Honoring the Aquarium’s ‘hero’

Yesterday the City of Baltimore honored its most beloved mayor and former Maryland governor, William Donald Schaefer with the unveiling of a statue to memorialize his distinguished political career in Maryland. The statue lives in the middle of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, which is fitting since Schaefer’s most notable accomplishment was the transformation of the Inner Harbor from an industrial shipping area to a multi-million dollar tourist attraction and the gem of Baltimore.

The National Aquarium was one of the first additions to the Inner Harbor. In the mid-1970s Mayor Schaefer conceived and championed the idea of an aquarium as a vital component of the redevelopment. William Donald Schaefer is truly the Aquarium’s hero because if wasn’t for him, the National Aquarium may not exist today. Dozens of staff members and volunteers, as well as the Aquarium’s first board president, Frank Gunther, attended the ceremony yesterday to pay tribute to the man who brought our Aquarium to life.

Schaefer’s idea for an aquarium may have been his best idea for the City of Baltimore. In 1976, residents supported the Aquarium by voting for it on a bond referendum, and the groundbreaking for the facility took place August 8, 1978.  The Aquarium’s world-class status was recognized by the United States Congress, which granted the facility national status. The National Aquarium in Baltimore opened to the public exactly three years later on August 8, 1981. Today the Aquarium is huge economic driver for the city and is the most visited destination at the Inner Harbor.

Schaefer is also known for his hilarious dip in the Aquarium’s seal pool, which has turned out to be his most famous photo op! The mayor  lost a bet with a developer who said the National Aquarium would not open on schedule. When the initial date passed, the mayor put on his bathing garb, grabbed a Donald Duck squeaky, and jumped into the seal pool that used to be outside of the Aquarium. The pictures live on in Aquarium history. Many see Schaefer as he is represented in the beautiful new statue, but at the Aquarium, this how we like to remember our hero:

Loggerhead turtle released, and headed south

Every Sea Turtle Counts. After a year-long rehabilitation, the National Aquarium’s Marine Animal Rescue Program (MARP) has returned a now-healthy loggerhead sea turtle to its ocean habitat!  Over 500 people gathered on the beach at Assateague State Park for the release and watched in anticipation as the turtle swam through the waves, and returned to sea! Here is the video:

As you have just heard, to the National Aquarium, investing time and resources to healing one individual sea turtle is important because there are only seven living species of sea turtles globally, and all of them are either endangered or threatened.  When this loggerhead came to us it was unlikely to survive much less continue to propagate its species. Now that it is healthy, we have every reason to believe that it will be successful in its natural environment.

 Click here to track the turtle’s travels online! The Aquarium fitted it with a satellite tag, funded by the Shared Earth Foundation, which is transmitting information about its location and speed. As of yesterday the turtle has traveled 46 miles and is heading south to warmer waters!

The Aquarium is committed to protecting and rehabilitating sea turtles and needs public support to continue this important work. The MARP program is funded solely by grants and the rescue, rehabilitation and release of just one marine animal can cost the program up to $50,000. Donations can be made via mail or on the Aquarium’s website at http://www.aqua.org/makeadifference/marp.html.

Greening the Aquarium

Last week, BMoreMedia, a new online magazine in Baltimore, came to the National Aquarium’s Baltimore venue to explore how we are implenting green practices throughout our building with our visitors, internally with our staff and business practices, and in the community.

Take a look at the video a the amazing video they produced, which is now posted on BMoreMedia.com:

Are you doing anything to green your business or home? Please share your green practices with us!

Jellies Invasion is here!

Jellies Invasion: Oceans Out of Balance is now open at the National Aquarium! For a sneak peak at the exhibit, visit our new Jellies website!

How has something with no brain survived for millions of years? Learn more about these amazing animals and what makes them so unique. Get a behind the scenes look at what it takes to maintain living Jellies, learn about the species featured in the exhibit, and play the Jelly Quest game!