Aquarium

As the bottlenose dolphins swam gracefully past the viewing window at the National Aquarium in Baltimore , Devon Minarik and Caroline Trowbridge said their vows on 01/01/11. "It's a special place. It's gorgeous and we like to be different," Trowbridge said, adding that New Year's is "my favorite holiday. " The couple is the third generation of Minarik's family to say 'I do' on the first day of the year. The New Year's vows, after all, seem to work for them. Minarik's parents celebrated their 30th anniversary Saturday while his grandparents — who will both turn 90 later this year — enjoyed their 66th year together.

The gentle bottlenose dolphin that was the mother of the first dolphin calf to be born at the National Aquarium in Baltimore in 1992 died over the weekend after doctors and technicians worked for about a year to nurse her through an array of illnesses. Aquarium officials estimated that the dolphin, named Shiloh, was 31 years old. "It's an incredibly difficult time" for members of the aquarium staff who care for the dolphins, said Brent Whitaker, deputy director of biological programs at the aquarium.

The National Aquarium is set Thursday to unveil its new Conservation Center, established to focus the institution's work in marine conservation and research, and to expand its scope to a national and global stage. In cooperation with scientists at aquariums and universities here and across the country, the center's researchers are already at work tracking contaminants from the BP oil well blowout, and studying threatened eagle rays. "With what's happening to the environment today, with the pressure of human activity, [the board felt]

A major Wall Street credit rating agency revised its outlook of the National Aquarium's finances to "stable" on Tuesday, after the nonprofit attraction at the Inner Harbor last year experienced a dip in its position because of the weak economy. Last June, Moody's Investor Service cut the aquarium's bond rating from "A3" to "Baa1," which made it more expensive for the nonprofit to borrow money. The service this week affirmed the rating, which impacts $29.7 million in debt but changed its outlook from negative to stable.

One of Baltimore's most famous harbor lights is going dark, in the name of energy-efficiency. Starting Wednesday, the National Aquarium in Baltimore is taking down the iconic blue neon wave on the south side of its Pier 3 building, an enduring symbol of Maryland's "world of water" and a fixture on the city skyline since the building opened in 1981. The aquarium is replacing the neon wave with one made of "light emitting diodes" or LEDs, a light source that is expected to cut the energy use associated with illuminating the wave by 70 percent.

Sleeping with the fishes has never been so much fun. OK, we know, technically dolphins aren't fish, they're mammals. But the folks at Baltimore's National Aquarium won't mind if, in all the excitement about getting to spend the night with their dolphins, people get a little mixed up. The Dolphin Sleepover program "offers an intimate connection to the dolphins," says Wendy Shepard, the aquarium's immersion tours manager. "With dolphins, it's pretty easy to keep people engaged."

Scientists from the National Aquarium and the Johns Hopkins University are gearing up to study the ecosystem of Sarasota Bay before crude oil from the BP Deepwater blowout reaches southwest Florida waters. Working in cooperation with the Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, the Maryland researchers will collect samples of sediments, water and marine organisms as a baseline for comparison later, if the oil reaches the area. "We want to make sure we have that 'pre' information, otherwise it will be almost impossible to obtain meaningful values for the damage that will have occurred to the natural resources," said Erik Rifkin, interim executive director of the National Aquarium Conservation Center.

Dora the Explorer, an animated, 7-year-old expeditionist whose backpacking adventures have made her a darling among preschool youngsters, is currently starring at Baltimore's National Aquarium. The Nick Jr. children's television network character teams up with cousin Diego in the film "Dora & Diego's 4-D Adventure: Catch that Robot Butterfly!" at the aquarium's 4-D Immersion Theater. The film is scheduled to be shown all month. Daily shows began this week and a Diego costumed character will make a special appearance at the aquarium Saturday and Sunday.

Three endangered Kemp's ridley sea turtles that have been nursed back to health at the National Aquarium in Baltimore are to be returned to the wild Saturday at the southern tip of Maryland. The turtles were rescued from New England and Delaware last winter suffering from cold stunning, a form of hypothermia. After six months of rehabilitation at the aquarium, the animals are being released at 11 a.m. at Point Lookout State Park in St. Mary's County, where the Potomac River joins the Chesapeake Bay. Sign up for Baltimore Sun local news text alerts

As the Gulf oil spill ensnares marine animals, the staff at the National Aquarium and the state's wildlife veterinarian are preparing for a life or death situation. For the aquarium, the phone may ring and someone will ask for help recovering animals or if some of its pools can be converted to intensive care units for injured sea turtles. As part of the Marine Mammal Stranding Network, the aquarium is housing four healing turtles from natural mishaps here and in New England that it would like to release in June to make room for Gulf turtles.