Important News Regarding the National Aquarium, Washington, DC

As members of our online community, we would like to share some important news with you regarding the National Aquarium, Washington, DC.

Due to necessary renovations in the Department of Commerce building, our DC facility will be closing on September 30, 2013. The General Services Administration (GSA) requires us to vacate our current space in the building by March 2014.

This September 30 closing date allows us to meet GSA’s March deadline using a timeline that accommodates our main priority: the needs of our animals and staff. Our collection of more than 1,500 animals will be transitioned to new homes at either National Aquarium, Baltimore, or at other accredited aquariums.

Here at the National Aquarium, we value our DC venue’s rich history as the nation’s first public aquarium, and we are committed to maintaining a presence in the capital, where a public aquarium has existed since the late 1800s. A task force of National Aquarium Board members is exploring opportunities and funding options that would support this goal. The closure of our DC venue will not impact the operation of National Aquarium, Baltimore.

Established in 1873, the National Aquarium, Washington, DC, first opened its doors to visitors in 1885 with a collection of 180 species of fish, reptiles and other aquatic animals.

If you have any questions, comments or concerns, please feel free to reach out to us at social@aqua.org.

We’d like to thank our amazing online community for their continued support of the National Aquarium and our mission.

Happy National Volunteer Week!

If you’ve ever visited National Aquarium, chances are you’ve interacted with one of our amazing volunteers. They’re in Upland Tropical Rain Forest, pointing out our species of bird and mammal. They’re in  Animal Planet Australia: Wild Extremes, feeding our archer fish. They’re diving in Atlantic Coral Reef, feeding, cleaning and even dancing to the delight of our guests. They’re behind-the-scenes, they’re out in the field, they’re on-call and well, they’re our family and we wouldn’t be the same without them.

Some of our volunteers help facilitate the daily animal encounters at our Baltimore venue!

Together, our volunteers donated more than 119,648 hours of service to the Aquarium in 2012. They came from Baltimore City, the District of Columbia, 17 Maryland counties, and 8 other states and ranged in age from 14 to 94 years old.

Who are our volunteers? The National Aquarium’s volunteer team boasts an incredible array of professions, skill sets, and experiences including doctors, lawyers, teachers, environmental engineers, veterinarians, landscape architects, software engineers, firefighters, police officers, active and retired military personnel, hair stylists, nurse practitioners, media specialists, national security agents, homemakers, scientists, musicians and entrepreneurs, among many others.

Today, this week and every day, we recognize and thank our amazing team for their passion and dedication to our mission!

 

Animal Updates – April 19

Between our Baltimore and Washington, DC, venues, more than 17,500 animals representing 900 species call the National Aquarium home. There are constant changes, additions and more going on behind the scenes that our guests may not notice during their visit. We want to share these fun updates with our community so we’re bringing them to you in our weekly Animal Update posts!

Check our blog every Friday to find out what’s going on… here’s what’s new this week!

Amazon Tree Boa on exhibit! 

Our juvenile Amazon tree boa has been very active on exhibit lately!

Adult Amazon tree boas can reach up to 6.5 feet in length. Found throughout South America, this species of tree boa is a nocturnal predator. Currently in its juvenile “yellow phase,” these snakes change color once they reach adulthood.

Silver-beaked Tanagers on exhibit! 

Six silver-beaked tanagers are now on exhibit in the Upland Tropical Rain Forest! These tanagers are well-known for their deep crimson hue and striking beak.

The silver-beaked tanager ranges from Colombia to Bolivia and along the east coast including Brazil, Paraguay and as far south as Argentina. Although this species is not currently listed as threatened, the destruction of their habitat for industrial/agricultural gain could put them at risk in the near future.

Be sure to check back every Friday to find out what’s happening!

Addressing Concerns About Our Fresh Thoughts Menu

We’d like to address some recent concerns members of our online community have made about the menu of our upcoming Fresh Thoughts sustainable seafood dinner.

The three-course menu featuring locally-farmed caviar had originally included the preparation of sustainable veal. We’ve received some thoughtful comments on Facebook regarding this controversial meat. We fully understand these sentiments and want to thank our community for their feedback. In response, we’ve decided to take this item off our menu.

The mission of Fresh Thoughts is to raise awareness of sustainable food sources (both seafood and non-seafood) and how those choices can help lessen our negative impact on the environment. Veal is a meat that is still widely-consumed around the world. By including it in this dinner, our intention was to make our guests aware of the fact that there is a way to consume veal sustainably.

Xavier Deshayes, our expert chef, is passionate about serving meals that are environmentally and humanely conscious. The veal that was originally included on the menu of our upcoming dinner had the endorsement of Humane Farm Animal Care, a local nonprofit organization that certifies the responsible treatment of farm animals. Their certification assures consumers that the animals have had ample space, shelter and access to fresh water. It also has strict standards against the use of antibiotics or hormones.

National Aquarium does not endorse the general consumption of veal. However, for those who regularly include the meat as a part of their diet, we encourage you to take a moment to consider getting your veal from a sustainable source and one with the endorsement of Humane Farm Animal Care or a similar organization.

Again, we sincerely apologize for any personal offense caused by our decision to include veal on our menu and we hope that we’ve made our original intentions clear! If you’d like to speak further with our team about this issue, please email social@aqua.org.

To learn more about our Fresh Thoughts program, click here.

Amazing Experience Sweepstakes Winners Meet Our Loggerhead!

In December of 2012, as part of our Amazing Experiences Sweepstakes, Darren Brooks from Williamsburg, Virginia won the chance to go behind-the-scenes and meet our baby loggerhead turtle at National Aquarium, Washington, DC!

Our baby loggerhead turtle!

Recently, Darren and his family came on-site to meet our loggerhead, learn a bit more about the species and give the little one a name! After observing our baby sea turtle on exhibit, everyone went behind-the-scenes to actually meet the turtle and learn a bit more about him from our Aquarist Dana. Darren and his fiancee Denise decided to name the loggerhead ‘Brownie,’ after it’s sweet personality and love of food!

Denise meeting Brownie!

Darren meeting Brownie!

During their meet and greet with Brownie, Darren and his family also had the opportunity to learn a little bit more about our participation in the Loggerhead Head Start Program. Run by the North Carolina Aquarium in Pine Knoll, this program gives baby sea turtles a better chance at survival in the wild. Sea turtle hatchlings found stranded far from the ocean, spend time in aquariums where they can safely grow. After being given a clean bill of health and an extra boost of nutrition, they are tagged and released back to the ocean!

Brownie will spend two years at National Aquarium and then released off the coast of North Carolina!

Stay tuned for more stories on our Amazing Experience Sweepstakes winners!