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 Tuesday, May 26, 2009 Celebrate World Ocean Day with Birch Aquarium at Scripps Special activities begin June 7, continue throughout month Scripps Institution of Oceanography / University of California, San Diego It's time to celebrate our big blue ocean!Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego, will mark World Ocean Day with special activities on Sunday, June 7, to honor our connection to the ocean and raise awareness about the need to protect it.  Author Joel Harper will read from his new children's book, All the Way to the Ocean. Between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., two special guests will engage audiences of all ages as they share messages of ocean conservation and positive action. Author and musician Joel Harper will read his new children's book, All the Way to the Ocean. This beautifully illustrated and inspiring book explores how we can prevent plastic debris and trash from entering the ocean. Recycled material artist Dianna Cohen, best known for her striking artistic pieces made of recycled plastic bags, will lead visitors in a unique art project that demonstrates how ubiquitous these bags have become and the unique ways we can recycle them. Throughout the afternoon, visitors can also play the Plunko Junk-go trash game, seek out ocean answers  Recycled materials artist Dianna Cohen is known for her stunning art pieces using plastic bags. Scripps researchers are studying the ocean. All activities are included with paid admission to the aquarium. Please visit the Birch Aquarium website for a more detailed schedule of events. Created in 1992 at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, World Ocean Day (June 8) is an annual opportunity to celebrate our ocean and personal connection to the sea. The summit was the first major international gathering focused on the health of the ocean. Its centerpiece was the ratification of the Global Warming Treaty, made possible by the inaugural 1990 report from the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), an international body of researchers - including a dozen Scripps Oceanography researchers - who analyze climate change and its impacts on the planet. The United Nations recently declared June 8 the official World Ocean Day. Still feel like celebrating? Honor the ocean all month long with a series of special events designed to raise awareness of our ocean. Sunday, June 7  Help Birch Aquarium and San Diego Coastkeeper clean up the beach. & Beach Cleanup 9 a.m. - 11 a.m. La Jolla Shores Join Birch Aquarium at Scripps, San Diego Coastkeeper, San Diego Oceans Foundation and Think Blue for a World Ocean Day celebration. Help keep the oceans clean by participating in a beach cleanup or an on-the-water kayak cleanup. Meet marine life found in our local waters and learn about their habitat. Browse stunning images of underwater life from a variety of local underwater photographers. For more information, visit http://www.sdcoastkeeper.org. Monday, June 8 Grunion Run 9:30-11:30 p.m., ages 6 to adult $12, RSVP Required: 858-534-7336 On certain spring nights, hundreds of small silver fish called grunion ride the waves onto some Southern California and Northern Baja California beaches to spawn. Aquarium naturalists will guide participants as they witness this remarkable mating ritual. Wednesday, June 17 Green Flash Seaside Concert 6-9 p.m., 21+ $20 per concert, $25 at the door RSVP: 858-534-4109 Experience a unique summertime concert combining live music and spectacular ocean sunsets. Singer-songwriter Shawn Mullins, best known for his top 10 hit "Lullaby," performs. Saturday, June 20 Light Bulb Exchange 11 a.m. - 3 p.m., all ages Trade in old light bulbs for new, energy-efficient models - for free - and get 2-for-1 same-day aquarium admission. About Birch Aquarium at Scripps Birch Aquarium at Scripps is the public exploration center for the world-renowned Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego. Perched on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the aquarium features more than 60 habitats of fish and invertebrates from the cold waters of the Pacific Northwest to the tropical waters of Mexico and the Caribbean. An interactive museum showcases research discoveries by Scripps scientists on climate, earth and ocean science. Accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, Birch Aquarium has an annual attendance of more than 400,000, including 45,000 school children. # # # Note to broadcast and cable producers: University of California, San Diego provides an on-campus satellite uplink facility for live or pre-recorded television interviews. Please phone or e-mail the media contact listed above to arrange an interview. Scripps Institution of Oceanography, at University of California, San Diego, is one of the oldest, largest and most important centers for global science research and education in the world. The National Research Council has ranked Scripps first in faculty quality among oceanography programs nationwide. Now in its second century of discovery, the scientific scope of the institution has grown to include biological, physical, chemical, geological, geophysical and atmospheric studies of the earth as a system. Hundreds of research programs covering a wide range of scientific areas are under way today in 65 countries. The institution has a staff of about 1,300, and annual expenditures of approximately $155 million from federal, state and private sources. Scripps operates one of the largest U.S. academic fleets with four oceanographic research ships and one research platform for worldwide exploration. |
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