| Oregon Coast Aquarium | |
|---|---|
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 Main building at the aquarium | |
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| Date opened | May 23, 1992; 32 years ago (May 23, 1992) |
| Location | Newport, Oregon |
| Land area | 23 acres (9.3 ha) |
| No. of animals | 64,000+ |
| No. of species | 375 |
| Annual visitors | 450,000 (2012) |
| Website | www |
TheOregon Coast Aquarium is anaquarium inNewport in theU.S. state ofOregon. Opened in 1992, the facility sits on 23 acres (9.3 ha) alongYaquina Bay near the Pacific Ocean. The aquarium was home toKeiko, theorca who starred in the movieFree Willy, from January 7, 1996, until September 9, 1998, when he was shipped toVestmannaeyjar, Iceland.USA Today considers the Oregon Coast Aquarium world-class[1] andCoastal Living magazine ranks it among the top ten aquariums in North America.[2]
Newport business leaders proposed building an aquarium beginning in the early 1980s.[3] They proposed a $7 million facility in 1982 as a way to boost the local economy.[3] Two years later they incorporated as a non-profit, and increased fundraising efforts in 1987, collecting $11 million by 1991.[3] Plans to turn 23 acres (9.3 ha) alongYaquina Bay in Newport into a "world class" aquarium were finalized in 1990.[4] The Aquarium was designed by SRG Architects, Portland: BIOS:Inc, of Seattle, and Walker/Macy Landscape Architects, Portland, Oregon.
After early bids were rejected by the aquarium's board of directors,[5] Mountain States Construction was selected to build the first phase for about $12 million in August 1990.[4] Plans for the first phase included construction of a 40,000-square-foot (3,700 m2) building and four acres of outdoor exhibits, with completion expected in spring 1992.[4] Construction began in August 1990 on phase one, with two other phases expected to start three years and eight years later.[6]
On May 23, 1992, the Oregon Coast Aquarium opened with about 5,500 visitors the first day.[7] Those in attendance on the first day included SenatorMark O. Hatfield, GovernorBarbara Roberts, and CongressmenMike Kopetski andLes AuCoin.[7] The opening theme of the aquarium was following the path of a raindrop from theOregon Coast Range all the way to the Pacific Ocean.[8][9]
On January 7, 1996, Keiko theorca whale arrived on aUnited Parcel ServiceC-130 cargo plane, with freight expenses donated by the company.[10] This move fromReino Aventura, an amusement park in Mexico City, came after fund raising by environmentalists and school children to build a $7.8 million habitat for the movie star in Oregon.[10][11] Keiko was moved to Iceland in 1998 in an attempt to return him to the wild.[12] For 2012, the aquarium had 450,000 visitors and earned $850,000 on about $7.3 million in revenues.[13]
The Oregon Coast Aquarium's collection focuses on the flora and fauna native to theOregon Coast. The aquarium is accredited by theAssociation of Zoos and Aquariums.[14]
Exhibits in the main building include four permanent displays: Sandy Shores, Rocky Shores, Coastal Waters, and a changing exhibit area. The first features fish and invertebrates that live either close to shore or in bays such as Yaquina Bay. Progressing, the aquarium displays feature animals further offshore ending in akelp forest and sea jelly exhibit. Flanking the permanent displays are the changing exhibits.
There are also exhibits focusing on small marine life in the area includingjellyfish, and atidepool exhibit in which visitors may touchsea stars andsea anemones.[15]
Temporary exhibits have included "Turtles," "Swampland,"Claws that featured crustaceans, andOddwater, which featured unusual sea creatures such as the green-bloodedcuttlefish and the jet-poweredchambered nautilus.
The largest exhibit is "Passages of the Deep", inKeiko's former tank, it features walk-through acrylic tubes surrounded by deep water marine animals such assharks,rays, androckfish.[16]
The exhibit has three sections.Orford Reef contains mostly rockfish and other smaller Pacific-Northwest fish. Halibut Flats containshalibut,ling cod, a small ray, and other large fish, and includes a mock sunken ship. Open Sea is the last section in the tunnel, and holds many species ofsharks includingseven gill sharks, as well asrays,mackerel,anchovies andsalmon.
Theaviary at Oregon Coast Aquarium exhibits sea and shore birds. Those on display include the seabirdstufted puffin,common murre,rhinoceros auklet,pigeon guillemot, and the shore birdblack oystercatcher. The seabird aviary includes two large pools and rocky cliffs.
The aquarium's nature play area offers an interactive exhibit for kids which features models of logs (in reference to the area's history in timber), a replica eagle's nest, and a slide designed to look like a river chute.[17][18]
The outdoor amphitheater was built as part of the same renovation project that brought the nature play area and the headwaters feature. It is an outdoor presentation space that hosts educational presentations from experts and animal demonstrations from caretakers.[17][18]
The Aquarium has the largest outdoor Seabird Aviary in North America, which is home to tufted and horned puffins, black oystercatchers, common murres, rhinoceros auklets and pigeon guillemots. The Aquarium also exhibits two turkey vultures in a separate outdoor area. Outdoor exhibits also showcase marine mammal species native to the Oregon Coast, includingsea otters,harbor seals, and sea lions. There is even a coastal cave that houses agiant Pacific octopus. The rocks in the outdoor exhibit are artificial rocks constructed ofgunite.[19] The Aquarium is also home to a nature trail that overlooks the Yaquina Bay estuary and features native plants and free-roaming wildlife.
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