Discovery Day at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab – Celebrating 200 Years of NOAA

Jan 31, 2007

What: Discovery Day at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab – Celebrating 200 Years of NOAA

When: Saturday, April 14
Address by NOAA officals and Groundbreaking of new building at Sea Lab,
The Richard C. Shelby Center for Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management,
A National Marine Fisheries Service Building
9:30am to 10:00am

Discovery Day Activities
10:00am to 2:00pm

Where: The Dauphin Island Sea Lab, North Campus

Activities:
• Open House and Exhibits at the Research Laboratories
• Special NOAA Programs and Activities
• Free Kids’ Activities, Ocean Games and Fun Crafts
• Free Children’s Admission to the Estuarium and 15% Discount in Gift Shop
• Free Drawing for Estuarium Gift Shop Gift Certificates
• Live animals from Environmental Studies Center
• US Coast Guard Boating Safety
• Information on Hurricane Preparedness
• Children’s fingerprinting by the City of Mobile Police Department
• Much, much more!

Cost: FREE, except for reduced admission to Estuarium

For more info: Call 251/861-2141

Discovery Day, the Sea Lab’s Annual Open House, has always been a fun-filled and educational event for the whole family. This year, the Sea Lab is partnering with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to celebrate NOAA’s 200th year of programs.

It all started in 1807 with President Thomas Jefferson’s vision to support his fledgling nation’s economy by ensuring safe maritime commerce. He accomplished this by creating the Survey of the Coast, the first federal science agency and precursor to NOAA’s navigation services. In 2007, NOAA celebrates 200 years of science, service, and stewardship - expanding Jefferson’s dream into a realm of unimagined possibilities.

From those humble beginnings 200 years ago, NOAA’s impact is now worldwide. Spanning sensors on the bottom of the ocean floor to complex environmental satellites orbiting the Earth - the men and women of NOAA recognize the importance of their work to the American public and our global community. NOAA takes pride in its heritage and you may learn more by taking a moment to visit the Web site (www.celebrating200years.noaa.gov) that chronicles the agency's beginnings and visions of the future.

So in celebration of the coast, our history with it, and all of its treasures - join us for Discovery Day at the DISL. We’ll begin with a ground-breaking of the newest facility at the Sea Lab, the Richard C. Shelby Center for Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management, a National Marine Fisheries Service building, at Saturday, April 14, from 9:30am to 10pam. This will kick-off Discovery Day, from 10am to 2pm.

This fun-filled family event includes a variety of environmentally-themed children’s activities; an Open House at the Research Facilities of the DISL where the public meets the scientists and graduate students to see their ongoing research projects; and reduced admission to the Estuarium, the aquarium at the DISL and a designated Coastal America Coastal Ecosystem Learning Center.

Admission is free (except for reduced Adult Estuarium admission), educational fun is plentiful at this popular event.

Local agencies expected to participate this year include: Alabama Department of Conservation and National Resources (ADCNR) Lands Division, Coastal Section; ADCNR Marine Resources Division; Auburn University Landscape Architecture Program; Auburn University Marine Extension and Research Center; Azalea Trail Maids; City of Mobile, Police Department; DISL Foundation; DISL Graduate Student Organization; Environmental Studies Center; Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve; Gulf of Mexico Alliance; Home Depot; J.L. Scott Education Center; Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium; Mississippi State University’s Center for Sustainable Design; Mobile Bay National Estuary Program; Mobile County Emergency Management Agency; NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service, Panama City, FL; NOAA National Weather Service; NOAA Northern Gulf Institute; NOAA Restoration Center; NOAA Coastal Survey; Town of Dauphin Island; United States Coast Guard, Station Dauphin Island; Weeks Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve.