MPT Feature Program: The Great Aquarium Treasure Hunt

Throughout 2012, National Aquarium staff worked closely with Maryland Public Television to film and produce an educational, 30-minute special, “The Great Aquarium Treasure Hunt!”

Tune in to watch the program at 8:00 pm Wednesday, February 20, 2013!

“The Great Aquarium Treasure Hunt”
This educational, live-action, family program follows the fictional students of South Town Middle school on their class field trip through the National Aquarium! But this time there’s a catch – Science Teacher Mr. Hedgeman has turned it into a Treasure Hunt!

Join Dewey and Trevor on a wild exploration of the National Aquarium, home to thousands of species of marine life!

Throughout their journey, the students meet and learn from National Aquarium experts.  They explore marine life of the Chesapeake Bay, go “down under” to visit the crocodiles of Australia, discover the frogs in an indoor rain forest and submerge into the Atlantic and Pacific oceans for an up-close look at the array of deep sea life from sharks to rays to dolphins.

In the end, Dewey and Trevor will explore the entire aquarium, but can they be the first team to have all the answers before it’s too late? Tune in to find out!

Check out our exclusive behind-the-scenes photos from the filming below! 

A special thanks to all National Aquarium staff who were involved in the filming, especially our amazing on-screen stars: Allison, Beth, Jessica, Kyle and Andy!

In addition to airing on MPT, the program will be played at the Herman & Walter Samuelson Children’s Hospital at Sinai Hospital through its internal cable systems in patient rooms and waiting rooms.

Major funding for The Great Aquarium Treasure Hunt is provided by LifeBridge Health.

Don’t forget to tune in to MPT for the premiere of “The Great Aquarium Treasure Hunt” at 8:00 pm Wednesday, February 20, 2013!

Super FISH Bowl: Our Fantasy Team Line-Up

As the competition between the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers heats up in anticipation of Sunday’s Super Bowl XLVII, the National Aquarium, Baltimore and the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco are enlisting the help of their aquatic animals to take their own friendly rivalry off the green and into the blue in the Super FISH Bowl!

You can’t have a #SuperFISHBowl without a strong team! As part of our fun wager, each organization is building their ultimate fantasy animal line-up!

Here’s who we’ve got out on the field:

Blue Crab

Golden Lion Tamarin

Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin

Porcupinefish

Macaw

Tarpon

Roughtail Ray

Snapping Turtle

Giant Octopus

Cardinalfish

Green Sea Turtle – Calypso!

Kicker – Blue Crab
Cornerback – Golden Lion Tamarins
Defensive Line – Sand Tiger Sharks
Fullback – Dolphins
Linebacker – Porcupine Fish
Quarterback – Blue Hyacinth Macaw (Margaret)
Center – Snapping Turtle
Wide Receiver – Tarpon
Tight End – Roughtail Ray
Coach – Octopus (Poulpe)
Referees – Banggai Cardinalfish
Cheerleader – Green Sea Turtle (Calypso)

Tell us your favorite player & they could be our fan-voted MVP!

Thoughtful Thursdays: Conserving Australia’s Natural Wonders

In honor of our upcoming Australia Day celebration, today’s Thoughtful Thursday highlights the issues facing Australia’s fragile marine ecosystems.  

“Grief for the Reef” 

Possibly the most iconic coral reef in the world, the Great Barrier Reef, is home to close to 6,000 different species of marine life. Since becoming a protected marine park in 1975, researchers have closely monitored the effects pollution, overfishing and ocean acidification have on the overall health of the reef and its inhabitants.

Thanks to “Finding Nemo” the Great Barrier Reef and
species like the clownfish have become treasured
icons for coral reef ecosystems!

Although it has been historically well-protected (due in part to its global popularity), the reef has still been devastated by these effects. In the last 27 years, the Great Barrier Reef has lost 50 percent of its coral.

Without immediate action to curb pollution and activities that contribute to climate change, the reef’s future is grim.

Ocean acidification has caused coral bleaching on parts of the reef. Photo via CS Monitor

Here’s what you can do to help save our coral reefs worldwide: 

• Use less water. The less water you use, the less runoff and waste will pollute our oceans.
• Walk, bike or ride the bus. Fossil fuel emissions from cars and industry raise lead to ocean warming which causes mass-bleaching of corals and can lead to widespread destruction of reefs.
• Practice safe and responsible diving and snorkeling. Do not touch the reef or anchor your boat on the reef. Contact with the coral will damage the delicate coral animals, and anchoring on the reef can kill it, so look for sandy bottom or use moorings if available.
• Learn more about National Aquarium’s conservation initiatives to save coral reefs.

Amazing Experiences Sweepstakes: Congratulations to our Fourth Winner!

After weeks of excitement and thousands of entries, we’re happy to announce the winners of our Amazing Experiences Sweepstakes!

All week we’ve been announcing the winners for each of our amazing prizes right here on our WATERblog, on our Facebook page and through our email, Aquamail.

Today’s winner is Kelly S. from Alexandria, Virginia! CONGRATULATIONS KELLY! You have won our Behind-the-Scenes Australia experience! On this personal guided tour with our Animal Planet Australia: Wild Extremes curator, you and three guests will get the full behind-the-scenes look of this incredible exhibit and an up close encounters with some of our most popular animals! You’ll also get to participate in feedings and see areas of Animal Planet Australia: Wild Extremes not usually seen by guests!

Congratulations again, Kelly, we’re incredibly thankful for your support!

Didn’t win today? There is still ONE AMAZING PRIZE TO WIN…Enter today!

December 21: Go Behind-the-Scenes with the Dolphins - To get any closer, you would actually have to be an Atlantic bottlenose dolphin! The lucky winner of this amazing experience will go on a private meet and greet with the Aquarium’s dolphins, tour the dolphin area, see how National Aquarium staff prepare their food, check out the dolphin’s extensive toy collection, and learn behind the scenes secrets from the trainers. The winner will get to work with the trainer during a training session, learn how to communicate with the dolphins, and participate in enrichment and play activities!

Still haven’t entered for your chance to win? Well, not to worry. We will still be accepting entries until midnight tonight, December 20th.

ENTER NOW!

How To Enter:
Five Great Ways to be Automatically Entered to Win:

• Purchase any full price ticket for a December visit
• Make a donation of at least $25
• Purchase or renew their membership
• Adopt an animal through Aquadopt
• Buy a gift ticket 

Stay tuned tomorrow to see if YOU are selected as our last lucky winner!!!

Amazing Experiences Sweepstakes: Congratulations to our Third Winner!

After weeks of excitement and thousands of entries, we’re happy to announce the winners of our Amazing Experiences Sweepstakes!

All week we’re announcing the winners of each of our amazing prizes right here on our WATERblog, on our Facebook page and through our email, Aquamail.

Today’s winner is Darren B. from Williamsburg, Virginia! CONGRATULATIONS Darren! You have won the chance to name our baby loggerhead sea turtle along with a behind-the-scenes meet and greet! This baby loggerhead sea turtle is part of National Aquarium, Washington, DC’s Loggerhead Head Start Program! Through this program, sea turtle hatchlings spend time in aquariums where they can safely grow before being released back to the ocean. As the winner of this amazing experience, Darren will give our newest turtle, which arrived this month, a head start towards success with a name to carry him (or her) into the future! Darren and up to three guests will get to have a private meet and greet with the turtle and, once on display, the turtle tank will feature a sign with the turtle’s name and the winner’s name!

Our new loggerhead hatching arrived earlier this month and is waiting for a name!

Congratulations again, Darren, we’re incredibly thankful for your support!

Didn’t win today? No worries! There are still two AMAZING prizes to win…

December 20: Go to the Extremes in Australia - On this personal guided tour with the Animal Planet Australia: Wild Extremes curator, the winner and three guests will get the full behind-the-scenes tour of this incredible exhibit, up close encounters with National Aquarium’s most popular animals, participate in feedings, and see areas of Animal Planet Australia: Wild Extremes not usually seen by guests.

December 21: Go Behind-the-Scenes with the Dolphins - To get any closer, you would actually have to be an Atlantic bottlenose dolphin! The lucky winner of this amazing experience will go on a private meet and greet with the Aquarium’s dolphins, tour the dolphin area, see how National Aquarium staff prepare their food, check out the dolphin’s extensive toy collection, and learn behind the scenes secrets from the trainers. The winner will get to work with the trainer during a training session, learn how to communicate with the dolphins, and participate in enrichment and play activities!

Still haven’t entered for your chance to win? Well, not to worry. We will still be accepting entries until midnight on December 20th.

ENTER NOW!

How To Enter:
Five Great Ways to be Automatically Entered to Win:

• Purchase any full price ticket for a December visit
• Make a donation of at least $25
• Purchase or renew their membership
• Adopt an animal through Aquadopt
• Buy a gift ticket 

Stay tuned this week to see if YOU are selected as one of our lucky winners!!!