It's official. This last weekend I took the test and passed to become a certified touchpool volunteer at the Albuquerque Aquarium. To certify, the aquarium's volunteer coordinator, Tiffany, walked with me to both of the touchpools and watched as I demonstrated how to setup each exhibit. She asked me to show how to properly contact the animals and to describe some of … [Read more...] about The Newest Certified Volunteer at the Albuquerque Aquarium
public aquarium
The Last Shadow Shift Before I Become a Certified Aquarium Volunteer
I did it. I finished my last shadow shift that is required before I can take the certification test to become a certified aquarium volunteer. The process to become a volunteer is not that difficult. If the aquarium made it too difficult they may have had trouble finding people to fill the need. Here is a recap of what is required to become a certified volunteer at the … [Read more...] about The Last Shadow Shift Before I Become a Certified Aquarium Volunteer
Volunteering at the Invertebrate Touchpool for the Albuquerque Aquarium
I worked my first training session on running the invertebrate touchpool at the Albuquerque Aquarium. It is a completely different experience than volunteering at the Shark and Ray Encounter. Both the volunteers and the aquarium guests get to spend much more time interacting with the animals. I worked this shift with an experienced invertebrate touchpool volunteer named … [Read more...] about Volunteering at the Invertebrate Touchpool for the Albuquerque Aquarium
“You’re Mean!” and The Problem With Shark Fin Soup
A funny thing happened today but it also made me think. The wisdom of children never ceases to amaze me. One of the props that I use while I'm volunteering in the Shark and Ray Encounter exhibit is a real shark fin. It's illegal for people to buy and sell shark fins in most of the world and from time to time the aquarium receives the confiscated fins to be used … [Read more...] about “You’re Mean!” and The Problem With Shark Fin Soup
Working as an Aquarium Volunteer – The Shark and Ray Encounter
I took the next step this past Saturday in becoming a volunteer at the Albuquerque Aquarium (see previous post My First Day as a Public Aquarium Volunteer). It was Earth day so the aquarium was packed full of people. The staff and volunteers were running in all directions getting their displays ready for all the visitors. For earth day, the aquarium setup stations around the … [Read more...] about Working as an Aquarium Volunteer – The Shark and Ray Encounter
