A Publication for Friends of Cabrillo Marine Aquarium
2020 Volume XL Issue 2
While We Are Closed What’s Inside Creature Feature ....... 3 Science Centerfold ... 6 Discovery Lecture Series ................... 5 Young Scientist Program ............... 8 Join Us! .........11
A facility of the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation & Parks with support from Friends of CMA
TIDELINES Programs
Exhibits
Since its initial inception as a card table on the beach, Cabrillo Marine Aquarium has prided itself with the ability to provide interactive, hands-on education incorporating realia in the marine environment. To stay relevant over time, the programs evolved and adapted to the needs and directives of the education system and the general public. Programs have been added, deleted and modified for almost 85 years as CMA stayed fluid with the needs and educational expectations of our visitors. This fundamental ideology has made CMA unique. When programs were canceled due to safety concerns over the spread of COVID-19, the education team met online and began to plan what education was going to look like for CMA. We needed to figure out how to offer our world-famous programs without the students and public being at the physical facility. The education team supportively worked together during the steep, uphill learning curve of switching ALL of our programs to a virtual format. Part-time and full-time team members began to create content (from scratch in most cases) in video and downloadable formats, all focused on a common marine theme that changes every week. The online material is being produced away from the aquarium, often without live animals or access to the marine environment.
When you visit our beautiful facility, you may not always see the incredibly talented and committed staff that works behind the scenes caring for and feeding the live animals, diving and collecting for fresh food, repairing and creating exhibits, and conducting important research that helps our local marine environment. The collective team at CMA, all the staff and the volunteers, work very hard each day to make your visit meaningful and enjoyable. This important work, operating and maintaining Cabrillo Marine Aquarium is no easy task, even without a pandemic. Many great and ambitious goals were planned for 2020, but navigating a global pandemic was not on that list.
By Jim DePompei, Programs Director
cont’d p.4
By Jose Bacallao, Exhibits Director
It was a very difficult but prudent decision to close our gates on March 13. The CMA team took decisive action to help protect the health and well-being of our staff, our volunteers, the students, and the community. CMA is not a facility that stops all operations when the “closed sign” is hung. We are a living and breathing space where thousands of creatures depend on the dedication of animal care professionals, each and every day. Perhaps we could have settled on focusing our attention on daily animal care as we waited out the wave of COVID-19, but we did not. Instead, our team spent these past few months working hard in anticipation of a re-opening and we did it by meeting COVID-19 head on, with courage and a strategic vision. cont’d p.4
From the Director’s Corner By Crislyn McKerron, CMA Executive Director
I know I echo the feelings of everyone here at Cabrillo Marine Aquarium when I say I miss you. We miss our members, our fun-filled festivals, and school children’s laughter filling the aquarium. Since the day we closed our doors to the public, our team has been diligently preparing for the day that we welcome guests back into the aquarium in a safe manner. Our goal was, and remains, to make CMA an even better place for you to return. We are busy refreshing exhibits, instituting new safety features, and working on new virtual programs for our patrons. I would like to introduce a new member of the CMA team. In February, Jose Bacallao joined CMA as our new Exhibits Director! Jose has had an extensive career in the aquarium world. He brings with him a breadth of knowledge in operations, exhibit design, and animal care. Jose came to us with a host of incredible professional recommendations. He has been an integral part of our reopening preparations and refurbishing efforts. We can already see why he had such impressive recommendations and are witnessing the direct impact his enthusiasm and ideas are having at CMA. We appreciate your patience and continued support as we work out the best way to welcome our guests back. Our reopening planning will always be grounded in a sense of responsibility and caution for our visitors. We hope very much to see you soon. Stay safe and stay healthy. By Jim Depompei, CMA Programs Director
During this time period of COVID 19 quarantine, it is satisfying to know that some things don’t change - they adapt and continue on. As a community resource, the education team at Cabrillo Marine Aquarium is working hard to make sure that our programs and educational offerings are resilient and continue to offer the experiences we are known for around the world. Though it has been heart wrenching to experience a spring without Spring Program, Grunion runs and (most importantly) our docents, we have adapted to the situation and are offering a host of new programs – online! The education team will be uploading new content to our website, the aquarium will be actively involved with our social media accounts and we are planning virtual live experiences for the future. This is an entirely new direction that we are moving in, but one that will offer growth opportunities, a wider community offering and a chance to stay connected to our community. Though I prefer to be connected through our onsite programming, I am very excited about what the CMA Education Team can offer in the virtual medium! 2
tideLINES Summer 2020
By Jose Bacallao, CMA Exhibits Director
Gratitude is a mindful act, a state of being, that can uplift and influence others in the most meaningful way. These past few months have been extremely challenging for all of our communities, and during these difficult times I am grateful to have been surrounded by so many caring, giving, and inspirational people. I joined the CMA team about 5 months ago and during this time I have witnessed a dedicated and professional staff committed to their craft, caring for the well being of all of our live collections, and supportive of each other. The CMA Exhibits team has been working very hard cleaning and painting many of the existing exhibits as well as installing new graphics throughout the facility. The Aquatic Nursery has been renovated with the addition of new flooring, a new and vibrant color scheme, and a new Giant Sea Bass Exhibit. Many more upgrades and surprises are coming in the following weeks and I look forward to sharing these with you. I hope that when all of our members and visitors return, you will enjoy the enhancements we have made to provide you with a safe and meaningful experience. I am grateful to be a part of this wonderful team and I look forward to seeing you all when we reopen.
Department of Parks & Recreation
Profile
COVID-19 Response
Chanthell Nelson
By Martha Vaca Perez, Administrative Director
On Friday, March 13, 2020, the doors of Cabrillo Marine Aquarium (CMA) closed to the public, and the City of Los Angeles (City) took on new responsibilities to meet the unprecedented needs related to the Covid-19 pandemic. As the majority of the City joined the world to shelter at home against COVID-19, the City’s Department of Recreation and Parks (RAP), under the direction of General Manager Michael Shull, took on the enormous responsibility of operating and staffing 26 homeless shelters. As part of the immense task to protect the City’s most vulnerable population, RAP employees were activated as Disaster Service Workers (DSW) and were called upon to support these shelter sites along with other RAP initiatives such as daycare facilities for the children of first responders and medical professionals. Overnight, recreation centers and trailers transformed into shelters that met the County COVID-19 safety regulations and set up to meet the needs of its residents. Materials and supplies were scarce and hard fought for. One-hundred thermometers ordered from Hong Kong arrived just as our shelter’s doors were opening. Other critical items needed were cots, cot covers, blankets, pillows, towels, hygiene kits, adult diapers, portable shower trailers, body wipes (for when the sites were on lock down and occupants could not exit to shower), trash containers to store personal belongings, painters’ tape to outline areas and maintain the necessary 6-feet social distance and services for laundry and meals. At a time when basic supplies were nearly impossible to source, RAP persevered and succeeded.
By Crislyn McKerron, CMA Executive Director
Chanthell Nelson is a San Pedro native. If she is with you, it is unlikely that you will be able to go anywhere in San Pedro where someone doesn’t run up to say “hi”. She is met with enthusiasm everywhere she goes. Not only did she grow up in San Pedro, but her energy and positivity make her unforgettable once you meet her. Chanthell started with the City of Los Angeles, Department of Recreation and Parks (RAP) right out of high school as a part time employee while she pursued her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from California State University Dominguez Hills. After graduation, she was offered a full-time position with the Los Angeles Zoo. From there, she was promoted into a new role with RAP. Cabrillo Marine Aquarium (CMA) was fortunate to hire Chanthell in 2018. While at CMA she was promoted to her current position of Principal Park Services Attendant where she plays an integral role in CMA operations. There are many reasons why CMA would choose to highlight Chanthell in our Tidelines Newsletter. However, one is particularly relevant and timely. She has an incredible breadth of knowledge in operations, so it was no wonder that she was recruited to a pivotal role in RAP’s Department Operations Center (DOC) during the COVID-19 pandemic. The DOC is the center of the City’s mass care and shelter operations. At the DOC, she used her skillset to provide logistics support to one of the City’s most complex and critical missions. The days were very long and the tasks very hard. DOC workers regularly pull 12-hour shifts and work all weekend long. Beyond the physical toll, this job exposes those involved to the incredibly deep emotions surrounding those affected by the pandemic. CMA sends a sincere thank you to Chanthell for her constant effort to help the City’s most susceptible residents during this crisis. It is clear that her passion to assist others extends well beyond her beloved San Pedro community as she continues to step up and assist the City’s most vulnerable individuals.
cont’d p.5
Summer 2020
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Programs - continued
Exhibits - continued
The team has managed to keep lessons STEAM focused and very “Cabrillo” with interactives, book recommendations, crafts, experiments, art, observations, “do it do it’s” and a host of other topics. Attention to the experiences of the students has reigned with online education, just as it does onsite, keeping our connection to the educational and familial community I’m proud of our team for what they have accomplished, learned and figured out in such a short amount of time, but this is just the beginning of what we have planned. In our next phase of education (what I like to call the Education Team Phase 2) - we will have access to the materials and specimens we have onsite. Just like every other location in the City, Cabrillo Marine Aquarium is following the personal safety guidelines set forth by Mayor Garcetti and we will also follow City guidelines for a phased opening. We will most likely continue to be closed to the public when my team first begins to return to CMA. At that point, because we cannot do onsite face-to-face programming, we will begin to offer live stream classes and produce educational videos of experiences at the aquarium. These will include virtual tours, a virtual Spring Program, virtual visits to the classroom, virtual feeding experiences, etc. Being able to use the aquarium as a filming location will allow us to offer more authentic classroom type programs and experiences that will keep our connection strong with the community and build a solid foundation for us to offer CMA experiences online.
Eighty-five years of history is strategically distributed throughout our little facility and we wanted to make sure our efforts respected this history as we continue the efforts to modernize and uplift our appearance. Many of the existing exhibits located in the Susanne Lawrenz-Miller Exhibit Hall were fabricated during the Frank Gehry design of 1981. These exhibits are now in the process of renovation including upgrades to signs and graphics, the restoration of murals, painting and plumbing, improvements to lighting, and the addition of interactive sound features. We expect to complete other new exhibits before reopening, including a new Spyhopping Whale exhibit, new Educational fence graphics, and an interactive Tidepool Animal adaptation exhibit.
The CMA education team has always been a flexible entity focused on the needs of our community. We are used to hosting our groups at the ocean, or bringing the ocean to them through our Outreach team. Now, with the virtual community being so readily available, our programs can transcend beyond the local physical communities to incorporate the community of the world - and that is a very exciting prospect!
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tideLINES Summer 2020
The Aquatic Nursery received a profound make-over and it looks great! Our staff designed and painted a new color scheme throughout the various areas of the research lab. We installed brand new slipresistant flooring and we expect to fabricate a brand new Kitchen area so that our staff can continue to grow and harvest microscopic foods for our research and conservation programs. Highlighted in the Aquatic Nursery is the new Giant Sea Bass exhibit. This exhibit will illustrate the conservation efforts of the CMA staff to hatch, rear and release more that 180 of these endangered giants back into the wild. Working at the CMA is a labor of love and none of this could have happened without the dedicated staff of the CMA. There is great joy in serving the community, students, visitors and of course the marine environment. Being closed due to this pandemic robbed us of the daily interaction we enjoyed from visitors but we look forward to your return and we hope you enjoy all of the new improvements to the CMA. Be safe and stay healthy.
COVID-19 Response - continued In order to staff these shelters, roughly 550 RAP staff were called to action, including CMA staff Ariel De La Cruz, Bailey Duarte and Summer Rose all of whom assisted by working 12-hour shifts at locations open seven days a week. Approximately 15 RAP supervisors worked together to run the Department Operations Center, responsible for the coordination of logistics of all shelter and day care sites, including CMA staff member Chanthell Nelson who served as the Deputy Logistics Coordinator.
Personal Protective Equipment was delivered daily for all staff by RAP Aquatics. These, along with goggles, masks, face coverings, Tyvek suits, gloves, hand sanitizer, Purell hand sanitizing stations, thermometers, and Covid-19 testing kits were also available, making each site as complete as possible. A vital component of the sites was the maintenance and cleaning of each location which fell upon RAP maintenance team. At times, all shelter workers helped out in this capacity. Truly, no job was off limits to anyone at any time. With such a large undertaking came the challenges and stress of ensuring sufficient staff was available while keeping up with the demands of each location. At a time when no one knew what tomorrow would bring to their personal lives, staff at the sites would make it through a long day not knowing what to expect the next day. Inevitably, they bravely came back and faced increasing challenges and responsibilities.
The daunting task of shelter site work was often punctuated with heartwarming stories. Employees speak about tears of joy when they were able to deliver a much needed item. Or, when they saw a colleague donned in protective gear reminiscent of a hazmat situation doing intake of the new residents that could have been anyone’s grandparents. Or, watching in the foreground as residents who had lost contact were reunited with their family. RAP’s continued contribution to our City throughout this pandemic is no small feat. Driven by RAP’s Emergency Management Division which worked tirelessly on this objective, RAP has managed to shelter and protect our City’s most vulnerable homeless residents and provided care for the children of people protecting and serving the public. Cabrillo Marine Aquarium is not a typical aquarium. We take great pride in providing service and giving back to our community. The Department of Recreation and Parks contributed immeasurably to our City at a time of incredible fear, stress, and uncertainty. CMA is honored to be part to be part of RAP and we are, without question, Park Proud.
Presented by Cabrillo Marine Aquarium with support from Friends of Cabrillo Marine Aquarium
Dr. Nicole Bonuso, CSU Fullerton
“Bringing Dark Data into the Light, One Shell at a Time” Friday, August 7, 2020, 7 - 9pm
Join us for this online lecture!
The vast majority of fossil data lies tucked away in museum drawers waiting to be rediscovered. Come learn about fossil marine invertebrates in four time bins: Holocene, Late Pleistocene, Middle Pleistocene and Late Pliocene.
For more information, go to www.cabrillomarineaquarium.org Summer 2020
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The First of its Kind - Wildlife Conservation and the Giant Sea Bass By Jose Bacallao, Exhibits Director
researchers worked tirelessly to develop unique live foods and nutrition plans, animal wellness procedures, and larval rearing techniques. This care and dedication resulted in successfully raising almost 400 baby giant sea bass. As these fish grew larger and needed more space, our partners at the Aquarium of the Pacific adopted about half of the population. In partnership, we continued to raise these young fish, sharing best practices, collecting developmental data, food formulas, and capturing images, yes, baby pictures, for future conservation projects.
N ot too long ago people hunted the majestic giant sea bass (Stereolepis gigas) to the brink of extinction. There
are records of people hunting and catching giant sea bass in local waters dating back to the late 1800’s. Measuring 7 feet in length and weighing more than 500 pounds, the giant sea bass was a common target for local hunters. They are a tasty fish and were abundant at that time in local waters. But between the 1930’s and the 1970’s, the pressure from industrial commercial fishing took a disastrous toll on the population. Overfishing continued until 1981when California enacted laws restricting recreational and commercial fishing of giant sea bass. However, the struggle to bring the giant sea bass to sustainable levels continues today. Success in saving any species from extinction takes coordinated planning, experience and collaboration between experts, reliable scientific inquiry, financial backing, and in the case of this story, a big boat. In the summer of 2019, CMA received a call from the Southern California Marine Institute (SCMI). A team of fish researchers at SCMI had been researching adult giant sea bass behavior, characterizing the sounds made by the males during courtship and spawning. Understanding the courting behaviors of these critically endangered fish is another important component in the conservation efforts to save this fish from extinction. As with most research projects, there are always unintended and sometimes very surprising consequences. For the researchers at SCMI, it was the production of tens of millions of eggs! Knowing that these offspring could be shared with other colleagues in the field of conservation, SCMI offered CMA a few hundred thousand eggs. Our CMA Aquatic Nursery, led by Research Curator Dr. Andres Carrillo, was the right home to hatch and rear these unhatched eggs. The Aquatic Nursery is an aquaculture laboratory with the expertise and technology to raise and nurture marine organisms for conservation and research. Our team experienced success raising the endangered white abalone, the Pacific seahorse, garibaldi, wolf eels, and the endangered tidewater goby. They would now have the opportunity to help save the giant sea bass. Working together, the CMA team of aquarists and
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tideLINES Summer 2020
With the support of Dr. Larry Allen of CSU Northridge and with approval from the California Department of Fish & Wildlife, a comprehensive plan for release was designed by the CMA dive team. This portion of the project was led by Chief Aquarist Jeff Landesman and a collaborative team from the Aquarium of the Pacific. Mike Couffer of Gray Owl Biological Consulting provided important data he gathered conducting underwater surveying of sensitive nearshore nursery sites. Other agencies, including the Los Angeles County Lifeguards and King Harbor Patrol were consulted to ensure a safe and successful dive and release operation. By March 4, 2020, these babies had grown strong and big enough to release into the wild so the CMA dive team loaded up the dive vessel with 180 baby giant sea bass and set off to sea to make history. Once the team had successfully arrived at the secret release location in Santa Monica Bay, the fish were carefully lowered into the water in a specially designed receiver; a cage that would protect them as they adapted to their new home. Once stable and acclimated, all of the fish were carefully released onto the soft bottom of the ocean floor. Many of the fish swam away from the divers in various directions, behaving appropriately, while a few remained in the proximity of CMA divers. At one point, one of the team divers observed a newly released baby giant sea bass feeding on a shrimp; a positive sign that the voyage and the introduction into their natural habitat had been successful.
This successful dive operation and release of the baby giant
sea bass could not have been accomplished without the support from the team at Aquarium of the Pacific. From their boat, they provided our team with important logistical
support to maintain safety and visual documentation of the entire operation. Their vessel carried staff from the Los Angeles Times as well as researchers from the CMA and the AOP. Together they captured the play-by-play of the operations and the joyful celebration that marked the end of this successful expedition.
It is hard to imagine that one day these tiny precious fish will grow up to measure 7 feet in length and weigh more than 500 pounds. Having played a critical role in the efforts to save the giant sea bass, our team rejoiced and reflected on the bigger picture of environmental conservation and the value of working with our partners to achieve these important goals. CMA is committed to continuing future conservation projects that will heal our local marine ecology and bring partners and community together in the effort. Stay tuned for more updates.
From the Aquatic Nursery on Project Giant Sea Bass By Dr. Andres Carrillo, CMA Aquatic Nursery Curator
To be a part of this project was a wonderful opportunity and I want to share some of our experiences working on the giant sea bass project. Before I go on and on, I would like to acknowledge the support we received from the animal care team, the Friends of Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, and our donors who make all special projects happen in the Aquatic Nursery. THANK YOU, our success in this conservation effort would not have been possible without your support. To see a newly hatched giant sea bass is truly an amazing thing. These giants start their lives as tiny larvae, smaller than a grain of rice. Upon hatching, they have no eyes and no mouths, and rely on their yolk reserves for nourishment during their first couple days of life. Once they develop eyes and mouths, these tiny fish become one of the ocean’s smallest predators (less than 5 millimeters in length). The nutritional quality of food is extremely critical during the early life of these fish, and the animal care team stepped up to face all of the challenges needed to feed these babies. As larvae, giant sea bass only eat live foods (zooplankton) smaller than 0.2 millimeters, because tiny fish have very small mouths. Baby sea bass need to feed nearly every
hour of the day and keeping live plankton abundant is no easy task. The Aquatic Nursery Staff carefully calculated how much and how often live food was given to the babies. We believe that the fine control of food played a key role in our success of growing giant sea bass at CMA. One of the biggest challenges with live foods is ensuring that fish receive the highest quality of nutrition. The Aquatic Nursery Staff developed a protocol to increase the nutritional value of food, by gut loading (heavily feeding) the zooplankton right before they were given to the baby sea bass. One analogy is that live foods are like ravioli: the outer pasta (the zooplankton) itself is not enough to meet the dietary requirements of baby fish, but the meat and cheese filling (algae and lipids in the guts of zooplankton) greatly improve the nutritional value of the live food to promote healthy fish growth. The animal care team and Aquatic Nursery Staff worked very hard to maintain the live food, gut loading, and water quality required to keep healthy and happy baby giant sea bass. As the larval giant sea bass grew, they underwent metamorphosis, ultimately growing into juvenile giant sea bass. This was a fascinating process to observe, because during this period, the fish change their color patterns, grow a different body shape, and develop large fins to support a different mode of swimming. It was a lot of change within the first three weeks of their life. As they grew, they entered an orange coloration phase and developed a unique spot pattern on their bodies. These spot patterns are unique to each fish, they are like fingerprints to humans. With the help of the giant sea bass team and Mike Couffer, we archived the individual patterns of each fish. One of our largest baby giant sea bass was named “Nacho�, which grew nearly twice the size as its siblings within the first month. It became one of the favorites of the Aquatic Nursery Staff. When it came time to determine which fish to release, it was a tough decision, but Nacho was included in the first release. It was the hope of the Aquatic Nursery staff to allow Nacho to grow in the wild and that we will see a match in the spotting giant sea bass program. The end of June will be Nacho and siblings first Hatch(Birth)day. We will be celebrating at CMA with some of the fish remaining at CMA. About 18 giant sea bass remain at CMA for a future release. These 18 are being grown to a size where they can be tagged and tracked as part of a research proposal planned for the Fall. So much came out of this project. CMA staff was able to fine tune and develop a protocol to successfully grow a lot of giant sea bass in captivity. We were able to support research projects at local universities studying giant sea bass. With the help of many partners, CMA raised over 340 endangered fish that were released into local waters. Over 50 giant sea bass have been shared with other aquariums and facilities in California to serve as educational ambassadors for conservation. Our project supporters and partners on this made this tremendous achievement possible. Cheers to our partners and the giant sea bass!
Summer 2020
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Young Scientist Program: 2019-2020 By Dr. Andres Carrillo, CMA Aquatic Nursery Curator
In May of 2019, over sixty 6th through 12th grade students were accepted into CMA’s Young Scientists Program. These students partnered up with Aquatic Nursery Staff and Interns to develop independent projects on a variety of topics focused on marine conservation and aquarium sciences. For example, some students investigated how algae and plankton responded to predicted ocean acidification and climate change conditions. Other students studied urchin, abalone, and sea jelly behaviors in response to feeding and housing conditions in hopes to determine ways to improve animal care at CMA. The Young Scientists Program in its entirety enables students to develop their scientific skills while serving as essential role models to their communities promoting marine conservation and scientific research. It brings me great joy to serve as the leader of the Young Scientists Program. The interests and passion the students bring to CMA while working as Young Scientists is very inspirational. When the Young Scientists start, the Aquatic Nursery Staff guide the students through the scientific method via a series of one-on-one meetings, enrichments, and workshops designed to engage students with the challenges of predicted climate change and animal care in the aquarium. From these lessons, students hone in on a single challenge, which drives them to investigate that problem through scientific inquiry. What I strive for is to teach students how to develop a hypothesis and design experiments to test them. What ends up happening is students become super motivated and achieve amazing results through their hard work and efforts they devote to their projects. From August through February, students come in after school, on their days off to put in many hours on the experiments they design. All overcome setbacks time to time - “going back to the drawing board” as is often said. Their dedication to their projects in the pursuit of knowledge is something to behold, truly amazing. This March brought one of the most challenging change to our lifestyle in recent history. The health concern around COVID-19 disrupted the academic year for our Young Scientists; this included our annual event to celebrate our students – CMA’s Young Scientists Symposium. The COVID-19 shut down occurred only three days before our symposium, which prevented us from acknowledging our Young Scientists of all their hard work and accomplishments. Despite the shutdown, many of our Young Scientists presented their work at the 75th Los Angeles County Engineering and Science Fair, representing their schools and CMA; it what was the first virtual science fair of its kind. Our Young Scientists are amazing, here is a list of their accomplishments at the L.A. County Science Fair: Cameron, California Academy of Mathematics and Science 1st place in Plant Biology, Senior Division, Research on aquaponics Diana, Long Beach Polytechnic High School *Representing CMA 2nd place in Environmental Management, Senior Division, Research on concrete management and conservation Special Awards: 1) International Science and Engineering Fair Alternate; 2) Regional Water Prize Award 8
tideLINES Summer 2020
Helen (Yeonji), South High School *Representing CMA 1st place in Microbiology, Senior Division, Research on chlorophyll production under ocean acidification Julia, Legacy High School *Representing CMA 3rd place in Animal Biology, Senior Division, Research on urchin fertilization and ocean acidification Junhee, California Academy of Mathematics and Science 2nd place in Animal Physiology, Senior Division, Research on sand dollar development Abril, South Gate Middle School Honorable Mention in Animal Biology, Junior Division, Research on plankton growth Alma, South Gate Middle School Recognition in Animal Biology, Junior Division, Research on urchin fertilization Andrea, South Gate Middle School Recognition in Behavioral Science, Junior Division, Research on algae growth patterns Caroline, Palos Verdes High School Recognition in Environmental Management, Senior Division, Research on nitrogen usage of Ulva Special Award: Regional Water Prize Crystal, California Academy of Mathematics and Science *Representing CMA Recognition in Ecology, Senior Division, Research on carbon cycling Jacqueline, Harbor Teacher Preparation Academy *Representing CMA Recognition in Environmental Management, Senior Division, Research on Nitrogen detoxification Special Award: Regional Water Prize Award Marissa, South Gate Middle School Recognition in Animal Biology, Junior Division, Research on plankton salt tolerance Shua, California Academy of Mathematics and Science Recognition in Plant Biology, Senior Division, Research on BPA’s effect on algae growth. Serah, Whitney High School *Representing CMA Recognition in Environmental Management, Senior Division, Research on oil eating bacteria Special Awards: 1. Naval Science Award; 2. Regional Water Prize Award Sophia, Legacy High School *Representing CMA Recognition in Animal Biology, Senior Division, Research on urchin development Victoria, Legacy High School *Representing CMA Honorable Mention in Microbiology, Senior Division, Research on algae growth under ocean acidification To acknowledge our students, we will be hosting a virtual Young Scientists Symposium at the end of the month, so that our students’ friends, families, and supporters can see them present their projects. The Young Scientists have been coming to Carbillo Beach to pick up their posters, following social distancing practices, to prepare for our virtual symposium. We are so proud of our Young Scientists, and it is so
wonderful that we will be able to show them some appreciation of all their hard work on a virtual platform. With the future of COVID-19 remaining uncertain, we are developing new ways to continue our Young Scientists Program. Our community needs these types of activities more than ever, and we will continue to be committed in teaching the next generation of Young Scientists. Schoolchildren are the future, and by training them as Young Scientists the hope is to have them serve as our future ocean ambassadors in the adventures and careers they pursue as they grow into adulthood.
Congratulations to our 2019-2020 Young Scientists! We are very proud of you!
Summer 2020
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Thank You Friends SUPPORTERS January 1 - May 31, 2020 Corporate Ambassador ($10,000+) California Sulphur Company Corporate Leader ($5,000 - $9,999) SA Recycling Corporate Sponsor ($2,500 - $4,999) PBF Energy Corporate Contributor ($1,500 - $2,499) Los Angeles Rod & Reel Club Foundation SKECHERS Foundation Community Sponsor ($250) Holiday Harbor Cabrillo Marina Generous Donors ($10,000) Crail-Johnson Foundation Orange County Community Foundation Generous Donors ($5,000 - $9,999) EA Engineering, Science and Technology, Inc., PBC Generous Donors ($2,500 - $4,999) The Negri Foundation Generous Donors ($500 - $100) Callender and Steve McJones Generous Donors (Other) Anastasia Patterson Charities Aid Foundation of America Daniel Killam Kent Lie Network For Good In Honor of Hawaiian Gardens Elementary School Joel Garcia In Memory of Joaquin Almeida Irene Almeida In Memory of Grace and Leonard Bennett Dean K. Bennett In Memory of Thomas Castle Jennifer Castle In Memory of El Capitan Art and Paulette Medina
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In Memory of Arthur Laffey Ben Bailey Franz Dihrich Sonia and Fitzgerald Jacobs Jose Madrigal Barbara McNamara Jean Powell Annual Appeal ($5,000+) Rich Development Company James and Nancy Welsh Annual Appeal ($250 - $500) Network For Good Denis and Linda Kurt Annual Appeal ($100- $249) Dean K. Bennett Ruth and Dick Lohrer Andie Nakahira Michelle & Gary Miley Annual Appeal (Other) Charities Aid Foundation of America Irene Almeida Ashley Arellano Jeannette Bush Michael and Carol Hashiro Takamitsu Ishiwada Lynne Porter James Sanchez David S. Van Putten Friends Family Reunion ($15,000+) California Sulphur Company Friends Family Reunion ($5,000 - $9,999) American Honda Motor Company, Inc. Rich Development Company Phillips 66 Los Angeles Refinery SGI/Apex Water Replenishment District of Southern California Friends Family Reunion ($2,500 - $4,999) NuStar Energy L.P. PDM CPAs Westrec Marina Management Inc. Friends Family Reunion ($1,000 - $2,000) Esther and Dan Imbagliazzo Friends Family Reunion ($250 - $999) Kathy and Mike Walsh Jenny and Jim Krusoe
tideLINES Summer
Marine Education ($5,000 - $9,999) James and Nancy Welsh Gillian Groves and Gerald Petersen Marine Education ($1,000) Kenneth and Cathy Ragland Edgar and Marcia Spaulding Kent Colbath Educational Outreach ($15,000) The Green Foundation Educational Outreach ($15,000) Pacific Life Foundation Young Scientists ($15,000) Associated Foundations, Inc. Young Scientists ($500) Jennifer Castle Happy Camper ($6,000) The Negri Foundation Critter Care Cynthia Dorado Rick Gordon - Happy Birthday Pops! Nicole Volunteer Program ($500) Carlin Holthouse & Van Tright LLP Thank you to renewing FRIENDS members Partner Patricia Wright Patron Jennifer Castle Leah Felton and David Uetrecht Benefactor J. Bernard and Donna Blake Kent Colbath Mike and Celeste Schaadt Sponsor (*new member) Jacob and Nancy Haik Edwin and Dena Harte Jennifer Kerr* Neil Mukhopadhyay* Joel and Becky Okada Burgess Raby Jesse and Kathy Rosas Cheryl A. Tinney Brad and Yvette Yonaka Supporter (*new member)
Julie and Kirk Budds Doug Capone and Linda Duguay Lourdes Guerrero* Nelman and Karen Kodama Low
Jim and Pat McKibben Joe Meistrell Art and Paulette Medina Jess Morton Joe and Maggie Nunez Jonah Lee and Grace Pak Wayne and Yolanda Perry Marti Reis Anita and Kameron Stewart Ralph and Lucinda Taylor Christine Fernandez Vendrasco and Michael Vendrasco Barney Villa Blake Viola and Kira Perov Nancy Wileman
Welcome new FRIENDS of Cabrillo Marine Aquarium Family, Individual, Senior and Student Members Alexis and Eric Adams Martha Ahlstrom Julie Ambrose Jose Bacallao Elizabeth Baez Benjamin Barnett Maria Basch Patrick Shuss and Victoria Becker Bryan and Liliana Benedict Yinyer Berker Whitney Berry Alfred Rogers and AnnMarie Betances Anne Bobich-Asher Marlena Brown Nyomi Jewell Zuniga and Adriano Brown Michael and Kristin Buckley Jackie Cambell Gail and David Campos Catherine Casares Roubina Centeno Jessica Chavez Unique Clay Elizabeth Corales Jessica and Sam Cosio Andi Cranford Freddy and Norma Cruz Ailiasi Cruz-Fernandez and Isailia Cruz-Gravell Guangchun Cui Bron D’Angelo Francisco Delgadillo Ricardo Delgado Givseppe Di Stasio Leticia Dilworth Tyler Domski Patricia Dove Adam Doyle Melba Duarte Vanessa Monsisvais and Michael Duran Rebekah Eguia Carla and Dennis Emerson Krysalynn and Kevin Emerson Dawn and Scott Ernster Linda Espinosa Marisela Vela & Juan Estrada Ah Lan Wakinekona Ferrara Lisa Few Ginger Fisher Judy and Fred Flenty Margot Foster Anne Fraser Elizabeth Fuerte Evelyn Gamino Elaine Gant Luring Loera and Angel Garcia Karen Zalner and Jillian Giles Iengri Gonzalez Rick Gordon
Kevin Weber and Kaitlyn Harlow Alison Haskvec Lauren and Brent Havens Brenda and Eduardo Hernandez Bruce Heyman Michelle Horeczko Christina Ibarra Michael Jarrett Jennifer Nolan and Kevin Johnson Kenneth Jones Janae K Ann Kassie Dianna Kaufeldt Kimberly Knorr Brandi LaPointe Autumn LaTour Mary Le Bridget Lee Janelle and Joseph Lopes Jeff Louden Kellie Lunsford Smyrniotis Mary Erin and Justin McDonald James Meza David Mitchell Kristin and Steve Morrison Allison Myers Rachel and Viren Narula Molly Nellman Patricia and Jaime Nolasco Jose Noriega Christopher Olan Alicia Orabuena Cynthia Outlaw Olawale Oyelowo Stacey Perez Sarah Peroni Nathan Perreault Joshua Plascencia Francisca Orellana Polanka Clay Pollock Jingjing Sun and Qi Qian Kelly Quiller Ronnetta Rideout Lani Rivera Jennifer Acevedo and Irene Rodriguez Michelle and Jason Rodriguez Priscila Romo Erik Salas Sergio Saucedo Kelly Simon Kathleen Sinclair Kacper Skowron Deborah Slayton Wes Spaulding Sheila Spillane Caitlin Staveley Raini Steffen Melanie Sterling Taresa Strachen Esma and Matthew Tarajki Le Troy Timms James Trent Henry Tsai Genisis Ubeda Colin Ulrich Eliana Valdes Daniel Valdivia Daniela Valdivia Ana and Frank Vega Stephanie Vitiello Tiana Walkowsky Loretta Warnock Jeanne Webb Kristina and Dustin Webb Jasmine Williams Lokelani Winfree Tamarah Winter Janelle Wrock
News from Friends of Cabrillo Marine Aquarium By Caroline Brady, FCMA Executive Director
Hello Friends. Hope this message finds
you healthy and happy. Heartbroken, lonely and frustrated – these words describe the way I’ve felt the last three months, away from the Aquarium and forced into social distancing. But it’s also been a great time for reflection, family togetherness and home improvement projects. The day the Aquarium closed on March 13, we had just received boxes of beautiful invitations for the Grand Grunion Gala, originally slated to take place on May 2. We were crushed to set those aside, knowing it would be too soon to hold our annual fundraiser. When we rescheduled the gala for September 12, it never occurred to us that we’d still be struggling to contain the spread of the Coronavirus. With great regret, we have canceled this year’s gala. But that doesn’t mean we can’t get together for a party virtually! We hope you will join us for our Friends Family Reunion Monday, June 29 at 7 p.m. This on-line event will give us a chance to reconnect with you, tell you what we’ve accomplished and what you can expect when we re-open our doors. It’s going to be a fun evening, with updates from Aquarium Director Crislyn McKerron, Programs Director Jim DePompei and Exhibits Director Jose Bacallao.
We will auction off unique experiences such as a trip on our collections boat, a margarita party in the salt marsh, a tidepool walk and picnic, a birthday party in the classroom, and a chance to name a baby giant sea bass. We will also have a silent auction that includes everything from a Hawaiian vacation house to gift certificates to your favorite local restaurant. You’ll also have a chance to make a donation to help Friends continue its work to support the Aquarium’s mission. We’d like to thank our sponsors for this event, including Pearl Sponsor, California Sulphur; Platinum Sponsor, American Honda Motor Corp. and Marathon Petroleum; Diamond sponsor, Port of Los Angles; Gold Sponsors Russ and Charlotte Lesser, SGI/Apex Companies, LLC, Rich Charitable Foundation, Phillips 66 Los Angeles Refinery and Valero Wilmington Refinery; Bronze sponsors Cabrillo Way Marinas/Westrec, NuStar Energy, PDM Certified Accountants, Southern California Gas Co. We miss you and can’t wait to see you back at the Aquarium. Until then, please come to our Friends Family Reunion and help us spread the word! For more information go to CMA website at www.cabrillomarineaquarium.org To register, go to www.friendsofcabrilloaquarium.org
Summer 2020
11
3720 Stephen M. White Drive San Pedro, CA 90731
(310) 548-7562
Aquarium and Library Temporarily Closed updates coming soon
Gift and Book Shop Hours Tuesday through Sunday 10:00am to 5:15pm
www.cabrillomarineaquarium.org A facility of the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation & Parks with support from Friends of CMA
Accredited by the
CITY OF LOS ANGELES Mayor Eric Garcetti Councilman Joe Buscaino, 15th District DEPARTMENT OF RECREATION AND PARKS BOARD OF COMMISIONERS Sylvia Patsaouras President Lynn Alvarez Vice President Nicole Chase Commissioner Joseph Halper Commissioner Tafarai Bayne Commissioner RECREATION AND PARKS ADMINISTRATION Michael A. Shull General Manager Anthony-Paul Diaz, Esq. Executive Officer & Chief of Staff Vicki Israel Asst General Manager - Partnership & Revenue Cathie Santo Domingo Assistant General Manager Sophia Pina-Cortez Assistant General Manager FCMA BOARD OF DIRECTORS Ralph Appy, Ph. D. Chair Charles V. Ferraro Treasurer Raminta Jautokas Secretary Caroline Brady Executive Director Ex Officio Brandon Hosang Denis Kurt Dave McKenna Faviola Ochoa Brissa Sotelo EDITORIAL BOARD Caroline Brady Executive Director, FCMA Crislyn McKerron Executive Director, CMA Andres Carrillo, Ph.D. Chanthell Nelson Irene Kurata Jim De Pompei Jose Bacallao Julianne Kalman Passarelli, Ph.D. Martha Vaca Perez