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.

I realized on my last blog that I did not really talk too much about the daily duties of an intern. Therefore, this blog will just be a broad recap on some of the recent goings-on at NMLC.

Because some very significant donors came this past Thursday to take a look at the animal hospital, our assigned task for a good part of this week was to have the place looking spick and span rather than a haphazard construction site; after hours of heat, sweat, and dirt, the place looks great. I keep looking at the plan and visualizing how grand it’s going to be when it’s all completed. It will really bring so much to the Buzzards’ Bay area in terms of being a site of interest to attract tourists, but it will also be a stately facility to provide great rehabilitative care to sick or injured marine animals.

I also learned this week how to do a full tank change for Patty. It is a multi-step process that sometimes involves manually hauling heavy water-coolers full of salt water to the bin inside, but when I think of all this turtle has been through, it’s so worth it for her. Feeding is, obviously, also part of the daily routine. But it proved particularly challenging that day. Have you ever tried to crack open a frozen clam? It is probably one of the most frustrating experiences you will ever have. For 30 minutes, I tried (in vain) to extract the hearty meat for Patty that was waiting inside… finally, I had to resort to penetrating what I was starting to believe was a concrete shell with a heavy rock. She did not get her typical ‘clams on the half-shell’ that day, but I believe she was fine with this.

Good Ol' Patty... Who can resist that face?!

Another exciting piece of news from this week was that the water quality for the critter tank had improved enough to allow more fish and some invertebrates to now call it their home. Wednesday we went out with buckets and nets and collected different types of crabs, sea slugs, periwinkles, and sea stars. All will be catalogued, and while we may have our doubts as to what kind of relationship the crabs and sea stars will foster (the crab’s dinner delight?) we’ll just have to wait and see. Regardless, the kids that come into the Discovery Center will probably be very excited to see some new critters on display.

On this same topic, the start of the summer education programs is coming steadily upon us, and as such we interns have been dividing up the work in order to be ready. Since each week represents a marine animal, we have all chose one or two weeks that match up with what we want to do. I have whale week, and will also be assisting with shark week (which, btw, matches up with Shark Week on the Discovery Channel…. So cool! J I am fascinated by whales, for their immense size is enough to be overwhelming! Also, as part of my intern project on Deep-Sea Exploration (more on that in a later blog) I will be researching sunken whales. What is a sunken whale, you ask? Quite simply, a whale that has died and sunk to the ocean floor, something I believe most of us overlook. Far from being morbid, these occurrences actually offer scientists a rare opportunity to witness the deep-sea food chain in action and all those that feed off of the whale’s carcass. In some cases, when the meat has already been polished off, underwater robots may attempt to bring up the skeleton for scientific purposes. It really is quite fascinating, and I will definitely post more when I research it in-depth.

One of the crafts I'm looking at for Whale week (7/26)

Whale week will also include some adorable sock puppet whales for kids, and stories. I am hoping to find some on whale migration, for the distances some species travel are quite unbelievable. Perhaps a kid’s version of Moby Dick would also go along with the craft quite nicely, as well as a mini-lesson on the history of whaling, particularly right here on Cape Cod.

Things should be picking up soon with the programs, and it’s very exciting!

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!

Betsy Hornor

In honor of National Volunteer Week, we’d like to take a moment to thank, honor, and remember our original volunteers – our founders.

The National Marine Life Center was founded in 1995 by a group of Cape Codders concerned about the significant number of stranded animals in and around Cape Cod, and the absence of facilities to treat them.  These dedicated individuals dreamed of building a state-of-the-art hospital in which to treat stranded animals.  They further realized the importance of learning from the animals through scientific study and teaching others what we learn through education programs.  Together, these initiatives of marine wildlife rehabilitation, science, and education would inspire conservation.

We’d like to especially thank and acknowledge Elizabeth “Betsy” Hornor, founding chair, for her vision, her love of animals, and her tireless efforts to build the foundation on which NMLC has grown.

Townsend Hornor

We’d also like to thank and acknowledge Townsend “Townie” Hornor, who took up the reins after Betsy passed away.  Under Townie’s leadership, NMLC secured the seed grant from NOAA for a marine animal hospital, expanded our donor base, built an interim rehabilitation facility, and admitted “Eco”, our first patient.  It is thanks to a bequest from Townie that we have been able to build our new marine animal hospital.

Thank you, NMLC Founders, for your dedication to rehabilitating for release stranded sea turtles, seals, dolphins, porpoises, and small whales, and to advancing scientific knowledge and education about marine wildlife health and conservation.  Your vision inspires us and we are working hard to make your dreams a reality.
~ Joseph P. Carlson
~ Joseph R. Geraci, VMD, PhD
~ Betsy Hornor†
~ Townsend Hornor†
~ Sallie K. Riggs
~ Michael B. Stusse
~ Brad Towle†
~ Patsy Towle

† = deceased

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.

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.

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.

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.