Mote’s traveling exhibits find new home at Keys History and Discovery Center
Take a closer look at the wondrous oceans by visiting Mote Marine Laboratory’s traveling exhibits – Discovery Reef and Sanctuary Reef – which recently arrived at the Keys History and Discovery Center in Islamorada, Fla., and will stay through February 2016.
Coral reefs are estimated to cover less than 1 percent of the earth’s surface but are home to more than 25 percent of all known marine species. As much as one-third of all sea creatures either live or spend much of their lives on reefs.
Discovery Reef and Sanctuary Reef allow visitors to take a closer look at the inner workings of reefs – vital habitats for thousands of marine species – through hands-on educational panels.
“Our mission is to share crucial knowledge of the oceans’ vital ecosystems with people of all ages, no matter where they live,” said Aly Busse, Director of Education at Mote. “By offering traveling exhibits and other education programs that are innovative, entertaining and truly interactive, we hope to encourage lifelong learning, ocean stewardship and conservation throughout the world.”
Sanctuary Reef, a theater-style exhibit created through a prestigious Department of Education grant, invites guests to become the size of a shrimp as they step inside a coral reef cove. The exhibit reveals why coral reefs are important ecologically and economically, what scientists are learning about them, what risks reefs face, how humans can help protect them and much more.
This semi-enclosed area features larger-than-life replicas of reef creatures found in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. The cove forms a small theater for Mote’s videoconferencing programs, and the exterior includes displays on coral anatomy, reef biodiversity, watersheds, neighboring habitats, human impacts and conservation. The exhibit includes information on the nation's National Marine Sanctuaries and current scientific research on corals.
Discovery Reef, a smaller, hands-on exhibit created though grants from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services in Washington, D.C., allows guests to discover amazing life forms and relationships that play out on coral reefs. Coral reefs form habitats where an astonishing array of animals thrive. This exhibit reveals survival strategies and the complex web of relationships between organisms that have evolved in reef habitats.
Mote, a nonprofit research and education institution, is a charter member of the Keys History and Discovery Center.
The Discovery Center is located on the property of the Islander Resort, Mile Marker 82, Islamorada, Fla. The center is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. General admission is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and free for children 13 and younger.
- For more information about the Keys History and Discovery Center, call 305-922-2237 or visit: www.keysdiscovery.com
Mote is dedicated to fostering science-based learning and ocean literacy by providing traveling exhibits developed by Mote’s SeaTrek program to museums, libraries and other venues in the U.S. and other countries. In 2014, the Lab's Mote Mobile and other traveling exhibits reached more than 300,000 people nationally and internationally.
- Learn more about Mote’s SeaTrek exhibits and learn how to reserve one for your museum, library or other venue at: www.mote.org/seatrek
- Learn more about Mote’s education programs for all ages at: www.mote.org/education