Close Contact of the Marine Kind – Our Invertebrate World

Along with all of my recent visits to the coast, Associate Library Dean, Nancy Cunningham, and I took a trip to the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport, Oregon.  The Hatfield Center is part of Oregon State University and supports a large range of state and federal agencies.  These include Oregon Fish and Wildlife, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, U.S. Geological Survey, the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.  The campus supports a wonderful education center within the main building that houses a small museum and aquarium area.  The highlights of this spot are the Pacific Red Octopus (Octopus rubescens) Aquarium and the touch-pool above.  I am a big fan of these touch pools because they get people up and close to many species that they would never see otherwise.  And, unlike a typical zoo, patrons have a chance to interact with the animals and really begin to understand what these creatures are like.  I must state that the pool pictured above was just exquisite with its purple sea urchins (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus), sea stars (Dermasterias imbricata) , California sea cucumbers (Parastichopus californicus)  green sea anemones (Anthopleura xanthogrammica) and pink algae covered rocks.  Shawn Rowe, an educator in the College of Education at Oregon State University has been involved in design and educational analysis of these exhibits.