Marine Mammal Strandings Topic of MBL School Vacation Event for Kids, April 22

Contact: Susan Joslin 508-289-7281; sjoslin@mbl.edu

Woods Hole, MA –The MBL Associates will help celebrate Earth Day with a free presentation for middle-school age students on Tuesday, April 22 at 11:00 AM. Kathy Zagzebski, President and Executive Director of the National Marine Life Center, will give a talk titled “Tending Turtles, Studying Seals, and Doctoring Dolphins: Helping Stranded Marine Wildlife on Cape Cod.”  The event will be held in the MBL’s Lillie Auditorium, 7 MBL Street, Woods Hole. No registration is required, and families are welcome. Although the talk is geared toward middle-school aged children, it will be accessible to all school-age children. Free parking is available at the MBL’s Bar Neck Road lot, across from the Woods Hole Yacht Club.

Cape Cod is a stranding hotspot. Hundreds of sea turtles, seals, and dolphins strand on our shorelines every year. This presentation will introduce some of the marine animals of Cape Cod.  Students will learn reasons why these animals strand, how they are rescued, what’s involved in marine wildlife rehabilitation, what we can learn from the animals, and what they can do to help.The National Marine Life Center is a nonprofit marine animal hospital and science and education center dedicated to rehabilitating for release stranded sea turtles, seals, dolphins, porpoises, and small whales, and to advancing scientific knowledge and education in marine wildlife health and conservation. For more information, contact the MBL Communications Office at (508) 289-7423 or comm@mbl.edu.

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The Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) is dedicated to scientific discovery and improving the human condition through research and education in biology, biomedicine, and environmental science. Founded in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, in 1888, the MBL is a private, nonprofit institution and an affiliate of the University of Chicago.

The MBL Associates are a group of individuals and businesses that support the scientific mission of the MBL through their gifts to the Annual Fund. The Associates sponsor educational and research programs for the MBL and raise funds for special projects. In addition, they operate the MBL Gift Shop, located on Water Street in Woods Hole, the profits from which support scientific fellowships.