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Don't forget: The Visitor Center is operating on its summer schedule, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., seven days
a week through Labor
Day.
Daily activities
(June 29 through Labor Day)
- 11:00 a.m. Guided walking tour of the Yaquina estuary. Our mile-and-a-quarter trail is paved and wheelchair accessible.
- 1:30p.m. OceanQuest '08: Multimedia auditorium presentation of deep-sea research conducted in Antarctica by HMSC researchers. The presentation features stunning videos of undersea life and recordings of the calls of marine mammals.
Sharing the Coast
Conference
Aug. 15-17
The public is invited to join members of the Northwest Aquatic Marine Educators and Oregon Coast Conservation Coalition for their annual conference at the HMSC Visitor Center.
Lectures in the Hennings Auditorium on Saturday, starting at 9:30 a.m., are free and open to the public. They include:
- Marine educator Marty Giles speaking on “The World of the Beach”
- Oregon Sea Grant's Sam Chan will discuss invasive species and how they are changing the coast
- Skye Moody, author of “Washed Up!” will take the audience on a tour of the drift line and reveal what beachcombing finds can teach us about the ocean.
The conference also includes workshops on a variety of marine education topics, and a "State of the Oceans" presentation Friday night by oceanographer John McGowan for those who register. Registration for the entire three-day event is $30 for the general public and $10 for members of NAME or OCCC. Conference registrants are also invited to spend the night at the Oregon Coast Aquarium (additional fees required.
Download the registration flyer here. For more information contact Fawn Custer, (541) 867-0329,
fawn.custer@oregonstate.edu
Marine Life Makeovers
Sunday, Aug. 17, 10 a.m.
Join us as we perform "museum makeovers" on sea turtle skeletons, sea otters, and a California sea lion skull. We will be "flensing with friends", removing flesh from a previously dissected loggerhead turtle, and recovering tissue and bone for researchers.
The sea otter and sea lion skulls need to be repaired and glued back together before returning to public display.
This should be a great opportunity to watch what normally occurs behind the scenes in museum specimen preparations.
Looking ahead:
October: Albatrosses of the North Pacific
The Audubon Society of Portland is planning a special weekend outing to the HMSC Visitor Center to hear a presentation by Dr. Rob Suryan, an OSU researchers specializing in the foraging ecology of seabirds, on studies using satellite radio tagging of Short-tailed and other species of albatross. The excursion includes an off-shore excursion to Perpetua Bank, some 60 miles off the Oregon coast, for a full day of pelagic birding. Registration is limited to 18 people; $395 for members and $425 for non-members. Watch the Society's Web site for registration information.
Oregon Coast Quests
ongoing, year-round
Oregon Sea Grant and the Visitor Center have teamed up with other state
and county organizations to present Oregon Coast Quests, fun and
educational clue-directed hunts that encourage the year-round exploration
of areas of natural and cultural significance in Lincoln County. In this
self-guided activity, Questers are challenged to follow a map and find
a series of clues designed to help them locate a hidden box -- and have
fun learning along the way. Read
all about this great new family activity ! New Quests are coming soon!
Don't miss our ongoing exhibit:
Hatfield Marine Science Center
Where science is always fun!
Admission is by donation; fees are required for classes and group activities
Don't forget to check what's going on at the Visitor
Center bookstore, too.
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Public viewing feeding times
Many visitors enjoy watching the aquarists feed our larger
live animals, including the resident
octopus. With our summer hours, the feeding schedule for the wolf eel and giant Pacific octopus will
be:
Sundays: Wolf eel feeding at 10:30*
Mondays: Octopus feeding at 1:00
Wednesdays: Wolf eel feeding at 10:30*
Thursdays: Octopus feeding at 1:00
Fridays: Wolf eel feeding at 10:30*
Saturdays: Octopus feeding at 1:00
*Note: Our Wolf eels are having a medical checkup, but we expect them back in the tanks soon.
Other activities:
Guided tours and nature walks
Educational tours are available to groups for a small fee to help cover
staff costs. Our volunteers and staff strive to provide every curious
visitor with a friendly interpretive visit. To assist them in that goal,
we request at least one week's advance notice for groups of more than
a dozen people. Tour and fee information is available here.
For those who prefer to explore on their own, a pleasant, wheelchair-accessible paved trail permits easy access to the sights and sounds of the Yaquina Bay Estuary, with interpretive signage. And visitors are always welcomed to explore the indoor exhibits and auditorium presentations free of charge and have their questions answered by our volunteers.
For more information or to set up a tour, contact Maureen
Collson, 541-867-0159 or 2030 S. Marine Science Drive, Newport, OR 97365.
Explore and enjoy from home:
Podcasting the HMSC: Ocean Learning
is a virtual video tour of the Visitor Center via your iPod or computer.
Breaking Waves:
Read the new Oregon Sea Grant blog and keep informed about events at
the Visitor Center and other ocean and coastal news.
Marine educator Bill Hanshumaker reports on his second trip
to Antarctica with an acoustic research team led by HMSC scientist Robert
Dziak. Read about his adventures in his 2006 expedition blog -
and read about the 2005 voyage here.
Bill's adventures blogging from Antarctica are featured on NOAA's
Ocean Explorer site.
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