Updated: May 2019

2019 PRESS KIT

Click on the headings below to go directly to a specific page of the press k it.

• What’s New & Story Ideas • Quick Facts • Exhibits • Adventures • Conservation & Animal

Rehabilitation • Education Programs • Historic Milestones

Updated: May 2019

Need a story idea? Take a look!

The Oregon Coast Aquarium’s dynamic living exhibits make this nonprofit attraction brim with compelling stories and striking visuals. The subjects listed below are a few of the highlights. Please contact Communications and Marketing Manager Sally Compton for additional information or to discuss other story ideas.

What’s New

• New Steampunk Aquarium Exhibit, SEAPUNK: Powered by Imagination, Opens Memorial Day Weekend

• Aquarium and Seniors Advocates for Generational Equity (SAGE) Host Future of Our Oceans Event with Visiting SAGE, Dr. Sylvia Earle

• Oregon Coast Aquarium to Build Forest-Themed Children’s Nature Playspace – Happy Arbor Day! • Aquarium Youth Team Places Sixth at National Ocean Sciences Bowl in Washington D.C. • Beneath the Surface: Diving for Oregon's Marine Reserves

• Local Attractions Offer Reciprocal Admission to Members in 2019

• Give Springtime Seal Pups Space

• We Asked a Squid Expert About the Masses of Eggs Arriving on Our Coast... • Aquarium and Partners Host Rise Above Plastic Pollution Day at Oregon State Capitol • Guide to Oregon’s Sharks and Their Relationship With Humans

Experiences

• The Sea Jelly Encounter provides the opportunity to get hands-on with our moon jellies (Aurelia aurita). Visitors will learn about these ancient invertebrates and have a chance to touch the non- stinging “bell,” or top of the jelly. The moon jelly is unique because even though the tentacles contain nematocysts (stinging cells) like other sea jellies, the cells are very weak and typically cannot even be felt by humans.

• Explore the realm of the Giant Pacific Octopus and get a slimy handshake! The Octopus Encounter includes a behind-the-scenes tour and educational information about the care of this amazing invertebrate.

• How does the Aquarium care for a swarm of stinging jellies, a five-hundred pound California Sea Lion, a waddling brown pelican and dozens of toothy sharks? Travel Behind the Scenes with us to explore the ins and outs of caring for over 15,000 animals every day.

• Explore the 1.2-million gallon Passages of the Deep exhibit from a unique perspective – in the water. This experience promises intriguing visuals and can include a behind the scenes look at how the Aquarium’s staff care for rockfish, sturgeon, halibut and over 100 sharks. Certified divers may SCUBA dive in Halibut Flats and Open Sea.

• Join us for a whale or shark program at an elementary school in the outskirts of Portland, explore the Oregon Coast from your desk on the Oceanscape Network, or join us as we teach educators how to bring the outdoors into their classrooms at the COASTALearning Symposium.

• Snooze in the underwater tunnels of Passages of the Deep during an Aquarium sleepover!

Check out our calendar of events and weekly blog posts for more story inspiration.

Updated: May 2019

QUICK FACTS

About: The Oregon Coast Aquarium opened in Newport, Oregon in 1992. It is a nonprofit, public aquatic and marine science exhibition facility offering educational programs and exhibits. The exhibits showcase seabirds, marine mammals, fishes, invertebrates and plants primarily native to the Oregon coast. The Aquarium seeks to provide a balanced, informed view of the wealth and fragility of coastal resources and promote environmental awareness, conservation and stewardship.

The Oregon Coast Aquarium is situated on 39-acres overlooking Yaquina Bay, adjacent to an estuary and opposite Newport’s Historic Bayfront and working harbor. The Aquarium broadens the economic base of the Newport community and attracts visitors from all over the world. The Aquarium is consistently rated among the nation’s top aquariums, most recently by the Travel Channel, USA Today, Coastal Living, Parents Magazine, Forbes Traveler and 10Best.com .

Mission: Our mission is to create unique and engaging experiences that connect you to the Oregon coast and inspire ocean conservation.

AZA member: The Oregon Coast Aquarium is an Association of Zoos and Aquariums accredited institution. To earn and maintain this designation, the Aquarium must exceed industry standards in collection and veterinary care, conservation, education and safety. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums is a leader in global wildlife conservation and education that is, “dedicated to the advancement of zoos and aquariums in the areas of conservation, education, science, and recreation.”

Attendance: Approximately 420,000 visitors come to the Aquarium each year.

Approximate number of species: 259

Approximate number of specimens: 15,000

Staff: 65-85 full time employees; over 350 volunteers Operating budget: $7 million annually

Hours of operation: Open every day except December 25 Summer hours (Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day): 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Winter hours (after Labor Day, up to Memorial Day weekend): 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Admission Rates: Adult (18-64) $24.95, Senior (65+) $19.95, Young Adult (13-17) $19.95, Child (3–12) $14.95, Infants/Toddlers (0-2) free

Memberships: Members of the Oregon Coast Aquarium enjoy unlimited admission for a year, reciprocal admission to 11 other Oregon attractions, free admission to our popular holiday events, and discounts on programs, special events, gift shop merchandise, guest admission tickets and facility rentals.

Individual, $50 One Plus One, $80 Dual Plus One, $110 Family, $150 Family Plus, $195 Sponsor, $300

Patron, $600 Rockfish Society, $1000 or more Corporate memberships are customized to

each business’ needs.

Press Contact: Sally Compton, Communications and Marketing Manager, media@aquarium.org (541) 867-3474 x1131

Information: aquarium.org; (541) 867-3474

Updated: May 2019

EXHIBITS

The Aquarium’s indoor exhibits feature three galleries that represent the marine life and habitats found in Oregon’s sandy and rocky shores and coastal waters. Also indoors: Two rotating exhibit areas, an interactive children's area, classroom, the Ferry Slip Café and Coffee Bar, and gift shop/bookstore.

Seapunk: Powered by Imagination is the newest exhibit at the Oregon Coast Aquarium. The exhibit is modeled after a subgenre of science fiction, art, technology and fashion inspired by 19th-century industrial steam-powered machinery: Steampunk. Experience an underwater fantasy that follows the travails of “Phineas K. Brinker” – a retro-futuristic and intrepid inventor who strands in a submarine at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. In order to survive underwater, Brinker rebuilds the crippled submarine into a modern marvel of engineering by constructing imaginative variations on contraptions you may be familiar with today. Seapunk: Powered by Imagination transforms the spectacle of the typical aquarium gallery by merging Victorian-era and futuristic technologies with marine exploration. Sandy Shores showcases the narrow ecosystem where land meets water along the Oregon Coast. Highlights include a replica of the habitats formed by dock and pier pilings, feathery sea pens and color- morphing flatfishes. The OCEAN TODAY kiosk uses videos and interactive programs to provide updates on weather and conservation issues from all over the world courtesy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In all, this gallery features 13 separate exhibits.

Rocky Shores holds 15 exhibits, including habitats for the fearsome-looking, but gentle, wolf eel, rockfish and a wide range of sea stars, limpets and other invertebrates. The centerpiece of this gallery, the Touch Pool, lets visitors gently interact with tide pool residents like sea stars, anemones, abalones and crabs.

Coastal Waters is home to moon jellies and Pacific sea nettles and a California kelp forest. Close-up exhibits harbor bizarre off-shore animals including the Pacific hagfish. The “At the Jetty” exhibit spotlights survival issues of Coho and Chinook salmon, explaining their life cycle and their tremendous journey from streams to the ocean and back again. Extending into the Aquarium's courtyard with a large wall-to-wall viewing window, the 35,000-gallon exhibit is one of the Aquarium's larger indoor displays.

Passages of the Deep is a 1.32-million-gallon exhibit featuring three expansive ocean habitats connected by a series of tunnels that stretch under water for 200 feet. Suspended eight feet below the water’s surface and eight feet above the bottom, these tunnels create the sense of walking beneath the sea. Visitors nearly experience 360-degree views of the 3,500 sea creatures in these exhibits. The exhibit is designed for guests to view the changing underwater landscape, starting with Oregon’s rocky coastlines in the Orford Reef Exhibit, out to the Open Sea Exhibit that resembles the ocean environment far off shore. Orford Reef highlights Oregon’s rocky reefs, where kelp, anemones, wolf-eels, rockfishes and schooling surfperch abound. A machine creates a surge above to give visitors the feeling they are in a swaying kelp forest among the submerged basalt boulders.

Halibut Flats encounters a submerged shipwreck in this habitat where sunlight is abundant but kelp is notably absent. Here, interconnected species form a vibrant underwater community. In addition to the sturgeon, lingcod, halibut and flounder that patrol the shipwreck, the sandy ocean floor is a resting ground for well camouflaged skates, a disk-shaped species of fish related to sharks and rays.

Open Sea takes you on an undersea adventure that ends in the Open Sea exhibit, which represents the largest environment on Earth. Pools of light reach into the depths create the illusion of endless stretches of water. This 875,000 gallon exhibit is alive with five species of sharks, bat rays and schools of anchovy, salmon and mackerel. The sharks are particularly popular with Aquarium visitors and all species are native to Oregon coastal waters, including our largest specimen, the Broadnose Sevengill Shark.

Updated: May 2019

EXHIBITS

Outdoor exhibits are characterized by rugged cliffs, caves and pools that are home to the Aquarium’s sea otters, harbor seals and California sea lions, a giant Pacific octopus and turkey vultures. Tufted puffins and other ocean going birds are the stars of the Aquarium’s Seabird Aviary, which is one of the largest walk-through aviaries in North America. The Aquarium also offers family-friendly features like a children's play area and covered picnic tables. A quarter-mile Nature Trail through the Aquarium’s nature-scaped gardens includes three viewing decks that overlook the estuary. One deck is outfitted with a viewing scope to help visitors try to spot the over 200 species of migrating and resident birds that are sighted at the Aquarium each year.

The Sea Otter Exhibit is home to rescued male sea otters that were found as abandoned pups along the coasts of Alaska and California. These animals comprise the largest population of sea otters in the state of Oregon. Watching these otters frolic in their pools or interact with the Aquarium’s mammalogists during a public feeding presentation are highlights of many visitor’s experience. The Aquarium also hopes showcasing this threatened species to visitors will inspire efforts to permanently bring the sea otter back to the Oregon Coast!

The Seal and Sea Lion Exhibit features above and underwater viewing windows for visitors to observe the exhibit’s resident Harbor seals and California sea lions. Our sprawling Seal and Sea lion Exhibit contains up to 90,000 gallons of seawater and is as deep as fifteen feet in some, allowing the animals to dive, twist, twirl and leap as they would in the wild. The daily feeding presentations include an educational chat, but the animals usually steal the show with their acrobatic behaviors.

The Seabird Aviary, one of the largest in North America, exhibits five seabird species (tufted puffins, horned puffins, common murres, pigeon guillemots and rhinoceros auklets) and one shorebird species (black oystercatchers) native to the Oregon coast. Two pools give the sea birds ample room to "fly" underwater, which visitors can view through underwater windows. Artificial rock faces simulate the craggy cliffs these birds inhabit while nesting and burrows allow the Seabird Aviary’s residents to pair bond and nest as they would in the wild.

The Giant Pacific Octopus Cave hides our elusive Giant Pacific Octopus, Theodore. When visiting this habitat at the Aquarium, be patient and look carefully. This shy animal will often hide himself in the dark nooks and crannies of the exhibit.

The Turkey Vulture Aviary is home to sibling turkey vultures, Olive and Ichabod, that were rescued as chicks. The goal of the exhibit is to educate visitors about the unique biology of turkey vultures and important role scavengers fulfill in coastal ecosystems.

Updated: May 2019

ADVENTURES

Octopus Encounters offer guests the opportunity to interact and shake hands, or tentacles, with one of the most intelligent creatures in the ocean, a Giant Pacific Octopus. This behind-the-scenes tour includes educational information about the care of this amazing invertebrate.

Sea Jelly Encounters provide the opportunity to get hands-on with our moon jellies (Aurelia aurita). Visitors will learn about these ancient invertebrates and have a chance to touch the non-stinging “bell,” or top of the jelly. The moon jelly is unique because even though the tentacles contain nematocysts (stinging cells) like other sea jellies, the cells are very weak and typically cannot even be felt by humans.

Behind the Scenes Tours: How does the Aquarium care for a swarm of stinging jellies, a five-hundred pound California Sea Lion and dozens of toothy sharks? Travel behind the scenes with us to explore the ins and outs of caring for over 15,000 animals every day.

The Dive the Aquarium program lets certified scuba divers take a plunge into the Passages of the Deep exhibits. Named “Best shore dive on the Oregon coast,” this fee-based program offers visitors the opportunity to swim with animals native to the marine environments of the Pacific Northwest without the visibility and turbulence challenges divers frequently experience off of Oregon’s coast.

Sleepovers: Our Sleep in the Deep program offers visitors a chance to roll out their sleeping bags inside the Passages of the Deep tunnel as sharks, fish and rays circle above and below! You'll have the Aquarium to yourself as you explore our exhibits after-hours. This experience includes an educational scavenger hunt, hands-on activities led by knowledgeable staff and an early morning behind-the-scenes Aquarium adventure! Sleepovers include a full dinner with vegetarian options. A late-night snack and a light breakfast are also provided.

Seasonal Celebrations: The Aquarium’s schedules events all year to enhance visitors’ experiences. From spooky Trick or Treat Street, to the festive cheer of Sea of Lights, to conservation-oriented celebrations like World Oceans Day, there are special events to suit guests of all ages and interests.

Special Events: The Oregon Coast Aquarium is available for special events, parties, meetings, weddings and receptions. Catering services are offered for groups of 30 to 300 or more. More information is available at aquarium.org.

Updated: May 2019

Conservation & Animal

Rehabilitation

Rehabilitation

The Oregon Coast Aquarium rehabilitates and releases (when possible) injured or stranded birds, fur seals, harbor seal pups, sea turtles and more, including some endangered species. The Aquarium successfully rehabilitates and releases injured wild birds every year, including Western Snowy Plovers, which are classified as a threatened species under the federal Endangered Species Act. The Aquarium provides a long-term home for animals unfit to return to the wild under the directive of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

Research Aquarium scientific divers partnered with researchers at Multi-Agency Rocky Intertidal Network (MARINe) to monitor for sea star wasting syndrome on the Oregon Coast. The team were the first to document an outbreak in Oregon’s waters. The Aquarium’s scientific divers work with the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife to monitor marine life in and near marine reserves. The surveys currently focus on rockfish, a group of animals vital to Oregon’s coastal ecosystems and fisheries. The Aquarium’s mammalogists trained one of the Aquarium’s resident sea otters to participate in an olfactory, or sense of smell, research project that helped scientists realize otters have a much more acute sense of smell than previously thought. Yelloweye rockfish reproductive study was a project designed to help restore local bottom fish populations The Aquarium developed a training program for its resident bat rays. Staff successfully trained over 20 bat rays to enter the Open Sea exhibit’s adjacent medical pool when a light is signaled. This minimizes stress for the animals, as they voluntary separate themselves for feeding and medical procedures. Aquarium staff conducted research about the effects of temperature and diet on western pond turtles. Habitat monitoring in Oregon’s coastal bays and estuaries.

Conservation The Aquarium partners with SOLVE, a non-profit organization that facilitates restoration efforts of natural spaces in Oregon, for an annual cleanup of Yaquina Bay and two annual beach cleanups. These campaigns remove hundreds of tons of trash and waste from Oregon's beaches and waterways each year. The Oregon Coast Aquarium shared their sea otter, Adaa, with the Seattle Aquarium for a sea otter loan breeding program. Adaa’s was a success in the program, producing two pups– the first second-generation sea otters ever born in captivity. For the first time, Tufted Puffin eggs were successfully artificially incubated. The pufflings, or juvenile puffins, that emerged from the eggs that hatched matured into healthy adult birds Rhinoceros auklet chick hatched while the parent birds were in human care for the first time Pigeon Guillemot chick hatched while the parent birds were in human care for the first time Black Oystercatcher eggs laid and hatched while the parent birds were in human care for the first time The Aquarium collaborated with U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS), the Nature Conservancy on a project to restore Oregon silverspot butterfly habitat

Updated: May 2019

EDUCATION

Professional Aquarium educators trained in free choice learning and nature play have developed curricula for preschool through 12th grade, including pre-visit and post-visit activities, and conduct on-site lab and off-site outreach programs.

Animal encounters, behind-the-scenes tours, Aquatots preschool programs, dive presentations, special events such as World Oceans Day and Earth Day provide a variety of engaging and entertaining experiences for guests of all ages.

Highlights:

• The Aquarium’s outreach programs visit over 100 schools across Oregon, southern Washington and northern California each year, reaching more than 40,000 students.

• Host nearly 80 Sleep in the Deep sleepover programs for school groups, scouts, families and other groups.

• The Aquarium partners with Oregon Coast Community College to offer the only two-year signature degree program in Aquarium Science in the nation.

• Over 10,000 preschool through high school students experience the Aquarium with their class each year.

Off-site

Outreach School Programs: Aquarium education specialists travel across Oregon, southern Washington and northern California to deliver marine science to elementary school students. Eight different programs focus on whales, sharks, seals and sea lions, and intertidal invertebrates. The auditorium programs are designed for two age groups: kindergarten–grade 2 and grades 3–5. These programs use costumes, life- sized inflatable animals, interactive multi-media presentations and a variety of hands-on items to facilitate learning through play. Impact: During the 2017-18 academic school year, outreach program visited over 101 schools across the state and reached more than 35,000 students.

Online

Oceanscape Network is an online resource for teenagers and teachers to explore the coast’s natural wonders, whether from confines of an inland classroom or one of Oregon’s windswept beaches. The website’s formal and informal education features are designed to leverage the technology teenagers are already using to connect them with nature and the environment.

The website’s free inquiry-based science modules can assist Oregon high school students complete a pre- requisite for graduation, while helping their teachers integrate environmental literacy into the classroom without starting from scratch.

Outdoor recreation guides connect education to personal experiences on the ground, to encourage science- based learning and conservation action beyond the classroom.

The Oceanscape Network also lets users submit photos and videos, share stories or sightings of wild animals, and connect not only to others their age through social media feeds, but also staff at the Aquarium. This interaction between a credible source of marine science information and young adults encourages teenagers to act as citizen scientists in their daily lives.

Updated: May 2019

On Location

EDUCATION

Aquatots is an interactive education experience for preschool aged children and their families on the second Wednesday of every month. Activities are led by a dynamic Aquarium educator and include a different set of themed activities each month. Hands-on fun includes crafts, stories, songs, animal encounters and games.

School Visits: Support materials are available for self-guided tours at all grade levels. All programs address selected Oregon Common Curriculum Goals standards and benchmarks, as well as Ocean Literacy principles. Impact: Nearly 8,000 students visit the Aquarium with their school class each year. Classroom Lab Programs are available classes from pre-school through 12th grade. Each of the 12 unique programs offer grade-appropriate marine science experiences that align to state and national standards and Ocean Literacy principles. Programs are hands-on and designed so that they augment classroom instruction. Pre- and post-curriculum is also available. Impact: Nearly 2,300 preschool through high school aged students attend on-site lab programs at the Aquarium each year.

Sleep in the Deep: Aquarium sleepovers offer school groups, Cub and Girl Scout troops and families a chance to roll out their sleeping bags inside the Passages of the Deep tunnel as sharks, fish and rays circle above and below. The experience includes an educational scavenger hunt, hands-on activities led by knowledgeable staff and an early morning behind-the-scenes Aquarium adventure!

Volunteer Program: Over 300 volunteers dedicate their time to advancing the Aquarium’s mission. Volunteers work in all aspects of the Aquarium, from exhibit interpretation to animal husbandry and facility maintenance. Adult volunteers are over 18, and are given 30 hours of formal training in natural history, marine biology and teaching techniques. New volunteers are mentored by experienced volunteers.

Volunteer Dive Program: The Aquarium offers a PADI Habitat Course, which is a diver certification program volunteers must complete to assist the Aquarium staff with their underwater duties. Developed and managed in cooperation with Oregon dive shop owners and highly qualified dive instructors, participants learn about exhibit cleaning and maintenance, animal feeding and food preparation.

Youth Volunteer Program: The Aquarium offers a year-round youth volunteer program. Youth volunteers work with education and animal husbandry staff to learn about the natural history of marine animals and how they are cared for at the Aquarium. They can become interpreters or tour guides and share their knowledge with Aquarium’s visitors.

Teacher Resources The Oregon Coast Aquarium offers a variety of professional development opportunities throughout the school year and summer for individuals, schools and districts. These learning opportunities provide pedagogical strategies, are designed to meet Next Generation Science Standards and will support using your local community as a context for learning. You’ll increase your knowledge of science, improve teaching skills and return to your classroom with new ideas and resources to create engaging learning experiences. Contact us at education@aquarium.org to learn about upcoming trainings or to contract us to come directly to your school. Learning opportunities will include:

• Materials to replicate hands-on activities with your students • Verification of continuing education • Optional graduate credit (available with select opportunities)

Updated: May 2019

Our professional development opportunities include:

• The Coastal Learning Symposium is the Aquarium’s annual conference for pre-K-12 educators, informal educators, higher education and others to come together to share and refine their skills for using the ocean, forest and community as a context for learning across grades and subjects. The Oregon Coast Aquarium partners with the Oregon Coast STEM Hub and Oregon Forest Resources Institute to offer a unique learning experience each year.

The goals of the Coastal Learning Symposium:

- Empower educators to use their community and local natural resources to engage students in learning.

- Share best practices in STEM and interdisciplinary instruction pre-K-12. - Introduce student learning opportunities and methods for natural resource STEM

education.

- Create a community of educators who can support each other as they implement new materials in the classroom.

Join us each October to prepare the next generation of Oregonians to experience and protect our state’s resources and legacy. For more information, contact education@aquarium.org.

• Project-Based Learning: Discover how utilizing this interdisciplinary instructional method can

create engaging units of study that teach content and skills through authentic community learning experiences.

• Next Generation Science Standards: Learn how use the Next Generation Science Standards to engage your students in STEM activities using best practices. Specific areas of exploration include science and engineering practices, cross-cutting concepts across grades and disciplinary core ideas.

• Pedagogy of Place: Discover creative ways to bring student learning to the outdoors. During this educator retreat, you can expect to feel recharged, inspired, and better prepared to make “place” an integral part of meeting student learning goals.

• NAAEE Guidelines Trainings: Discover ways to improve your environmental education materials using the North American Association of Environmental Educators Guidelines for Excellence.

• Creating Powerful Field Experiences: Discover strategies to make student field trips a meaningful part of your annual curriculum. Topics include improving chaperone engagement, utilizing community partners and sites and designing experiences around student learning objectives.

• Outdoor School at Our Place: Outdoor School has had a long history in 5-6th grade throughout Oregon. If your school is looking to create or enhance your school’s in-house Outdoor School experience, we can help you design, implement and assess the experience you create for your students.

• Oceanscape Network Education Center: The Oceanscape Network offers resources for middle school and high school teachers. Free accounts allow educators to set up online student communities and facilitate inquiry-based learning. The Network also offers videos, downloads and other valuable educator resources. Click here to visit the Education Center.

Updated: May 2019

Historic Milestones

1992 Oregon Coast Aquarium’s grand opening on May 23, 1992 was heralded by news organizations throughout the state as a landmark event. Nine months later, the facility hosted its millionth visitor, eight months earlier originally than projected. Discovery Bay, the first exhibit created by the Aquarium for the changing exhibit gallery, opened. This interactive exhibit was popular among families with young children. The world's first artificially incubated tufted puffin egg hatched at the Aquarium. Oregon Coast Aquarium received the Waterfront Center Honor Award. This prestigious award identified high-quality developments and visionary plans that make balanced and constructive use of urban waterfront resources. 1993 “Journey of the Raindrop”, a film produced by Odyssey Productions for the Oregon Coast Aquarium was presented with a MUSE award by the American Association of Museums. The film illustrated the Aquarium’s mission by telling the story of a single drop of rain as it travels from coastal mountains through streams and rivers and makes its way into the Pacific Ocean. Seasons of the Salmon opened to chronicle the life cycle of the Pacific salmon, this exhibit included four freshwater tanks, a video and interactive elements. 1994 Oregon Coast Aquarium announced Lincoln County School Days program, which offered discounted admission for school groups in order to make the Aquarium experience accessible to local students. 1995 Black oystercatcher eggs were laid and hatched for the first time under human care in the Aquarium’s Seabird Aviary. FROGS! Clues to Survival opened to feature endangered frogs from around the world and a crawl-through turtle tank to let visitor see the Aquairum from a turtle’s perspective. The Aquarium extended the exhibit for nearly four years due to popular demand. 1996 Keiko, the orca that starred in the Free Willy movie series, arrived at the Oregon Coast Aquarium for rehabilitation. Keiko, who had won the hearts of children and captured the imagination of the world, attracted the attention of the national and international press when he moved to Oregon. 1997 Flights of Fancy, a film produced by Odyssey Productions to teach viewers about the extraordinary lives of coastal seabirds as represented at the Aquarium, won a Bronze Apple from the National Educational Media Network. The educational award is given to recognize a film’s excellence and artistic skill in media. 1998 A rehabilitated and healthy Keiko left the Aquarium for his new home in Iceland. The Aquarium started an Educational Outreach program that developed school auditorium presentations and teacher workshops. Aquarium educators traveled to bring these interactive programs, with topics including marine mammals, sharks and intertidal life to schools throughout Oregon and southwestern Washington. 1999 Jellies: Jewels of the Sea opened in an enlarged changing exhibit area. The exhibit showcased more than a dozen species of jellyfish beside blown glass jellies created by noted artist Chris Hawthorn. The exhibit “At the Jetty” opened to feature underwater Yaquina Bay jetty habitats complete with salmon and rockfish. Family Fun and Northwest Travel magazines named the Oregon Coast Aquarium the number one family- friendly aquarium in the Northwest. 2000

Updated: May 2019

Passages of the Deep opened in the facility that was once home to Keiko, the orca. The newly transformed exhibit features a three part acrylic tunnel for visitors to wander for 200 feet through three ocean habitats, surrounded by thousands of fishes, including sharks. The Aquarium was awarded the American Zoological Association Bean Award for its Rhinoceros auklet breeding program. 2001 The Aquarium rehabilitated and displayed three male sea otters. This marked the first time an aquarium

successfully exhibited both northern and southern male sea otters. The exhibit that they called home was the largest sea otter pool and habitat in the United States.

The Great White Mystery: What Happened to Surfer Bob? exhibit opened 2002 Enchanted Seas opened to showcase seahorses, sea dragons, cuttlefish, and other magical creatures. 2003 Undersea Explorer, Mysteries of the Deep opened featuring submersible research vessels and an interactive lab to teach visitors about some of the challenges researchers face in ocean exploration. 2004 Masters of the Night, an exhibit designed to dispel myths about bats and show the ecosystems services these winged mammals provide, opened. Bats were born under human care in the Masters of the Night exhibit. 2005 Turtle Trek: A Journey of Survival opened Memorial Day weekend, the interactive exhibit featured 17 species of turtles and educated visitors about threats to and conservation opportunities for turtles. A Vietnamese leaf turtle, a critically endangered species, hatched in the Aquarium’s Turtle Trek exhibit. The art exhibit The Living Waters of Tillamook Bay opened. Coastal Living and USA Today featured the Oregon Coast Aquarium among the top ten U.S. Aquariums. 2006 Claws, a colorful exhibit exploring the strange and diverse world of crabs, lobsters, shrimp, isopods and copepods opens Memorial Day Weekend. An injured Harbor seal pup was rescued and received urgent care and rehabilitation at the Aquarium. The pup was successfully released into the wild three months later. A large cluster of wolf-eel eggs hatched in the Aquarium 2007 The Aquarium introduced five broadnose sevengill sharks and anchovies in Passages of the Deep. Saving the World One Rockfish at a Time, opened July 3 at the Aquarium, an exhibit created by six Oregon Coast Aquarium youth volunteers. Oregon Secretary of State Bill Bradbury presented the volunteers with an award for the project. The students presented their project at the National Summit on Oceans and Coasts in Washington D.C., addressing bycatch, misidentification and barotrauma to rockfish. Parents Magazine named the Oregon Coast Aquarium among the best aquariums in the U.S. 2008 Oddwater, an exhibit featuring unusual marine animals and hand blown glass inside exhibits, opened Memorial Day weekend. Trip Advisor and Forbes Traveler named the Oregon Coast Aquarium one of the top rated aquariums in the U.S. The Aquarium celebrated its 10 millionth visitor on September 10. 2009 The Aquarium introduced two 18 month-old turkey vultures to a newly-constructed aviary. The names, “Ichabod” and “Olive” were selected from public entries in a Name the Turkey Vulture contest. The birds, male and female siblings, were rescued from the Raptor Education group in Antigo, Wisconsin. 2010 • The Aquarium completed its role in rehabilitating two stranded sea turtles in January when the turtles

were flown to the SeaWorld Turtle Rehabilitation Center where they completed their recovery and were released back into the wild.

• Swampland, a vibrant exhibit featuring three different freshwater swamp habitats, opened • Washed Ashore, an exhibit made from plastics found on Oregon beaches, opens in Passages of the Deep.

Updated: May 2019

• Mojoe, an eight month old rehabilitated Northern sea otter joined the Aquarium’s Sea Otter Exhibit. 2011 • Beauty and the Birds, a photography exhibit featuring birds in their native habitats by photographers Susan and Steve Dimock, opens in Passages of the Deep. • The Aquarium co-hosted Lincoln County’s first ever K-12 Ocean Literacy Symposium in Newport. 2012 • The Sea & Me, an interactive exhibit inspired by children’s museums, opened Memorial Day weekend. The exhibit features colorful displays and play experiences that invite curiosity. 2013 • The Oregon Coast Aquarium’s observed its 20th Anniversary on Memorial Day weekend, 2012. • The Aquarium continues its role in wildlife rehabilitation, successfully re-releasing sea turtles and birds back into the wild. • The newly remodeled Pinniped Exhibit opened on April 27 with a ribbon cutting and special sea lion presentation. The changes quadrupled the number of visitors that can see inside the exhibit at a given time. • The Aquarium partnered with the Oregon Coast Community College Foundations to host Oyster Cloyster as a fundraiser for the Aquarium and the College’s Aquarium Science Program. 2014 • Aquarium scientific divers document sea star wasting syndrome for the first time on Oregon’s coast. • Nuka, a rehabilitated Northern sea otter pup from Alaska joined the Sea Otter Exhibit in April. Oswald, a stranded Southern sea otter pup from California arrived at the Aquarium in May. • Aquarium scientific divers documented juvenile stars on the Oregon coast for the first time after sea star wasting struck in October. 2015 • The Aquarium successfully rehabilitated an olive ridley sea turtle that stranded on a beach in Long Beach, Washington. • The Aquarium adopted three harbor seals named Elvis, Miller and Tater from Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo, California. • Secrets of Shipwrecks: Part History. Part Mystery. an exhibit interpreting the science of underwater exploration and artificial reefs, opened Memorial Day weekend. • The Aquarium treated a rare tropical masked booby whose flight feathers sustained damage when a well- meaning person grabbed it off a dock in an attempt to help it. 2016 • The yellowtail jacks and a barred knifejaw that made international headlines when they were found trapped inside a boat hull from the 2011 Japan Tsunami settle into the Aquarium's exhibits • A trio of olive ridley sea turtles are treated at the Aquarium • Thunder and Lightning, two distressed sea turtles that were rescued after winter storms in Oregon have been successfully treated by the Oregon Coast Aquarium. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) worked with the U.S. Coast Guard to fly them back to warmer waters. • The Aquarium welcomed two new sea lions, Rosa and Catalina, rescued after stranding on the coat of California • The Aquarium partnered with OSU and ODFW researchers to monitor fishes in marine reserves • The Aquarium released a rehabilitated Western snowy plover • For its advertising campaign titled “Sea Spectacular”—the Oregon Coast Aquarium won the 2016 Max Award for Print Advertising, presented by the American Marketing Association of Portland 2017 • The Aquarium rescued a rare brown booby and assisted in its relocation to San Pedro, California • Joined NOAA and OSU on a nine-day cruise off the coast to study the changing ocean conditions in the North Pacific • Opened Big Bites exhibit, which showcases creatures with feeding adaptations that are truly cutting edge • Governor proclaims May 23, 2017 as Oregon Coast Aquarium Day • Among winners of the 2016 Travel and Tourism Industry Achievement Award • Assisted OSU researches in testing unmanned gliders to monitor underwater sound pollution • Welcomed Flower the Opossum as a rescued ambassador animal • The three olive ridley turtles rescued by the Aquarium in 2014 were released by SeaWorld San Diego • The Aquarium released two young Western snowy plovers that were rescued by ODFW biologists 2018 • The Aquarium successfully rehabilitated and released an entangled northern fur seal pup • Aquarium youth team won first place at the Salmon Bowl at Oregon State University

Updated: May 2019

• Aquarium wins “Outstanding social Media Program Award” at Oregon Governor Conference • Common murre chicks flood west coast wildlife rehabilitation centers, including the Aquarium • Aquarium successfully fundraises for new sea otter holding facility 2019 • Aquarium and Partners Host “Rise Above Plastic Pollution Day” at Oregon State Capitol • Aquarium Youth Team Places Sixth at National Ocean Sciences Bowl in Washington D.C. • New exhibit, SEAPUNK: Powered by Imagination, opens • Aquarium and Seniors Advocates for Generational Equity (SAGE) Host Future of Our Oceans Event with Dr. Sylvia Earle