Planting bulbs is an act of faith.  You select the bulbs, prepare the ground, dig a hole, place the bulb into the hole, and cover it up.  And wait.  And wait.  And wait.  The bulb itself is a misshapen brownish mass that in no way suggests the splendid bloom it will become.  It’s a lot of work to prepare and plant the bulb.  And you have no guarantee whatsoever that your efforts will pay off.

When springtime comes… magic.  Almost overnight a glory of colors brighten an otherwise brown landscape.  And one’s faith is renewed.

Thank you, Lauren, for your vision of a beautiful street scape and for donating time, labor, plants, and equipment to make it happen.  Thank you Sagamore Tree and Landscape for donating chip and labor.  Thank you Olson’s Garden Center for donating flowering bushes.  Thank you White Flower Farm for donating 1,000 daffodil and tulip bulbs.  Because of you, Main Street, Buzzards Bay is a more beautiful place!

Katherine recently held a drive to collect donations from the National Marine Life Center’s wish list.  She collected arts and craft supplies, medical supplies, miscellaneous cleaning supplies, as well as cash donations.  Thank you, Katherine, for your passion and dedication to helping marine wildlife! you are an inspiration!

Jan Maliszewski & Michael Andrus filming in the animal clinic. Photo by Aaron Frutman, DGA Productions.

The National Marine Life Center was a film set today as DGA Productions from Watertown, MA filmed a promotional video for us.  Interesting lighting transformed ordinary spaces into brilliant backdrops for interviews of NMLC volunteers and staff.  Thank you to Jan Maliszewski, Michael Andrus, and Aaron Frutman for your expert videography and for making the day FUN!

Lighting the interview with NMLC Trustee Barb Schneider. Photo by Aaron Frutman, DGA Productions.

DGA Productions is donating the video, including filming, editing, and production pro-bono.  Says Jan, who visited NMLC with his kids over the summer, “this is an important project and we want to do what we can to help.”  Thank you!

Jan Maliszewski discusses the next shot with Kathy Zagzebski. Photo by Aaron Frutman, DGA Productions.

Jan Maliszewski and Michael Andrus filming Kathy Zagzebski on the mezzanine of NMLC's new marine animal hospital. Photo by Aaron Frutman, DGA Productions.

Photo by CUNY.

Gazelle accepts used electronics, including Cell Phones, Laptops, Digital Cameras, MP3 Players, Video Games, PDAs, Gaming Consoles, GPS Devices, Movies, Camcorders, Desktops, LCD Monitors, Satellite Radios, Calculators, External Drives, Camera Lenses, Projectors, Streaming Media, Home Audio, and Blu-Ray Players.  After signing up for an account, you submit the items you’d like to sell.  Gazelle offers you a price and, if you accept, sends you a postage-paid box for your items.  Once they receive and inspect your items, they will send NMLC a check for the sale amount.  The gadgets themselves are either resold for reuse (after all personal information is removed) or responsibly recycled.

Featured by CNN, the Today Show, the Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times, www.gazelle.com is a wonderful way to recycle unwanted gadgets while helping to open NMLC’s new marine animal hospital.

Turtle USB Hub by www.USBfever.com

iTurtle laptop speakers by www.laptopsarena.com

“December 29, 2009

“Friends,

“Our family decided many years ago that we would step decisively away from the commercial aspects of Christmas.  We agreed that we would no longer give each other individual gifts, but instead we would dedicate the cash saved to causes which call to all of us.  This has turned out to be a much more gratifying way to celebrate the spirit of the season.

“This year, in the days leading up to Christmas, we read, in the Cape Cod Times, of the shortfall which is keeping your building project from coming to completion.  We were especially concerned, knowing how many turtles are depending upon you – right now.  These turtles appear on our neighborhood beaches, and we’ve known many of them personally.  We have decided that we want to make a small gift in support of the goal of opening the “turtle ward” as soon as possible.  We wish that we might offer a larger sum – but these are bracing times for humans as well.

“May your efforts proceed with all due speed.  Many thanks for all your efforts on behalf of sentient beings.”

“31 inch striper on black paper” by Joe Higgins, Fished Impressions

Looking for a last minute holiday gift?  Check out these beautiful fish prints by artist Joe Higgins.  According to Joe, fish prints – or “gyotaku” -  have their roots in 19th century Japan when fishermen would record their catch by coating the fish with ink and rubbing paper on it to make a print.  Joe is following in the same tradition by making impressions of the fish he has caught.  The results are unique artwork.

Between now and December 31, Joe will donate 100% of the proceeds of his original prints to the National Marine Life Center, the Jimmy Fund, or the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Salem (buyer’s choice).  Proceeds donated to NMLC will help us complete our new marine animal hospital and open for stranded sea turtles.

For a truly unique gift that also gives back, visit Joe’s gallery
FishedImpressions.com.  For more information, contact Joe directly at 978 944 1709 or higginsad@mac.com.

P.S. This is not the first time the National Marine Life Center has benefited from Joe’s creativity.  When he’s not fishing or creating art from fish, he helps organizations and businesses market themselves.  Earlier this year he created a great sign for our hospital construction project.  Click here for the story.

IFAW rescuing a common dolphin. NECN photo.

Over the past several weeks, Cape Cod has been inundated by stranded, cold-stunned sea turtles in what is being described as one of the largest years to date.  Now, the International Fund for Animal Welfare’s Marine Mammal Rescue and Research group reports that dolphin strandings are also on the rise.  In the past week they’ve had 15 stranded dolphins, and that number is only expected to increase.

Video by NECN.

The National Marine Life Center urgently needs your help to complete our hospital and open our sea turtle ward to stranded animals.  Once the turtle ward is complete, we will add seal and dolphin pools so we can help these larger animals as well.  Please give today.  And thank you.

NMLC’s new marine animal hospital will have two dolphin pools, each large enough for 2-4 animals.  Conceptual drawing by cosestudi.

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.

The National Marine Life Center’s tree features Kemp’s ridley sea turtles – the most endangered sea turtle in the world, and harp seals – a species that has also been dramatically impacted by humans. Both species are animals NMLC has rehabilitated and released. Our new marine animal hospital, currently under construction, will allow us to care for more turtles, seals, as well as dolphins, porpoises, and small whales.

Proceeds from the sale of this tree will help NMLC build our new hospital and care for stranded sea turtles and seals during 2010. Please visit the library and bid on our tree!

Many thanks to NMLC Trustee Lauren Freed and volunteer Lynn Garcia for donating the ornaments and decorating a beautiful tree!

Please also pass this along to all of your friends.  The two minutes it takes to add this toolbar to your browser can make a lifetime of difference to stranded sea turtles and other marine animals in distress!

Get the toolbar NOW and help raise money for incoming sea turtles!
http://www.goodsearch.com/toolbar/national-marine-life-center-nmlc