Aquarium In Baltimore

Mission: To stimulate interest, develop knowledge and inspire stewardship of aquatic environments by providing cultural, recreational and educational experiences through exhibits and programs. The aquarium's diverse collection of more than 10,000 animals, representing more than 600 species of fish, birds, amphibians, reptiles and marine mammals, lives in re-created habitats.Latest accomplishment: Since March, the aquarium's temporary exhibit space has been taken over by 40 species of terrestrial and aquatic venomous animals,including the death adder, gaboon viper, velvet ants and gila monster.

There's a new dolphin calf at the National Aquarium in Baltimore. An Atlantic bottlenose dolphin named Jade gave birth to the calf Wednesday night. The newborn dolphin was about 30 pounds and 2 to 3 feet long at birth. Aquarium staff haven't been able to determine the sex of the calf yet. But they say the calf appears to be healthy. It has started to nurse and has been swimming alongside Jade and another female dolphin. The aquarium notes that even with a successful birth and an experienced mother, about one-third of dolphin calves don't survive their first year of life -- either in the wild or in captivity.

Its stars may be as frolicsome and endearing as ever, but designers of the new dolphin show at the National Aquarium in Baltimore say the idea is to do more than simply show the aquatic charmers at play. "In the old show, Play, we tried to show play as a form of learning," says Nancy Hotchkiss, the aquarium's senior director for visitor experiences. "We wanted people to see that with the dolphins, and realize that for themselves." The new show, titled Our Ocean Planet, tries for something a little more serious, she says.

Exhibit on Baltimore NAACP opens today at central Pratt A new exhibition sponsored by the Enoch Pratt Free Library and the Baltimore branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People opens today at the Central Library, 400 Cathedral St. Titled "97 Years and Counting," the exhibition contains memorabilia from the nearly century-old Baltimore branch of the NAACP. On display are historic photographs, posters and documents from the NAACP's start in 1912 through the civil rights movement and the organization's work today.

Dr. Stewart Bauman, an 84-year-old Columbia resident who has a degenerative disease, was leaving the National Aquarium in Baltimore in his wheelchair after silently watching the jellyfish and electric eels.Staffer member Audrey Suhr offered a warm goodbye. The occasion was Aquarium Cares, a free program inviting mentally and physically challenged visitors twice a year to have the entire place to themselves and family.In response, Bauman, looked at her and spoke words that were magic to his daughter, Nechie King, who had accompanied him:"I had a lovely time."

LEWES, Del. -- It had been a dogfish day afternoon for a team of researchers from the National Aquarium in Baltimore.On the fourth day of a weeklong Delaware Bay expedition hunting for sharks and other exotic sea creatures, four marine biologists kept pulling up the apparently uninteresting and toothless dogfish shark -- 15 of them to that point. They frowned and tossed all of them back.The aquarium staff comes to the Delaware Bay each year in search of sandbar sharks to add to its collection and to release sandbar sharks that have become too big and too aggressive to keep in the tank with smaller fish.

Architect Peter Chermayeff was 38 when he got a phone call about the possibility of designing an aquarium for Baltimore's waterfront. Housing commissioner Robert C. Embry Jr. had visited Boston's popular New England Aquarium, which opened in 1969, and envisioned building a similar attraction for Baltimore's Inner Harbor. Aware that Chermayeff led the design effort for New England, Embry wanted to hire him for Baltimore as well. It was an enormous responsibility for such a relatively young architect, but Embry didn't consider it a gamble.

I was kneeling under 12 feet of water when the sensation began, the feeling of something soft and velvety on the back of my neck. A minute passed, then another, and it was still there, a feathery pressure. There were nine sharks, including two very playful zebra sharks, swimming near me, but I wasn't worried about the tickle coming from one of them. They all kept a respectable - if not respectful - distance, even if that was barely a foot away at times. After all, I had told dive master Yves Delpech I would not be intimidated by having the creatures on top of me, in a manner of speaking.

This is a scene from an Eisner Communications television ad for the National Aquarium in Baltimore's Australia exhibit, which is scheduled to open Dec. 16.

The National Aquarium in Baltimore has announced the following increases in ticket prices to take effect Saturday:..... ..... .....New..... ..... ..... OldAdults.. ..... .....$11.50.. ..... ..... $10.75Students, seniors,military ..... ...... 8.75.. ..... ....... 8.50Children 3-11.. ..... 6.75.. ..... ....... 6.50Children under 3 .... free.. ..... ....... freeThere are several discount days. Admission is $1 on Aug. 8, the anniversary of the aquarium opening. Tickets are $3.50 every Friday after 5 p.m. between Oct. 1 and March 31, 1992.

National Aquarium in Baltimore, whose bond rating was downgraded by a major Wall Street firm this week, said Wednesday that the nonprofit has been taking steps to improve its financial condition during tough economic times. Moody's Investors Service cut the aquarium's rating from "A3" to "Baa1," which is still an investment-grade category but a move that makes it more expensive to borrow money. Moody's cited concerns about the aquarium's diminishing financial resources due to recent investment losses, using funds from the group's foundation arm to finance capital projects and pressure on attendance as well as exposure to debt with a variable rate.

Its stars may be as frolicsome and endearing as ever, but designers of the new dolphin show at the National Aquarium in Baltimore say the idea is to do more than simply show the aquatic charmers at play. "In the old show, Play, we tried to show play as a form of learning," says Nancy Hotchkiss, the aquarium's senior director for visitor experiences. "We wanted people to see that with the dolphins, and realize that for themselves." The new show, titled Our Ocean Planet, tries for something a little more serious, she says.

Woman stabbed to death at Baltimore County store 1 A 23-year-old woman was fatally stabbed yesterday afternoon in a liquor store in western Baltimore County near the city line, Baltimore County police said. The woman was in the Charing Cross Liquors store in the 5200 block of Baltimore National Pike around 4 p.m. when she was stabbed in the neck, Cpl. Ben Yohe said. The woman, whose name was not released, was taken to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center where she was pronounced dead, Yohe said.

The "staycation" trend has been around since last summer and with the recent economic turmoil, it's probably here to stay. Even if the market rebounds quickly, there's still baggage fees, fewer flights and general travel weariness dragging down tourism. There are a couple of bright spots in the recent patch of dreary financial news. One is the rising strength of the dollar against some foreign currencies, which could help you save a few bucks on a hotel in London or Quebec. Another is falling gas prices that make the quick weekend getaway a bit more tempting.

What was that thing in the water? A dolphin? A shark? Gail Hill was calmly feeding the ducks off her pier in Essex's Norman Creek on Tuesday evening when she spotted what was unmistakably a large form moving just under the surface. Wait, make that two. It was only when one of the beasts popped its whiskered snout out of the water that Hill realized the visitors were manatees - a not-too-common animal in the Chesapeake Bay and its estuaries. Normally, they're sunning themselves in balmy Florida.

I was kneeling under 12 feet of water when the sensation began, the feeling of something soft and velvety on the back of my neck. A minute passed, then another, and it was still there, a feathery pressure. There were nine sharks, including two very playful zebra sharks, swimming near me, but I wasn't worried about the tickle coming from one of them. They all kept a respectable - if not respectful - distance, even if that was barely a foot away at times. After all, I had told dive master Yves Delpech I would not be intimidated by having the creatures on top of me, in a manner of speaking.

On October 24, 2006, ROBERT S. CHRISTY; beloved husband of Jean (nee Ensign); loving father of Cynthia (Ralph), of Rochester, NY and Craig, of Irvine, CA; grandfather of Eric, Alison, Ian, Keanan and Zachary. Services private. Contributions may be made to the National Aquarium in Baltimore, 501 E. Pratt St., Baltimore, MD 21202

Learn to make your own musical instruments tomorrow at the National Aquarium in Baltimore. Abu the Flutemaker teaches children how to turn recyclable materials into traditional African drums and flutes at his "Make and Take Workshop." After creating the instruments, young visitors can make music along with Abu. The aquarium offers $5 admission after 5 p.m. on Fridays, which includes the workshop, a dolphin show and access to the exhibit Seahorses: Beyond Imagination. The music workshop with Abu takes place at 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. tomorrow at the National Aquarium in Baltimore, Pier 3, 501 E. Pratt St. $5. Call 410-576-8877.

A female dolphin calf that was born Sunday at the National Aquarium in Baltimore appears to be in "robust health," but her survival for the critical first year will depend on her mother, aquarium officials said yesterday. Chesapeake, a 16-year-old Atlantic bottlenose dolphin, gave birth at 7:13 a.m. to a 30-pound, 2- to 3-foot-long calf - her third since 1992. The mother will not appear in any shows for at least another year, a spokeswoman said. The birth comes about two weeks after the loss of a dolphin male calf, which was stillborn July 14. Aquarium officials are awaiting the results of a necropsy at the Johns Hopkins University's comparative pathology lab. "Since we put so much time and care into these animals, we're very excited with this calf's arrival," aquarium spokeswoman Jen Bloomer said.

You're probably safe in assuming that there's only one time each year where the favorite destination of dozens of people is a Baltimore parking garage. That time was the VIP Artscape kickoff party held at the Meyerhoff Parking Garage. Guests gathered on the top of the garage for drinks, hors d'oeuvres, and all sorts of hobnobbing. All, with a bird's-eye view of the arts festival swirling around the building below. It was the first time A&R Cos. executive vice president Marjorie Rodgers Cheshire had come to the party.