Aquarium

Staff of the National Aquarium in Baltimore will be in Ocean City tomorrow for the Annual Maryland Dolphin Count and they're looking for volunteers to join them. The count takes place 9 a.m. to noon Friday, along the beach at 40th Street and at 130th Street, where you can join the aquarium in sighting the dolphins off the coast. Aquarium staff will also be stationed at Assateague State Park (Day Use Area). Volunteers who can spend a few hours on the beach watching the water and filling out data sheets are welcome at all three locations, where the groups will be divided into teams of counters.

Pneumonia killed one dolphin calf at the National Aquarium last month while internal bleeding took the life of another baby days later, according to results of a necropsy released Friday. The aquarium has yet to resume its popular dolphin shows because the surviving dolphins remain distressed by the deaths. According to the necropsy, the deaths of the two 2-month-old calves were unrelated, said Brent R. Whitaker, the aquarium's deputy executive director for biological programs.

Animal trainer Deirdre Weadock has worked at the National Aquarium long enough to have seen her share of life and death, but she'll tell you this has been the roughest week of her career. Losing one dolphin, then another, within days. "You can't really describe what this feels like to other people," Weadock said Sunday, her voice breaking. "I guess any parent can relate. " On Saturday night, the second of the aquarium's two calves died in the arms of the aquarium's medical workers as they tried desperately to save her. The first had been found dead in the pool on Tuesday.

The National Aquarium Institute has tapped a California aquarium industry veteran to be the organization's next CEO. John C. Racanelli, 55, will be expected to increase the ocean conservation and educational messages delivered through the National Aquariums in Baltimore and Washington. Visitors should see some physical improvements in the public exhibit areas, too, according to the board chairwoman, Jennifer Reynolds. The new CEO will also take over the organization's key fundraising role, including the $50 million capital campaign for construction of a new National Aquarium building on the Mall in Washington.

William Donald Schaefer, the dominant political figure of the last half-century of Maryland history, died Monday after a "do-it-now" career that changed the face of Baltimore while bringing a new burst of energy to the city he loved. Mr. Schaefer was 89. In four terms as mayor and two as governor, he was a champion of big projects that transformed Baltimore: Harborplace, Camden Yards, the National Aquarium, the Convention Center and the light rail among them. Yet he was also intensely involved with the mundane details of city neighborhoods.

Whether it's diving to feed stingrays, creating terrariums, interpreting exhibits or inspiring visitors about conservation, volunteers at the National Aquarium in Baltimore make a measurable impact. The hours they contributed last year equal 53 full-time jobs, a value of $2.4 million. And even with a slumping economy, overall service was up 5 percent in 2010 compared with the past three years. "It was a record year. These are jobs we never have to pay for because volunteers have stepped up," said Nancy Hotchkiss, senior director of visitor experiences at the National Aquarium.

The last two "Fridays after Five" discounts in honor of the National Aquarium in Baltimore 's 30th anniversary are tonight, March 18 and next Friday, March 25. As we've told you before , buy a ticket to enter after 5 p.m. and pay only $8 per person; dolphin shows cost an additional $4. And tonight is the Target Family Fun Night at Port Discovery , with $2 admission from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. You'll also be able to...