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VOLUNTEER UPDATES August 25, 2010 from Casey Melton ANNOUNCEMENTS Linens and things… Animal Programs is in need of old towels, sheets, pillowcases and various blankets that are sitting in your closets unused. The Otters and various other animals at the Aquarium would really appreciate them (so would the husbandry department) If you have any to donate, please drop them by Katie Jeffrey’s desk in Area D, or drop them off in the box in the volunteer lounge…they will find their way to Katie’s desk. On a side note….if anyone has any old playschool equipment they need to clear out…the otters would love that too. Eco Tour Cut Off Just a reminder to everyone just in case are asked by a guest inside the aquarium, all eco tour sales are cut off at 10 minutes before departure time.  This will allow us time to have a final count of how many passengers are expected to board and give us a chance to round up any stragglers to ensure the boat departs on time.  Any delays in departing can cause some unforeseen issues such as passengers who may be in danger of having their later plans effected, missed shows inside the aquarium they wanted to watch or even the Bay Spirit caught behind another vessel in the channel that we do not authority to pass, which means less search/view times for dolphins. If you are asked any questions regarding, if they have time to still purchase tickets for the eco tour, please be mindful of this cut off time.  Calling on the radio will not suffice to hold the boat past departure. Bay Spirit Please note the Bay Spirit will be out of service for its annual maintenance from September 7 th through September 21 st. Husbandry Openings There are a few open positions in husbandry to any volunteers that are interested in helping the biologist. Remember: You may volunteer in husbandry while volunteering in other departments. Water Quality                             Time Mon, Tues, Wed, Thur             7-12 AM Reef Husbandry Sun – Food Prep/Pull               8-12 AM Wed – Food Prep/Pull              8-12 AM Thurs – Food Prep/Pull             8-12 AM Q Team Stuff Sun, Tues, Thu, Fri Sat            1-4 PM Bird Diets                               1:30ish-4:30ish PM 2 people - Wed Horticulture/Bio volunteer needed to help water Wetlands in the morning before the gallery is opened and assist biologist with various task afterwards. Openings on Mon, Wed, Fri. 7am – noon. *** If you’re interested in volunteering in husbandry, please complete a Husbandry Application in the lounge, and submit it to Volunteer Services. EVENT Brews by the Bay – Calling all volunteers – The Florida Aquarium’s “Brews by the Bay” event is Saturday, October 9, 8pm - midnight. The October Beer Fest event will feature beers and food from more than a dozen area restaurants. Volunteer registration forms are in the volunteer lounge. Please Casey Melton at (813) 273-4121 or email: eventsvolunteer@flaquarium.org for more information. VOLUNTEERS are needed to help with Check-in, Cup Tickets, Sample Cups, Beer Pourer, Id Checker and Clean up. If you know of any corporations or groups that may want to volunteer for the evening, please have them contact Casey Melton at (813) 273-4121 or email: eventsvolunteer@flaquarium.org for more information. You may use this link: http://moreinfo.flaquarium.org/forms/Volunteer/VolunteerReg.aspx for a registration form or to send out to anyone that may wish to help. Please remember due to the event, we can only use volunteers 21 and older. September Birthdays Phil McDonald 01 Hank Custin 05 Stefanie Frump 11 Ashley Forcke 11 Mike Albanese 12 Loren Evans 12 Zakiya Stubbs 12 Linda Mathinos 18 Jessica Sandellie 18 Sam Rydzik 20 Carolyn Coy 23 Mimi Stevens 26 Kevin Garey 27 Charlsie Connally 29 Judy Ellington 30 Guest Dive Programs Summer Expansion Over The Summer Expansion for our guest diving programs has changed program times The guest diving programs will be… Monday – Friday:     9:00am and 3:30pm Saturday and Sunday   DWS: 10:00 & 4:00   SWTF: 11:30, 2:30, & 4:00    New VP of Marketing I am very pleased to announce, after an extensive search/interview process, that Alison Matherly will be joining The Aquarium team as the VP of Marketing. Most recently, Alison has been the Director of Marketing and Communications for the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE).  In this role she oversaw all aspects of global marketing, communication, media relations and outreach efforts for a 25,000 member society in 90 countries. Prior to the position with ISPE, Alison was the Marketing Director of NAUI Worldwide, and Media Relations Manager for Coca-Cola, where she led the marketing efforts for the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Torch Relay. Alison is an avid diver/instructor and a master competitive international sailing Captain. Alison has vast experience in all disciplines of marketing and we are excited to have her join this dynamic FLAQ Team. Please join me in welcoming Alison to our family. Her first day will be September 13 th. Goodsearch.com The Green Team needs your assistance, and it doesn’t include picking up a darn thing, although that would be nice too. Remember Good search? www.goodsearch.com.  The search engine powered by Yahoo, donates money to the Green team, coffers to help with our programs. Looking at the site, click on where it shows how much we’ve earned and tell me we’re doing well. All we need to do is use it for your search engine, every time you look something up, we get a penny, if you buy stuff from the listed stores, Target, E-Bay, etc. etc., and on-line… we get a % of that money. But we need to DO that  for any of that to happen so please remind yourself, the next time you log on to make the Goodsearch page the first item of business and help us make the Florida Aquarium  as Green as it needs to be, especially if we want to be LEED Certified…..   DIVERS' CORNER from Jim Igler   Current Scientific Aquarium Diver dates for the remainder of the year. If you have any questions regarding these dates, please contact Jim Igler or Mike T.   2010 Wed/Thurs Evening and Saturday Day - NDTC Dates Swim & Skill Eval (Wed) – Sep 15, Nov 10 Academic Review (Thurs) – Sep 16, Nov 11 Diving First Aid (Sat) – Sep 18, Nov 13 Rescue Part 1 (Wed) – Sep 29, Nov 17 Rescue Part 2 (Thurs) – Sep 30, Nov 18 Fundamentals (Sat) – Jul 31, Oct 2, Nov 20 Working Underwater (Wed) – Oct 13, Dec 1 and scheduled as needed Hookah (Thurs) – Oct 14, Dec 2 Surface Supply (Sat) – Oct 16, Dec 4 Rescue Scene Mgmt (Wed) – Aug 25, Oct 27, Dec 15 Final In-Water Eval (Thurs) – Aug 26, Oct 28, Dec 16 Final Written Exam – Scheduled as needed 2010 Weekday Day - NDTC Dates Swim, Skill Eval & Acad (Tues) –Sep 7, Oct 5, Nov 2, Dec 7 Diving First Aid (Wed) – Sep 8, Oct 6, Nov 3, Dec 8 Rescue Part 1 & 2 (Thurs) – Sep 9, Oct 7, Nov 4, Dec 9 Fundies & Working U/W (Fri) – Sep 10, Oct 8, Nov 5, Dec 10 Hookah & S. S. Acad (Sat) – Sep 11, Oct 9, Nov 6, Dec 11 S. S. Wet & Res Mgmt (Tues) – Sep 14, Oct 12, Nov 9, Dec 14 Final Eval & Exam (Wed) – Sep 15, Oct 13, Nov 10, Dec 15 To schedule a dive email Diveschedule@flaquarium.org or call (813) 367-4019. See you in the water!   TEAM LEADERS

Summer Camps are over. We had another successful summer with the camps.

CRITTER CORNER

Rainbow Parrot Fish

Area(s) Where Listed As Endangered:
Central America, North America (including United States), Oceanic, South America

The rainbow parrotfish is a large fish found in the western Atlantic Ocean, from Florida, Bermuda and the Bahamas to Argentina. Males grow up to 3.94 feet long. As their name suggests, rainbow parrotfish are attractively colored with deep green bodies, orange fins, and streaks of green extending outward toward the back and tail. Males are more brightly colored than females but only when fully grown. Because of their unusual mouthparts, they are called parrotfish. The teeth are fused, forming a tough parrot-like beak. The beak is used to scrape algae and other organic matter from the surface of coral.

Rainbow parrotfish can be found on coral reefs as deep as 25 meters, and at night they hide in crevices. They are very social and have been observed in schools of around 40 individuals. The schools graze over the reef much like a herd of cattle over a grassy field. Large amount of calcareous materials are consumed by the schools, and in just one year, one parrotfish can convert a ton of coral into sand. One adult male (called the "supermale") often leads these schools. Parrotfish are able to change sex. That is females if needed may become males in order to reproduce. The supermales are typically sex-reversed females and are strongly territorial, habitually driving other males from their areas. Juveniles have been observed in mangroves adjacent to the reef. These mangroves act as important nursery areas and also provide food-rich, predator free safe-havens for the growing young.

This creature is considered vulnerable due to loss of its mangrove nursery habitat. Since the young parrotfish depend on the nurseries, removal of the mangroves has resulted in decline. Other threats include pollution, over-fishing, and coastal development. To preserve the species, a number of reef have been established as reserves (where fishing and other human pressures are prevented).

Invitation from the animal care and use committee:

Florida Aquarium Biologists and Volunteers:

The Florida Aquarium’s Animal Care and Use Committee (ACUC) invites interested individuals to serve on the committee for a 1-year appointment. 

This is a highly respected appointment that shapes the philosophy and practices of animal care at The Florida Aquarium.  The appointment is also a terrific resume builder, especially for the zoo and aquarium community, showcasing skills in leadership, organization, and decision-making.

The ACUC:

• Provides a forum by which staff and volunteers can openly discuss (and opinions be protected) issues that pertain to the care and use of the animal collection.
• Reviews and approves all research proposals that involve the use of animals.  Ensures that a staff liaison is assigned to all approved projects conducted by non-aquarium staff.
• Reviews and makes recommendations to the CEO and/or to the VP of Biological Operations on all animal use, care, acquisition, disposition and handling guidelines.
• Reviews proposed species lists for new exhibits or significant changes to the existing collection plan.
• Monitors compliance with the Animal Welfare Act (AWA), American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA) guidelines, state and federal permitting regulations, and internal care and use guidelines.

The Group is composed of:

• President/CEO
• Vice President of Biological Operations
• Director of Husbandry
• Conservation and Research Coordinator
• Registrar
• Veterinarian
• Animal Programs Coordinator/Animal Trainer
• Educational Programs Coordinator
• Biologist Representative (rotate on a yearly basis)
• Volunteer Representative (rotate on a yearly basis)

Your participation is critically needed to bring diverse perspectives to the table, as animal care decisions often consider a variety of fields and values, including:

• Veterinary science
• Husbandry science
• Applied animal behavior
• Western Ethics and Philosophies

The group meets once every three months, with individual activities that occur in between meetings.

Please consider lending your voice on behalf of Florida Aquarium biologists, volunteers, and the animals!  If you’d like to participate, please reply to me and include a brief paragraph about your experiences/duties at The Florida Aquarium.

Thanks for your consideration!

Please contact Paul Anderson, Conservation and research coordinator at panderson@flaquarium.org with interest and questions.