Neighborhood-Kids All Local. All for Kids. All the Time.

A Trip to the Marine Life Center

by Neighborhood-Kids.com12/31/2007 1:16:09 PM

Marine Life Center

If eelgrass isn’t actually seaweed, what is it? What’s the difference between kelp crab and Dungeness crab? How do sea stars move around? The answers to these questions, and other interesting facts about local sea life, can be found at the Marine Life Center at the Harbor Center on Roeder Avenue. This aquatic exhibit near Bellingham Bay has lots of creatures for kids to see and touch. And you can’t beat the price.

Pop inside the Bubble.

The Marine Life Center opened in 1986 and became an enclosed structure in 1995. All of the marine animals you’ll find at the Center come from the North Puget Sound, the San Juan region, and near Lummi Island. There’s a large open viewing pool, a touch pool, two large tanks, and a new Eelgrass Meadow Aquarium with a bubble inside that explorers can pop their head inside to see just what it’s like under the sea. The touch pool and the Eelgrass Meadow are definitely the two most popular features at the Marine Life Center for children, but they also have the chance to learn about salmon life cycles and various underwater ecosystems.

Thanks to support from the Port of Bellingham, the Northwest Discovery Project, admission sales, and private donations, the Marine Life Center is constantly working to improve and advance their facilities. They got a brand new roof this past November, and have plans to add more interpretive signs and replace two of the older tanks.

Kids can get up close and personal with some sea creatures.

The Marine Life Center had to say goodbye to Omar, a giant Pacific octopus that outgrew their space, in November 2007. He was moved to the Seattle Aquarium, but employees hope to bring another octopus to the facility for marine lovers of all ages to view and study.

When asked why she thinks the Marine Life Center is a great place to bring kids, employee Tristen Biando couldn’t find just one answer. “It’s only $1 for adults and fifty cents for kids, so it a pretty good deal.” She also noted that the Marine Life Center is open every day of the year, including holidays, so it’s always an option if you’re looking for an afternoon activity. “Plus, we’re right across the way from Zuanich Point Park, so a lot of families will stop by during a day at the park.”

One crustaceous resident of the Marine Life Center.

Classes, parties, and other groups can also schedule field trips to the Marine Life Center at no extra cost besides general admission. For these small groups, Marine Life Center staff and volunteers will take some of the marine life out of their tanks and put them in clear, plastic buckets of water for closer inspection. “We also provide some basic information about the animals, but the lessons we teach vary depending on the group. We have preschoolers come in, but we also have groups of adults,” Tristen explained.

The Marine Life Center is located at 1801 Roeder Avenue. It is open every day of the year, from 11 AM to 5 PM during the winter and 10 AM to 5 PM in the summer. For more information about the Marine Life Center or to schedule a group presentation, call (360) 671-2431.