Watermarks Summer/Fall 2017

S U M M E R / FA L L 2 0 1 7

FEATURING

YOU ARE HERE Harbor to Bay to Ocean 06

PLUS

Leading the Fight Against Plastic Pollution 10

Celebrating 200 Rescues 04

FROM THE CEO

TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S

In my line of work, I get to experience the best of our human instincts. In service of our mission to inspire conservation of the world’s aquatic treasures, I observe staff, volunteers and partners acting with ingenuity, patience and service to others on a daily basis. At the core of these positive behaviors is hope. Hope allows us to believe in our dreams, get more done and persevere against challenges. It is perhaps humankind’s most noble inclination.

Yet, in these complicated times, hope can seem scarce.

Insults to our environment continue, while good conservation policies are being rolled back. Hope can sometimes be hard to find. Here at the National Aquarium, we focus

“Hope allows us to believe in our dreams, get more done and persevere against challenges.”

on inspiring hope-filled conservationists—and in this issue of Watermarks, you will find plenty of reasons for hope.

We have lots of reasons to feel hopeful about the state of our local waterways. After generations of industrialization and overfishing, the Inner Harbor and Chesapeake Bay are

NATIONAL AQUARIUM INC. CHAIR Thomas E. Robinson IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR Robert E. Carter VICE CHAIR Jane W. I. Droppa VICE CHAIR Tamika Langley Tremaglio

showing signs of improvement. On page 6, you’ll

EX OFFICIO Donna Morrison

learn more about Bay health and the resurgence

John C. Racanelli

of iconic species. As always, there’s still work to be done, but

Toby Thompson

fortitude and steady progress are fostering positive change.

LIFE DIRECTOR Frank A. Gunther Jr.

As founding members of the Aquarium Conservation Partnership, we’re pleased to announce big changes in our facilities and operations. Check out our story on page 10 about steps we’ve taken to combat the onslaught of single-use plastics and the pollution they create. While it is

BOARD MEMBERS Timothy J. Adams John Bremer Keith Campbell

planet faces, we can find hope in simple solutions. If we can

David Churchill

eliminate these plastics here at the Aquarium, imagine what

Colleen Dilenschneider

could be accomplished on a national scale.

Nancy Grasmick

and I invite you to join us in celebrating a major milestone

Mohannad F. Jishi Joseph Nigro Marianela Peralta

made possible by the tireless efforts of our Animal Rescue

Charles A. Phillips

team (page 4). These dedicated employees and volunteers

Diana Ramsay

embody perseverance and determination in their work with

The Honorable Stephanie Rawlings-Blake

animals for whom we are often the last hope.

As you read these stories of hope, please give thought to how you can be a beacon of hope in your own community.

And know that you’re among friends.

EXECUTIVE EDITOR Kristin Zissel EDITORS Nabila Chami Megan Kowalski Kate Schmelyun DESIGN DIRECTOR Krista Gill DESIGNER Aimee Swartz

Marc Bunting

natural to feel despair over the sheer volume of threats our

Hope is at the heart of our Animal Rescue program,

WATERMARKS CREATIVE CONTRIBUTORS

PHOTOGRAPHERS Jay Fleming George Grall Theresa Keil Sean Lo Anastasia Tantaros COPY EDITOR Chris M. Junior

FEATURES

IN EVERY ISSUE

YOU ARE HERE

AQUARIUM NEWS

MEMBER NEWS

MAPPING OUT THE CONNECTION

25 YEARS + 2 NIGHTS + MORE THAN

MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR FALL EVENTS.

BETWEEN BALTIMORE’S INNER HARBOR,

1,000 STUDENTS FROM 3 COUNTIES =

THE CHESAPEAKE BAY AND THE OCEAN.

SUCCESSFUL GRADE A CELEBRATION!

C. Elizabeth Wagner

A copy of the National Aquarium’s financial statement is available upon written request.

Documents filed in accordance with the Maryland Charitable Organizations Solicitation Act may be obtained from the Maryland Secretary of State.

Edward Wiese

© 2017 National Aquarium Inc.

AND PARTNERS TO ACTION.

Jennifer W. Reynolds Enric Sala Chuck Tildon Jacqueline Ulman

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YOU MIGHT THINK YOU KNOW CALYPSO,

ANIMAL UPDATE

PERVASIVE PLASTIC

BUT WE SHARE SOME LITTLE-KNOWN

TWO NEW SPECIES JOIN UPLAND

PLASTIC POLLUTION’S GROWING

FACTS IN HONOR OF THE SEA TURTLE’S

TROPICAL RAIN FOREST.

NEGATIVE IMPACT ON AQUATIC

15TH AQUARIUM ANNIVERSARY.

13

ECOSYSTEMS SPURS THE AQUARIUM

10

A MALE HARBOR SEAL IS NATIONAL AQUARIUM ANIMAL RESCUE’S 200TH RELEASE.

— J ohn Racanelli PRESIDENT AND CEO

ACCREDITED BY 100% RECYCLED FIBER

ON THE COVER Striped burrfish live in seagrass beds and shallow coastal reefs from Maine to Florida. Like all burrfish and pufferfish, they can take in water to inflate their bodies when threatened.

ABOVE Aquarium on Wheels students Brieanna Smith (left) and Ana Brown (right) helped festivalgoers explore our Aquarium Falls installation at Artscape 2017.

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PHOTOGRAPH BY SEAN LO

PHOTOGRAPH BY THERESA KEIL

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AQUARIUM NEWS

Bringing Our A Game

Think You Know Calypso?

Grade A Student Night celebrates scholarly success.

Since Calypso the green sea turtle arrived at the National Aquarium 15 years ago, she’s become something of an icon.

The National Aquarium was proud to kick off summer

for themselves and an adult, and reduced admission for

with two very special evenings to celebrate the academic

additional guests. In total, 2,479 guests from 575 families

success of students from Baltimore City, Baltimore County

took advantage of this special incentive.

and Howard County. Grade A Student Nights took place on June 22 and 29, and featured a relaxed, after-hours

Grade A Student Night, which has been held for 25

Aquarium experience for super scholars and their families.

years, is part of the National Aquarium’s community access programming. This year’s celebration was proudly

More than 1,000 students in grades K-12 boasting report cards with three or more A’s (or equivalent) from the 2016-17 school year received free Aquarium admission

supported by Macy’s.

LEARN MORE

Please visit aqua.org/learn for more information.

Calypso was rescued in 2000 in Long Island Sound by the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation, estimated to be approximately 2 years old and suffering from cold-stunning and an infected front flipper that had to be amputated. Deemed non-releasable by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), she joined the National Aquarium family in 2002.

Little-Known Calypso Facts Blacktip Reef PIER 03, LEVEL 01 SLOW AND STEADY

When Calypso was rescued, she weighed six pounds and her carapace measured 12 inches long. Today, she’s 500 pounds and 49 inches.

Aquarist and Volunteer Dive Coordinator Jackie Cooper— who began working with Calypso in 2004 as a volunteer, and continued when she was hired full-time in 2012— knows the turtle better than just about anyone. We asked Cooper for some fun facts about Calypso.

A LOTTA LETTUCE

She also gets a variety of vegetables and has been showing a preference lately for orange and red ones, including bell peppers, carrots and sweet potatoes.

CHECKUP TIME

When it’s time for her annual medical checkup, which is the only time she’s taken out of the water, she knows just what to do. She first swims into a box so she can be lifted out, a process that requires about a dozen people and a hoist.

CREATURE COMFORTS

She likes to have her shell scratched. Cooper says, “We speculate that maybe she seeks that out because it feels like having her shell cleaned by cleaner fish.”

HERE SHE GROWS

At 19 years old, staffers are noticing that Calypso is now beginning to exhibit more adult behavior patterns, such as fasting from time to time. “We do expect her to start laying [unfertilized] eggs at some point,” Cooper adds.

ABOVE When Calypso arrived at the National Aquarium in 2002, she was a fraction of the size she is today.

LEARN MORE

You can try to catch a glimpse of Calypso anytime you want on the Blacktip Reef live cam at aqua.org/live#BTR!

P H OTO G R A P H F R O M T H E N AT I O N A L A Q U A R I U M A R C H I V E S

OPPOSITE For more than 1,000 Baltimore-area students, hard work paid off at the National Aquarium’s 25th annual Grade A Student Night, which was expanded to two nights for the first time this year!

P H OTO G R A P H B Y A N A S TA S I A TA N TA R O S

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AQUARIUM NEWS

Animal Rescue Celebrates 200!

The release of Phil the harbor seal marks a major milestone.

Every rescue season in National Aquarium Animal Rescue’s 26 years has been unique and rewarding, but this summer’s seal season brought an extra reason to celebrate. We rang in our 200th successful rescue, rehabilitation and release with a male harbor seal patient, nicknamed Phil.

After receiving individualized treatment from our dedicated team of experts, Phil was deemed healthy enough for release. He returned to his ocean home on June 27 at Gateway National Recreation Area in Sandy Hook, New Jersey, with an audience of about 75 onlookers.

Phil was rescued in Felton, Delaware, by our Animal Rescue team, working in tandem with volunteers and officials from the local Marine Education, Research and Rehabilitation Institute. He had traveled 12 miles inland and became stranded in a swampy area. On his journey back to health, he was treated for a variety of medical issues, including dehydration, an eye infection and neurological irregularities.

Phil wasn’t the only pinniped to grace our Animal Care Center this summer. A female juvenile grey seal, nicknamed Luna, was admitted in May after stranding in Ocean City, Maryland. She was found suffering from pneumonia and lacerations, and after her initial examination, our staff also discovered she needed to be treated for dehydration and a case of lungworms.

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AQUARIUM NEWS

“Stories about animals like Phil and Luna bring the issues to life and create meaningful links between our actions and the differences we can make.”

—JENNIFER DITTMAR, NATIONAL AQUARIUM CURATOR OF ANIMAL RESCUE

At the time this issue of Watermarks went to print, Luna was still under the care of our Animal Rescue and Animal Health teams. She has gained more than 20 pounds since her arrival and her health continues to improve. The National Aquarium family is wishing her a speedy recovery, and we look forward to her release.

LEARN MORE

Visit aqua.org/ACRC to learn about the construction of the National Aquarium’s new Animal Care and Rescue Center!

OPPOSITE On June 27, 2017, our harbor seal patient, nicknamed Phil, was released at Gateway National Recreation Area in Sandy Hook, New Jersey, as an audience of about 75 onlookers wished him well.

ABOVE Our juvenile grey seal patient, nicknamed Luna, wasn’t eating on her own when she arrived at our Animal Care Center—but after several weeks, she began eating a full diet of 8.5 pounds of food every day.

PHOTOGRAPH BY THERESA KEIL

PHOTOGRAPH BY THERESA KEIL

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F E AT U R E S

YO U A R E H E R E :

HARBOR TO B AY T O O C E A N

BY KATE SCHMELYUN When you walk into General Curator Jack Cover’s office in the National Aquarium, you’re greeted by a series of printouts of Google Earth maps, each with a “You Are Here” sticker on it.

The first is a bird’s-eye view of the Aquarium itself, positioned between two slips in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.

The printouts give you a progressively wider view—of the state, country, continent, hemisphere and Earth, with the National Aquarium’s location clearly pinpointed in each. “You Are Here.”

“We can’t write off urban water,” Cover says. “It’s connected—to the watershed, the Chesapeake Bay and the ocean.”

Cover oversees the Aquarium’s habitats and the 20,000 animals that live in them. He’s also wellversed on the natural history of the Chesapeake Bay, and is spearheading the Aquarium’s work to upgrade its waterfront campus by using the slip between Piers 3 and 4 to showcase working ecosystems and demonstrate habitat restoration, native species and the connection between the harbor, Bay and ocean.

AN ALTERED LANDSCAPE

COLLABORATION REQUIRED

Baltimore owes its very existence to the natural resources and shipping abilities provided by the Chesapeake Bay.

The Aquarium is one of many organizations working toward a healthier harbor and Bay, and monitoring progress on both fronts.

The harbor habitat was once shallow mud flats fringed by tidal salt marsh grasses, surrounded by forest. As Baltimore was established as a port city, the mud flats were dredged out and the forests paved over. The landscape was—and has continued to be—changed and developed in ways that inhibit the natural processes that support clean water.

The good news is that, even in this ever-changing urban setting, there are ways to replicate ecosystem functions typically provided by tidal wetlands, and these elements will be incorporated into the Aquarium’s project. In a first step, this summer the Aquarium installed a floating wetland prototype to attract native species and aerate the water.

To establish a baseline against which to measure the project’s impact, the Aquarium team is partnering with researchers from the University of Maryland Center of Environmental Science and Maryland Sea Grant to study water quality and biodiversity in the slip.

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SUMMER 2017

Waterfront Partnership’s annual Healthy Harbor Report Card covers the Jones and Gwynns Falls streams, the harbor and the tidal Patapsco River. In the current report, two indicators—dissolved oxygen and total phosphorus—scored a B-minus, while the other four indicators—fecal bacteria, chlorophyll a, total nitrogen and water clarity—had failing grades.

The Chesapeake Bay is evaluated every year by multiple organizations, including the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, which produces the annual Chesapeake Bay Report Card. The report measures seven indicators in 12 regions. In the latest report, the overall health of the Bay showed modest gains, and long-term trends have been positive.

“There is important progress being made, but we still have so much work to do to restore the health of the Bay,” says Cover.

F E AT U R E S

STUDENTS CONNECT TO HARBOR, BAY IN LIVING LABORATORY

The Aquarium recently wrapped up a successful pilot of its new Living Laboratory program.

Y O U A R E H E R E : H A R B O R T O B AY T O O C E A N

“We can’t write off urban water.

It’s connected—to the watershed, the Chesapeake Bay and the ocean.”

—JACK COVER, GENERAL CURATOR

Funded by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Bay Watershed Education and Training grant, Living Laboratory teaches seventh-grade students from Baltimore City schools the importance of conserving Chesapeake Bay resources, starting with the Inner Harbor.

In the Aquarium/ In the Bay Some of the animals you see inside the Aquarium can also be found in and around the Chesapeake Bay, if you know where and when to look.

SANDBAR SHARKS

Dolphin Discovery

At the Aquarium, you can spy sandbar sharks cruising around in Shark Alley. The lower Bay is a principal pupping and nursery habitat for this summer visitor.

Young sharks can sometimes be seen foraging in shallow grass beds for prey.

PIER 04, LEVEL 01

The pilot, which began in April, brought more than 240 middle school students from four city schools to the Aquarium to introduce them to the concept of a watershed, water quality parameters and aquatic organisms. Long-term, the goal is to grow the program so that every middle school student in Baltimore City can take part.

Shark Alley “We hope to have five schools in the

PIER 03, LEVEL 02

fall and five in the spring for year two

DIAMONDBACK TERRAPINS

of the pilot,” said Education Program

Terrapins—Maryland’s official state reptile—are at home in Maryland: Mountains to the Sea and in brackish tidal salt marshes throughout the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. Active from May until early November, they can often be seen coming to the water’s surface for a breath of air.

Coordinator Symone Johnson, who manages Living Laboratory. “We are also working on some interesting student-led action projects.”

LEARN MORE

To learn more about the National Aquarium’s efforts to revitalize Baltimore’s Inner Harbor through our Waterfront Campus, please visit

ATLANTIC BOTTLENOSE DOLPHINS

These dolphins visit the Chesapeake Bay in the summer when it’s warm, and they’ve been reported to travel as far north as Havre de Grace, Maryland, at the mouth of the Susquehanna River. The water here isn’t warm enough for them year-round.

Maryland: Mountains to the Sea PIER 03, LEVEL 02

LION’S MANE JELLIES

You can check out these jellies at the Aquarium, or try to find them in the Inner Harbor and Chesapeake Bay from late November through March. These cold-water jellies have a scallopedged bell that resembles a petaled flower or a star.

Jellies Invasion: Oceans Out of Balance PIER 04, GROUND LEVEL HORSESHOE CRABS

Get hands-on with horseshoe crabs in Living Seashore, or see them year-round in the middle and lower Chesapeake Bay. They’re hard to miss in spring and summer, when they spawn on sandy beaches.

Living Seashore

aqua.org/our-waterfront-future.

PIER 03, LEVEL 03 PREVIOUS The Aquarium’s waterfront campus project will showcase working ecosystems and demonstrate habitat restoration, native species and the connection between the harbor, Bay and ocean.

OPPOSITE The Atlantic horseshoe crab is a primitive arthropod that’s more closely related to spiders than crabs.

P H O T O G R A P H B Y J AY F L E M I N G

PHOTOGRAPH BY GEORGE GRALL

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F E AT U R E S

P E R VA S I V E PLASTIC

BY MEGAN KOWALSKI In marine habitats, plastic is pervasive. The numbers are astronomical enough to be almost unbelievable— experts estimate that there are 5 trillion pieces of plastic floating in the ocean, with an estimated 8 million tons more entering the ocean every year. Our society’s dependence on disposable plastic has devastating effects on marine ecosystems, which are inextricably linked to the health of animals and humans.

To address issues facing the ocean, including plastic pollution, the National Aquarium joined with Shedd Aquarium in Chicago and Monterey Bay Aquarium in California to establish the Aquarium Conservation Partnership. The partnership, which was announced on July 10, is a coalition of 19 aquariums from across the nation that are leading the fight to tackle the issue of plastic pollution and advance the conservation of aquatic ecosystems.

The goal of the ACP’s first consumer education campaign, “In Our Hands,” is to inspire the participating aquariums’ combined 20 million visitors—and millions more in their communities—to opt for alternatives to single-use plastic through changes to everyday behavior.

But we know it’s not enough to simply talk about the change we’d like to see in our world; we need to embody that change through our own actions.

All 19 aquariums in the partnership are “walking their talk” by eliminating plastic straws and single-use plastic take-away bags in their buildings.

WHAT IF THE OCEAN HAD MORE PLASTIC THAN FISH?

THE SOLUTION TO THE PLASTIC PROBLEM

For the National Aquarium, the elimination of single-use plastics within our walls doesn’t stop there. As of this summer, you won’t find singleuse plastic foodware in our building— instead, we’ve opted for reusable, compostable or more sustainable options. This transition eliminates the average 85,000 single-use soda and juice bottles previously sold within our building each year.

Additional sustainable shifts away from disposable plastics at the Aquarium include the elimination of disposable water bottles and plastic bags in the gift shops, as well ending the use of single-use plastics at catering events—efforts that wouldn’t have been possible without the cooperation of on-site partners Sodexo, the Classic Catering People, Pepsi and others.

ABOVE Volunteers and members of the Aquarium Conservation Team (ACT!) remove plastic and other debris from the marsh habitat at Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine during a cleanup event. Removing litter from local waterways is a critical step in reducing the amount of plastic in the ocean.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY THERESA KEIL

OURHANDS.ORG WAT E R M A R K S

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MEMBER NEWS

A N I M A L U P DAT E

Four Feathered Additions One green honeycreeper and three new paradise tanagers can now be found among the trees in Upland Tropical Rain Forest. Look for the teal body, black mask and yellow bill of the green honeycreeper as it hurriedly flits from tree to tree.

You can often find the brilliantly colored paradise tanagers—such as the one pictured here—in the ficus tree, located off the lower deck.

PHOTOGRAPH BY SEAN L0

Get the Most Out of Your Membership There’s so much happening every day at the Aquarium; make sure you’re connecting with all of it!

MAKE WAY FOR PUFFLINGS

We’re excited to welcome three new Atlantic puffin chicks to Sea Cliffs! Gnocchi, Viola and Willow are the 10th, 11th and 12th puffins to hatch at the Aquarium since 2006. This is the first time we’re celebrating three pufflings hatching in a single season!

ACCLIMATING TO ALGAE

GET YOUR HANDS DIRTY

SCORE A BACKSTAGE PASS

Member Evenings, which are held every month, are free and open only to our members.

Volunteer as a trained exhibit guide, or roll up your sleeves and join a wetland cleanup (especially during the busy spring and summer seasons).

Visit aqua.org/contribute.

Members receive discounts on all our Immersion Tours, with special, behind-the-scenes access to our experts and animals.

If you visit Dolphin Discovery, you may notice a greenish-brown substance growing on the walls and floor of the front pool. It’s composed of photosynthetic organisms that are a natural part of healthy ecosystems—in other words, algae. We’re allowing it to grow to help prepare our dolphin colony for their future sanctuary home, where they’ll experience algae and other stimuli.

STAY CONNECTED

BE IN THE KNOW

INSPIRE OTHERS

Follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, and subscribe to our blog to have all the latest Aquarium news at your fingertips.

Download the Aquarium app to learn fun facts, access guide maps and get up-to-the-minute info about things to do and see.

Available for Apple and Android.

Tell others about the ways your support of the National Aquarium is making a difference in the health of our harbor, Bay and ocean.

STURGEONS IN SURVIVING

TURTLE TRANSITION

Three pallid sturgeons—an ancient type of bottom-dwelling, endangered fish native to the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers— can now be found in Surviving Through Adaptation.

The Northern Australian snapping turtles that hatched here in 2014 are now large enough to be on exhibit. Check them out in Australia: Wild Extremes!

HAVE THE AQUARIUM ALL TO YOURSELF

OPPOSITE Young guests get up close during a recent Member Evening.

PHOTOGRAPH BY SEAN L0

PHOTOGRAPH BY THERESA KEIL

Visit aqua.org/members to learn more.

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501 East Pratt Street | Baltimore, Maryland 21202

Dive deeper into your membership.

Join us after hours this fall for monthly Member Evening events and our annual conservation lecture series.

UPCOMING MEMBER EVENINGS

Sept. 27 | Oct. 24 | Nov. 15 FALL MARJORIE LYNN BANK LECTURE SERIES

Sept. 26 | Oct. 17 | Nov. 2 | Dec. 13

Mark your calendars and visit aqua.org/members for event details.

Non-profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Baltimore, MD Permit No. 7625