On October 7th, 350,000 children from 12,500 schools visited the Clearwater Marine Aquarium on a field trip – a virtual field trip. These children traveled to Florida and met Winter the Dolphin without leaving their classrooms, through a live webcast presented by Scholastic Books, publisher of the inspirational children’s book Winter’s Tail: How One Little Dolphin Learned to Swim Again.
“Showtime!” a volunteer from the Clearwater Marine Aquarium said as the Loggerhead sea turtle named Betsy was lifted from a truck, on a stretcher, on Clearwater Beach. The turtle, who had spent the past three months on rest and rehabilitation at the aquarium, was finally recuperated enough to be released back into the wild on August 27.
On July 10th, the Clearwater Marine Aquarium (CMA) announced Pinellas County’s first sea turtle hatchlings of the year. Late at night on July 9th, the first two nests of the year hatched, both on Indian Rocks Beach. CMA’s sea turtle nesting staff were on hand to witness the event, and to keep the hatchlings safe until they reached the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Ninety-eight sea turtle hatchlings from nest #1 and eighty-three from nest #2 made their way into the Gulf that night.
Enmeshed in our own daily challenges, it’s easy to overlook the valuable lessons in survival that nature still has to offer our societal and technical advancements. “Winter, The Dolphin That Could”, is an inspiring film of a dolphin that was rescued from the near death of being entangled in a crab trap off Cape Canaveral. The recounting of this true story reminds us of the amazing miracles that abound from the shear will to survive - against all odds - and a little help from our friends.
CLEARWATER, FL - The Fourth of July. The phrase conjures memories of hotdogs, apple pie, family picnics and fireworks – and thoughts of freedom, liberty and patriotic pride. For each of us perhaps it means something a little different, but for all of us it means something. Now the Clearwater Marine Aquarium (CMA) is asking what it means to your child, with a contest for children ages 5 to 15. Six winners will be chosen for a meeting with the CMA dolphins, and the chance-of-a-lifetime opportunity to be part of the dolphin show at the Fourth of July extravaganza.