Joanne throws the first load of towels into the washing machine...

Sometimes it’s the little things….  This week we got the laundry room in our new marine animal hospital up and running!  Village Plumbing had already completed the water connections while Glynn Electric hooked up the lights.  All that was left was for us to set our new (to us) washer and dryer (generously donated by WHOI)!

With help from volunteers extraordinaire Len and Paula, and intern Corissa, the room was quickly cleaned up and the first test load of towels was humming along.  Hooray – it works!

(Now I can stop doing turtle laundry at home!)

...while Rogers checks out the dryer.

We’re one step closer to opening….

Click here to donate to NMLC’s new marine animal hospital and help us open our doors to stranded sea turtles and seals this fall.

Hooray!

"You folks are nuts!" says Paula.

West Wall of the Hospital Prior to April 7, 2010

The crew from H & S Construction placing some of the last panels on the west wall of the Hospital

ONE MORE PANEL TO GO!!

Putting in the last couple bolts!

THANK YOU H & S Construction!

Building the form to hold the wet concrete.

Today crews from Simmons Concrete formed and poured the last foundation wall.  Concrete was supplied by Cape Cod Ready Mix.  Bill Baker from W.W. Reich was on hand to make sure everything was ready.

Pouring the concrete.

Soon, our building will be weather tight!

The concrete is reinforced with rebar.

Zig (left) and Harry (right) touch up the surface around one of the sea turtle tanks.

With a degree in Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Harry loves to figure out the perfect product for the situation at hand.  He has patented at least one mixture, and has come up with innovative applications for many others.  At first, most of his work was in industry – waste water, paper mills, utility companies.  One day he was asked to consult on a zoo application, and suddenly a sideline in the zoo and aquarium industry was born.  Harry says he enjoyed working on the National Marine Life Center job because he is excited to use his experience to help the animals.

A job well done! Harry (left) and Zig (right) of Specialty Coating Solutions.

Siegfried (Seig) Fritz helped Harry with the job at NMLC.  With a degree in Art from the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh, Sieg finds he can apply some of the skills and principles of floor sealing to his art.  He also enjoyed visiting several of the art galleries in Falmouth while here.  (Like Harry, Sieg currently lives in North Carolina.)  Sieg said he looks forward to returning to NMLC once we open for patients!

Thank you Harry and Sieg of Specialty Coating Solutions for your stories, your good humor in cold weather, and your excellent workmanship!

Preparing the concrete

One of the critical aspects of a marine animal hospital is providing an easily cleaned, sanitary environment.  To that end, as we proceed with finishing the sea turtle ward, it was necessary to seal the concrete floor.  Although concrete seems to be a durable, easily washed surface, without a protectant it will quickly chip and crack and become discolored under the pressure of constant cleaning and disinfecting.  “Specialty Coating Solutions (SCS)” to the rescue!

Rollers were used to apply the product.

To form a durable, lasting coating takes a number of steps.
Step 1:  prepare the concrete by roughening the surface to create a texture that will soak up the sealant.
Step 2:  apply a primer coat.  For NMLC, SCS used a resin primer with styrene mixed in to form a durable bond with the concrete.
Step 3:  apply an intermediate coat.  The intermediate coat included resin mixed with calcium carbonate to both coat the surface and fill in cracks and small holes in the concrete.
Step 4:  apply top coat.  The top coat protects the two earlier coats.  In some cases, tint may be added for color and/or grit may be added to reduce slipperiness.

The primer coat

The final result.

Please, give what you can today.

Stranded Kemp's ridley sea turtle, photo by Bill Allen, MassAudubon Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary

Stranded loggerhead sea turtle, photo by Don Lewis, Cape Cod Consultants

Stranded Kemp's ridley sea turtle, photo by Don Lewis, Cape Cod Consultants

Stranded loggerhead sea turtle, photo by Don Lewis, Cape Cod Consultants

We put in a massive effort to raise the $3.1 million needed to remove the original building and replace it with a new hospital that will serve many of the nearly 300 turtles, seals, dolphins and even whales needing help in our area each year.

Building the new hospital.

But again we have a critical situation and this time we need your help to solve it.

We need to raise $200,000 by January 15 to continue our mission and complete the hospital and open for patients.  The building is up and the sea turtle ward is nearly ready, but we still need to connect the life support system and complete the plumbing and electricity; we need to install the sprinkler system to obtain an occupancy permit; we need to install stairs in order to safely access the mezzanine level and life support rooms; and we need to close up the main wall to make the building weather-tight and secure.

We are so close! We just have a few more steps to complete the building and sea turtle ward before we can open our doors to animals in need. Once open, the first patient to enter our new sea turtle ward will be named “Betsy” in memory and honor of Elizabeth Hornor who, along with her husband Townsend, had a dream to build a sea turtle and marine mammal hospital right here on Cape Cod, where hundreds of these critically endangered animals strand or coldstun. “Betsy” may be a Kemp’s ridley, a loggerhead, or a green who will strand cold-stunned and near death. “Betsy” may even be a seal who will strand with severe illness. We have a brand new rehabilitation tank waiting for her, but we need your help to hook up the life support system. We have trained caregivers standing by to help, but we need your help to install necessary equipment for them to do their life-saving work. We are very close to realizing Elizabeth and Townsend’s dream, and we need your help to succeed.

Help us do this NOW. Please, donate what you can. We will give every donor a membership and thank you gift in return. If you are already a member, we will gladly give a gift membership to the person of your choice. Think of it this way – we are so close, but at a standstill. Help us help “Betsy” and other animals like her.

This year has been challenging for people and animals alike. If you are able, please consider a year-end gift to the National Marine Life Center. The sea turtle ward of our new hospital is nearly finished, but we need your help to open our doors and begin accepting new patients. Any amount will help save stranded animals and return them to their ocean home. Thank you.

Will we be able to open our doors to “Betsy” and others like her? Only with your help. Please give what you can today. Thank you.