in 1976. He led the diving program, taking students to the nutrient-rich environment at the crossroad between the Pacific Ocean and the Strait of Georgia.

They bore witness to the lives of sea lions, elephant seals and sea birds occupying the smattering of rocky outcrops above, and octopi, whales, sponges and corals below.

B.C. Parks establish the area as an ecological reserve in 1988, and Fletcher said the last piece of the puzzle was halting recreational and commercial fishing. The federal government soon agreed and eventually suggested Race Rocks become a marine protected area.

“To have the ecosystem protected, you need all the components,” Fletcher said. “It’s no good if its fished out. It doesn’t represent the ecosystem anymore.”

Fletcher was also part of the group that saw Race Rocks as an opportunity to test alternative energy sources and to get the lighthouse and buildings off old diesel generators. The island now has 38 solar panels and is fed power from North America’s first fully submersed tidal turbine, originally installed in 2006. He’s now trying to get smaller rooftop-model wind turbines installed to “plug the gap” in electricity need.

“We’re ready for wind energy. It’s always a little breezy out there,” he said. “It will be a great demonstration project.”

He’s working on installing a system of underwater fibre optic cabling for instruments and cameras to allow remote marine studies. Since retiring in 2004, it’s all volunteer time. “One of the cables broke, but we hope to get a live feed this year,” he said.

On land, he’s working with Metchosin to understand how much local beach front remains undamaged by seawalls and docks.

“Five of 50 kilometres is already under human influence,” he said. “Coastal areas are taken for granted. There isn’t a lot of coastline left in urban areas.”

See www.racerocks.com for more information on Race Rocks and live video feeds. Fletcher also maintains the website.