Alaska SeaLife Center - Seward, Alaska
Posted by: 
Tygress
N 60° 06.026 W 149° 26.426
6V E 364311 N 6665101
Alaska’s only public aquarium & ocean wildlife rescue center. Visitors have close encounters with puffins, octopus, sea lions and other sealife while peeking over the shoulders of ocean scientists studying Alaska’s rich seas and diverse sealife.
Waymark Code: WM8RJC
Location: Alaska, United States
Date Posted: 05/07/2010
Views: 7
On the shores of Resurrection Bay
A lovely marine center holds its sway
With rescued wildlife recuperating
And display animals celebrating.
A lovely place with an Alaskan view
And now it is a waymark, too.
Alaska SeaLife Center (http://www.alaskasealife.org)
Alaska’s only public aquarium and ocean wildlife rescue center is celebrating ten years on the shores of Resurrection Bay. Visitors to this “window on the sea” have close encounters with puffins, octopus, sea lions and other sealife while peeking over the shoulders of ocean scientists studying Alaska’s rich seas and diverse sealife.
We are a private, non-profit corporation with approximately 105 full-time employees and dedicated staff of volunteers and interns.
MISSION:
The Alaska SeaLife Center is dedicated to understanding and maintaining the integrity of the marine ecosystem of Alaska. We achieve our mission through research, rehabilitation, conservation, and public education.
RESEARCH:
Center-based research projects help scientists discover reasons for declining marine animal populations and environmental changes.
REHABILITATION:
The Alaska SeaLife Center provides care for sick and injured marine animals, yielding important information about wildlife populations.
EDUCATION:
From early education to Elderhostel, the Alaska SeaLife Center educational programs and presentations are designed to expand the public's knowledge of Alaska's marine ecosystems.
EXHIBITS:
The many exhibits at the Alaska SeaLife Center immerse visitors in Alaskan marine ecosystems and provide opportunities to watch animals in naturalistic habitats as well as research settings.
The Alaska SeaLife Center offers an unrivaled, up-close and personal experience with Gulf of Alaska marine wildlife. Witness a 2000+ pound Steller sea lion gliding past underwater viewing windows, puffins diving in a carefully crafted naturalistic habitat, and harbor seals resting on rocky beaches. Alaskan king crab, sea stars, and the Giant Pacific octopus also await you, as well as a whole variety of intertidal creatures and deep sea fishes.
From my journal regarding our visit:
Ok. Let’s be honest. Anyone who’s been to the Monterey Bay Aquarium is past being wowed. However, it is a wonderful small aquarium, specializing in Bering Sea life.
Highlights were the birds. Murre & Puffin and diving ducks, especially the underwater view. Murre & Puffin swim with their wings, ‘flying’ through the water. The ducks keep their wings tucked, and paddle with their feet. All are gilded silver by a scrim of air sticking to their feathers.
The ‘potatohead’ elongated fish – looked like a ginormous wolf eel to my eye, but who’s to argue with a placard. Anyway, the thing was over 10 feet long, I betcha. And almost a foot thick. Its tail was wedged into a big PVC pipe – seemed comfy. Even if five feet of him was sticking out.
There was a cute box with a lot of little eels – at that scale gobi cute.
One large – and I mean LARGE – Stellar Sea Lion was circling his enclosure, giving us all the eye as he passed. The Pacific Giant octopus was actually out and moving about his/her space. Too much of a crowd clustered there for good viewing, however.
Out in the recovery center they have a breeding program for eiders. Also two harbor seals that I noticed. One was quite the show, lolling on her back. She wasn’t fully napping however – she kept eyeballing the door. Nope. No one there. Back on her back. She even did the flipper brushing the nose thing – these are all Miss Vivi [our Newfoundland] behaviors. Seals seem very doglike to me at any time.
Salmon, kelp, anemones… and a gift store. LOL.
I succumbed to a t-shirt (Harry Otter – yes, you have Imagined). Decided against the $100 Commemorative coin – though my ‘Waterweasel’ wooden nickel was appreciated by the staff. =smile=
Physical address of aquarium: 4th & Railroad (PO Box 1329) Seward AK 99664
Website address: www.alaskasealife.org
Hours of operation: Summer Hours: M-Th 9a-6:30p;F-Su 8a-6:30p; Winter: 10a - 5p 7 days; closed Thanksgiving & Christmas
Admission cost: Adults: $20; Students (12-17 or with ID): $15; Children (4-11): $10; Infants (0-3): FREE -- Discounts avail, see website
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Visit Instructions:
To get credit for logging a waymark you must:
1. Take a photo of the front entrance with the public aquarium's name on it. Optional photos include pics of the exhibits inside the aquarium but of course, admission and/or entry is not required to log this waymark.