{"id":168798,"date":"2025-04-02T19:35:52","date_gmt":"2025-04-02T19:35:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/aquarium\/monterey-bay-aquarium-welcome-to-the-raft-opal-%e2%9c%a8\/"},"modified":"2025-04-02T19:35:52","modified_gmt":"2025-04-02T19:35:52","slug":"monterey-bay-aquarium-welcome-to-the-raft-opal-%e2%9c%a8","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=168798","title":{"rendered":"Monterey Bay Aquarium \u2014 Welcome to the raft, Opal! \u2728"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">&#13;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Julie Packard: A 30th Anniversary Message<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>(Julie Packard is a founder and the executive director of the Monterey Bay Aquarium.<\/em><em>)<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\">Thirty years ago today, we began a grand adventure. The Monterey Bay Aquarium opened its doors for the first time\u2014and began changing the way people think about the ocean.<\/p>\n<p>What started in the late 1970s as the dream of a few marine scientists has grown to become the best aquarium in the world, and an ocean conservation leader of international stature.<\/p>\n<p>For that, I want to thank you.<\/p>\n<p>The tens of millions of people who have visited over the years, our Aquarium members and donors, the supporters of our <a href=\"http:\/\/www.seafoodwatch.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">Seafood Watch <\/a>program, and the dedicated staff and volunteers who keep this place humming\u2014all of you have played a critical role in shaping our development, and a future with healthy oceans.<\/p>\n<p><strong>An uncharted journey<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>We didn\u2019t know what to expect on October 20, 1984. But the excitement, the enthusiasm we felt that day, has only multiplied since then.<\/p>\n<p>Our commitment to admit school groups free of charge has blossomed into education programs that have reached more than 2 million students, thousands of teachers and hundreds of teens who are emerging as ocean conservation leaders. This year, we announced plans for our <a href=\"http:\/\/www.montereybayaquarium.org\/support-us\/ways-to-give\/ocean-education-and-leadership-center-donate\" target=\"_blank\">Ocean Education and Leadership Center<\/a> that\u2014with your help\u2014will double our impact over the next few years.<\/p>\n<p>We continue to inspire visitors through living exhibits that are second to none\u2014a fact recognized when TripAdvisor\u00ae (the world\u2019s largest travel site) named us the <a href=\"http:\/\/montereybayaquarium.tumblr.com\/post\/93885346828\/and-the-worlds-best-aquarium-is-us-thats\" target=\"_blank\">best aquarium in the world<\/a> earlier this year. We were the pioneer of special exhibitions at public aquariums; our current exhibition, \u201cTentacles: The Astounding Lives of Octopuses, Squid and Cuttlefishes,\u201d is the latest incredible accomplishment of our talented animal care and exhibitions team.<\/p>\n<p><strong>A voice for the ocean<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Over the years, we have stepped up our role as <a href=\"http:\/\/www.montereybayaquarium.org\/conservation\/ocean-conservation-policy\" target=\"_blank\">a voice for the ocean<\/a>, through a rigorous science program and effective advocacy on behalf of policies to safeguard the health of the ocean and marine wildlife. We\u2019ve been successful because everything we do is grounded in the best available science. That\u2019s one reason we were able to lead the campaign to ban the shark fin trade in California. And it\u2019s the reason our Seafood Watch program has become the most respected source of information for consumers, chefs and major seafood buyers across North America.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re expanding our research work to support recovery of threatened ocean species, including sea otters, Pacific bluefin tuna and great white sharks. We\u2019re also more active on behalf of legislation and policy\u2014in Washington, DC, in Sacramento and in collaboration with business leaders as well as colleagues who share our goals.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Shaping the future<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Through it all, we have remained true to our founding values: a commitment to science, and to a culture that supports teamwork and innovation. We also recognize that the future of the ocean\u2014and this Earth we share\u2014will be shaped by how well we nurture and cultivate the talents of our children.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a solid foundation that continues to serve us well. It positions us to think about how we can best make a difference for the ocean\u2014and how to turn our aspirations for the future into reality.<\/p>\n<p>Thank you for being an essential part of this journey. The ocean is on the road to recovery, but we\u2019ve only just begun.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.montereybayaquarium.org\/support-us\" target=\"_blank\">Help us create a future with healthy oceans.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>(Photo of Julie Packard by Corey Arnold)<\/p>\n<p>&#13;\n                                                <\/p><\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#13; Julie Packard: A 30th Anniversary Message (Julie Packard is a founder and the executive director of the Monterey Bay Aquarium.) Thirty years ago today, we began a grand adventure. The Monterey Bay Aquarium opened its doors for the first time\u2014and began changing the way people think about the ocean. What started in the late [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":168799,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12040],"tags":[12670,5140,67790,67791,14295,14294,65817,67789,43205,67788],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-168798","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aquarium","tag-aquarium","tag-bay","tag-gem-of-the-kelp-forest","tag-keystone-queen","tag-monterey","tag-monterey-bay-aquarium","tag-opal","tag-otterly-opalescent","tag-raft","tag-team-opal-has-triumphed"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Monterey Bay Aquarium \u2014 Welcome to the raft, Opal! \u2728 - Som2ny Network<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=168798\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Monterey Bay Aquarium \u2014 Welcome to the raft, Opal! \u2728 - Som2ny Network\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"&#013; Julie Packard: A 30th Anniversary Message (Julie Packard is a founder and the executive director of the Monterey Bay Aquarium.) 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