Birch Aquarium

Birch Aquarium
Date opened	1903
Location	Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, San Diego, California, USA
No. of animals	5,000+
No. of species	380
Memberships	AZA
Website	http://aquarium.ucsd.edu/

Birch Aquarium at Scripps (sometimes referred to as Scripps Aquarium or Birch Aquarium) is the public exploration center for the world-renowned Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego. Accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, Birch Aquarium at Scripps has an annual attendance of about 400,000, including more than 77,000 school children, and features more than 5,000 animals representing 380 species. The hilltop site provides spectacular views of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography campus and the Pacific Ocean.

Watch the aquarium's 15th Anniversary Video here

Mission statement

To provide ocean science education, to interpret Scripps Institution of Oceanography research, and to promote conservation.

Exhibits

At 64,157 square feet (5,960.4 m²), Birch Aquarium at Scripps is designed around a central lobby with entrances to exhibit areas. Display tanks contain 175,000 gallons of seawater.

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70,000-gallon kelp tank

• Hall of Fishes, featuring more than 60 tanks of Pacific fishes and invertebrates from the cold waters of the Pacific Northwest to the tropical waters of Mexico and the Caribbean. The largest habitat is a 70,000-gallon kelp tank forest. The tank can be viewed live online through the Kelp Cam.

• Shark Reef, a 13,000-gallon tank with shark species that inhabit tropical reef habitats, including whitetip and blacktip reef sharks, brownbanded bamboo sharks, Port Jackson sharks, and wobbegongs. Interpretive panels on shark biology and conservation accompany the reef.

• Tide Pool Plaza, featuring three living tide pools where visitors can touch and learn about tide-pool animals with docents. Windows in the habitats provide up-close views of starfish, hermit crabs, sea cucumbers, lobsters, and other animals local to San Diego's tide pools. The tide pool overlooks La Jolla and the Pacific Ocean.

• Coral Reef, featuring live coral and reef inhabitants such as lionfish, chambered nautilus, and giant clams. The gallery has interactive displays on the latest Scripps research on coral reefs around the world. The staff creates live corals for aquarium displays without harming natural coral reefs.

• The Art of Deception showcases marine creatures that use camouflage for survival, including frogs, fish and leafy sea dragons.

• Wonders of Water allows visitors to learn about erosion, water flow, and ocean currents by creating rapids, canals, dams and islands at interactive water stations.

• Feeling the Heat: The Climate Challenge presents the science of global warming and highlights Scripps Institution of Oceanography's half-century of research on climate change. Through interactive activities, the exhibit shows visitors current environmental changes and those projected for the future. It also presents the latest ideas for reducing carbon emissions. In Fall 2007, the exhibit was named the Silver winner in museum design for the 2007 Event Design Awards. Sponsored by Connecticut-based Event Design Magazine, the annual awards recognize the best designs worldwide across events, exhibits and environments.

Education Programs

Birch Aquarium at Scripps offers dozens of educational programs for all ages about the ocean, Earth and atmosphere.

• On-site: A, B Sea Club (0-4), overnight stays, Family Days, birthday parties, Shark Days, Spring EGGStravaganza
• In the Field: Kayaking, guided tours of the Scripps pier, grunion runs, tide pooling, snorkeling, whale watching
• Summer: Summer Learning Adventure Camps

Annual Events

• Shark Days, Spring EGGStravaganza, Haunted Aquarium, Perspectives on Science lectures, Ocean Author program, Green Flash [1] Concert Series]

Awards

• Fall 2008: San Diegans voted Birch Aquarium at Scripps as a Top 3 Local Museum in the annual 10News.com A-List poll.
• Spring 2008: Birch Aquarium at Scripps is named San Diego's Best Children's Activity Center or Museum in Ranch & Coast magazine's third-annual "Readers' Choice: Best of 2008" survey.
• Fall 2007: Feeling the Heat: The Climate Challenge exhibition is named the Silver winner in museum design for the 2007 Event Design Awards. Sponsored by Connecticut-based Event Design Magazine, the annual awards recognize the best designs worldwide across events, exhibits and environments.

History

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The original Scripps marine biological laboratory, 1910

The aquarium was established in 1903 after the Marine Biological Association of San Diego was created to conduct marine research in the local waters of the Pacific Ocean. (Its name was later changed to Scripps Institution of Oceanography to honor supporters Ellen Browning Scripps and E.W. Scripps, part of the Scripps family of newspaper pioneers.) The founders built and maintained a small public aquarium and museum to communicate their discoveries to the world.

The researchers outgrew their modest laboratory in the boathouse of the Hotel del Coronado and moved to a small laboratory at La Jolla Cove in 1905. Several years later, the association purchased 174 acres (0.70 km²) at La Jolla Shores for $1,000 at a public auction from the city of San Diego. The first permanent building at the new site was constructed in 1910. Today, this building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In 1915, the first building devoted solely to an aquarium was built on the Scripps campus. The small, wooden structure contained 19 tanks ranging in size from 96 to 228 gallons. The oceanographic museum was located in a nearby building. The institution's name changed to Scripps Institution of Oceanography in 1925 to recognize the growing faculty's widened range of studies.

The Scripps Aquarium-Museum opened in 1951 and named to honor former institution director T. Wayland Vaughan. The three-story facility served the institution for more than 40 years. A ring of 18 tanks, the largest at 2,000 gallons, surrounded a central museum of glass exhibit cases displaying Scripps research projects. Within a month of its opening, visitors from all 48 states had signed the guest book.

In 1985, Stephen and Mary Birch Foundation kicked off a fund-raising effort for a new aquarium by donating $6 million. JCJ Architecture of San Diego was selected as the design architect and in 1992, the current $14 million Birch Aquarium at Scripps opened its doors. UC San Diego donated the land.

External links

• Birch Aquarium at Scripps
• Birch Aquarium on Google Maps
• Scripps Institution of Oceanography Website
• University of California, San Diego
• Aquarium Kelp Cam
• History, Birch Aquarium at Scripps
• San Diego Union-Tribune review
• Vidsit.com Guide to Birch Aquarium at Scripps