Category: Building
Chemistry, Art, & Two Guys from Wisconsin
In researching various floor coatings, we considered a variety of products. We looked at the “do it yourself” versions of garage floor coatings, as well as several products applied by contractors. One of our biggest challenges was the need to coat the floor in February in Massachusetts. Cape Cod isn’t the coldest place on earth […]
Sealing the floor
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 […]
Turtles and now dolphins highlight the need for the National Marine Life Center
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 […]
We need YOU to help Open Our Doors!
Exactly two years ago, the National Marine Life Center had a crisis situation. The roof over our rehabilitation facility began to collapse and we had to move out of the building. 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 […]
Roll-up Door
The “working door” of our new hospital was installed today – a roll-up door at the rear of the building through which dolphins, porpoises, and pilot whales will eventually be admitted. Installed by Overhead Door Garage Headquarters, the roll-up steel door is 12 feet tall by 12 feet wide. Eventually, a bridge crane will be […]
Turtle Ward Walls
This week the crew from Target Construction has been busy erecting walls around NMLC’s new sea turtle ward. The walls are made of a moisture and mold resistant drywall affixed to metal studs. A layer of “FRP” (fiberglass reinforced panels) is then glued to the drywall in order to provide a durable, washable surface. Washable […]
It Takes a Village
No sooner had we offloaded the 10,000-pound generator when another flatbed truck came rumbling into our lot. This one had three brand new fiberglass tanks atop it! Trucked in from Waterlife Design Group in Florida, who gave the tanks to us at a heavily discounted rate, the 10-foot diameter, 4-foot deep tanks will serve as […]
Lessons from the Ancients
Today, we received another wonderful donation from the Marine Biological Laboratory – a 390 KVA standby generator! A bright red-orange in color and complete with transfer switch and necessary hardware, the generator will produce more than enough electricity to power the pumps and life support systems in NMLC’s new hospital. We only had one minor […]
Extech Doors
The final components of our Extech facade were the doors. Specially designed for NMLC, each door is twelve feet high, six feet wide, and 600 pounds in weight. Also made of translucent Extech material, the doors are secured in a heavy metal frame and swing outward in “carriage door” style. Heavy bolts secure the doors […]
Extech Installation – Day 5
The last nine Extech panels were installed today, and the front facade is nearly complete! Work continued with adding a frame around the edges to help hold the panels in place. All that’s left are the doors, which were delivered at the end of the day. Inside, you can see how much light the panels […]
National Marine Life Center
Good evening to all of our wonderful supporters! We are nearing the end of the year, which means....it's time to vote for NMLC's 2025 seal
National Marine Life Center
🍦New Patient Alert🍦 Meet Nutty Buddy! Nutty Buddy is a male grey seal yearling who was rescued by our friends at Whale and Dolphin Conservation
National Marine Life Center
We are absolutely loving the updates on our chilly Cape Cod sea turtles! Keep ‘em coming, The Florida Aquarium!