Mote Magazine, Summer 2012

MOTE MAGAZINE | suMMEr 2012 M1

INSIDE MOTE MagazINE

Special Events 2

Generation Next 3

Sea Lions: On the Water’s Edge 7

Mote Aquarium’s Scientific Stars 8

Fish Eggs to Fabulous Food 12

S u M M E r 2 0 1 2

M2 MOTE MAGAZINE | suMMEr 2012

Take a closer lookTODAY’S RESEARCH FOR TOMORROW’S OCEANS

“Horsing around” can support conservation: Mote Aquarium raises seahorses for educational displays in more than 55 U.S. locations, lessening the need to collect seahorses from the wild.

Visit the Aquarium at

(941) 388 4441 | www.mote.org

Erinn Muller sampling at Haulover Reef in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Photo by by James Herlan.

COvEr PhOtO

PrESidENt & CEODr. Kumar Mahadevan

EditOrNadine Slimak

CrEAtivE dirECtOrLawson Mitchell

CONtributiNG WritErS Hayley Rutger

CONtributiNG PhOtOGrAPhErSMarc Ellis/H2Opictures.com, James Herlan, Lawson Mitchell.

PUBLISHINg PaRTNERMote Magazine is proud to recognize Sarasota Magazine as its publishing partner. For information on sponsorship, please contact Sarasota Magazine at 941-487-1109.

Summer 2012 • VOLume 61InfO: 941-388-4441 • www.mOte.OrG

MOtE MAGAziNE n a unique missionMote Magazine (ISSN 1553-1104) is published by Mote Marine Laboratory, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the science of the sea. By telling the stories of sea science, Mote hopes to enhance public understanding of marine research and conservation.

Special eventSMote aquarium 2012 Events Calendar

OCTOBEROct. 19: 6:30-9 p.m. Mote’s Night of Fish, Fun & Fright. Buoys and ghouls

of all ages are invited to dress up in costume for a Night of Fish, Fun and Fright at Mote aquarium. Sail the spooky seas and discover sea creatures from the deep in a safe and fun trick-or-treating zone. Cost to be announced. (Sponsorships available.) Details at www.mote.org/halloween.

Oct. 27: Oceanic Evening: The Legacy Continues. Mote Marine Labora-tory and aquarium will recognize the charter members of its Legacy Society during this invitation-only event at The Ritz-Carlton Sarasota. For more information, contact Tom Waters at 941-388-4441, ext. 352.

NOVEMBERNov. 8-12: Third-annual Siesta Key Crystal Classic Master Sand Sculpting Compe-tition with 24 master sand sculptors competing in a doubles competition. This fun family event benefits Mote Marine Laboratory’s sea turtle research, rescue, rehabilitation and conservation programs. Vendor Village on site Nov. 9-12. Winning sculptures announced Nov. 11. Details online at www.crystalsand.org.


Generation

NEXT

Almost as soon as she opened the doors, people were clamoring to find out what she was doing and to join her

in her fascinating endeavors. Some were already scientists in their own right; others — like Dr. Sylvia Earle, now famously known as “Her Deepness” — were just starting their careers and the Lab became an important place to learn their trade.

“In scientific research, one of the key career development steps for the next generation of researchers is through post-doctoral experience,” says Dr. Michael Crosby, Mote’s senior vice president for research. “These ‘first jobs’

Taking a new look at ocean mysteries has been the hallmark of Mote Marine Laboratory since it opened its doors in 1955. Dr. Eugenie Clark started the Lab when she was just a young woman, before many detailed scientific studies of the wondrous creatures in Southwest Florida waters had been done.

erInn muLLer, Ph.D. “The postdoctoral fellowship at Mote is my dream job. Every day I come to work and do what I love: conduct research on coral reef ecosystems.”

by Nadine Slimak


Generation

NEXT

Jayne GarDIner, Ph.D. “I have always had a fascination with nature that was instilled in me by my grandfathers, who were both great outdoorsmen. So I had an interest in biology from a very young age.”

after students obtain their doctorate degrees give them the opportunity to transition from students to establishing their own independent and innovative research programs. By partnering with more seasoned researchers, post-docs receive mentoring to guide the development of skills essential for their future professional growth and success. These young post-docs — and the 21st Century vision they bring to science — are critical for true innovation that changes the way we understand and are able to positively impact the world.”

Over the last few years, about a dozen research positions at Mote have been filled by young scientists and, in 2011, we created the formal Mote Postdoctoral Fellowship Program as part of our 2020 Vision and Strategic Plan. This program provides funding and mentorship for the fellows for two years so that they may conduct their own unique research projects.

We thought it would be fun to find out more about what makes some of our young investigators tick. Here, we meet our first two Mote Postdoctoral Fellows, Drs. Erinn Muller and Jayne gardiner. We’re also introducing you to Drs. James Locascio, Jen Yordy and Nathan Brennan — investigators doing postdoctoral research at Mote through other programs.

ERINN MULLER, 31, first became interested in science by reading books about oceans that she would check out from the library as she was growing up in Bath, N.Y. a trip to Marineland in Canada really sparked her interest and today she studies coral reef ecosystems. “I had an undergraduate professor who studied coral reef ecology,” Muller says. “after taking several of his classes, I was hooked. Coral reefs are one of the most biologically diverse ecosystems in the ocean, but also one of the most sensitive to disturbances. I know I can make a difference in the world by helping to preserve coral reef ecosystems in peril.”

Her best moment?

“Recently I went on a trip to Indonesia with three other female coral-reef scientists from different parts of the world to teach young Indonesian scientists how to monitor coral-disease prevalence on the reefs around their islands. The best part was teaching the young Indonesian female scientists how to free dive. although I

Web extraRead more about Jayne, Erinn, Nate, Jim and Jen and their current research projects online at www.mote.org/next


have had wonderful interactions with whales, dolphins, goliath groupers and many beautiful coral reefs, being a mentor for women scientists in a developing country was an incredibly meaningful experience.”

JaYNE gaRDINER, 32, found her love of the outdoors and biology during fishing trips with her father and grandfathers and in keeping pet fish as a kid in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. Watching the fish behave led to her interest and current studies in the sensory systems of animals, particularly sharks, and how they use vision, smell, hearing, touch, electrosenses and even their lateral lines to feed and to navigate their natural environments. gardiner also studies the sensory systems of bony fish and sea turtles.

animals return to the places they were born, often traveling thousands of miles to get there. How they do it is one of the questions that gardiner hopes to answer in her research. “If I could unlock all of the sensory mechanisms that guide these behaviors, we could not only improve our ability to protect these animals by protecting the environmental features that guide these behaviors, but also to improve our ability as humans to explore the environment through better robotic technologies.”

Why Mote?

“Most postdoctoral positions involve working under someone else’s existing grant and on projects of their choosing. This fellowship provides the freedom and the funds to pursue my own interests. Mote’s facilities are also exceptional — the area where we study sharks is the largest of its kind in the country and the only place where behavioral studies of this scale can be accomplished.”

NaTE BRENNaN, 44, was born in Connecticut but grew up in Papua, New guinea, where he fell in love with animals and figuring out how things work during outdoor adventures that always began with his mother’s admonishment to “go out and play and not come back until lunch.”

“My brothers and I, along with the New guinean kids, had lots of adventures in the forests. They lived in harmony with nature and

living with them provided a foundation for my interests in science,” Brennan says.

Brennan, who studies fisheries and aquatic sciences, focuses on ways to help wild populations of fish, like snook, increase in number by growing them in aquaculture and then releasing them to the wild. His studies have focused on how fish fare once they are released as well as the best methods and techniques for raising fish. “For me, it’s more about the little questions and how these fit into our understanding of larger systems. I totally enjoy finding little treasures of knowledge along the path of discovery.”

His biggest surprise?

Much of Brennan’s research involves setting seine nets to catch fish in the wild in brackish creeks. “There were two of us working in a 15-foot wide creek with a 70-foot seine net. I thought I had seined up a log and reached down to pull it out. Instead, it was a 10-foot alligator. When I lifted the base of its tail out of the water we both jumped out of the creek into the poison ivy. Its head popped up about 8 feet away, then it started to roll. We eventually worked it out of the net — but that was a major adrenaline rush.”

nate Brennan, Ph.D. “Mote has done an amazing job of maintaining its identity and the diversity of research here has always impressed me.”

Generation

NEXT


Generation

NEXT

JennIfer yOrDy, Ph.D. “There isn’t any one specific question that drives my research, but rather a big-picture question: How are human activities affecting the health of wildlife populations and what can be done to reduce

JENNIFER YORDY, 32, grew up in West greenwich, R.I., and, as the child of biologists, was raised to have a natural curiosity and respect for wildlife and the environment. Reading “Silent Spring,” by Rachel Carson and “Our Stolen Future,” by Theo Colborn inspired her to pursue research that would lead to a better understanding of human impacts on the environment. Today, she is a postdoctoral scientist with Mote’s Marine Immunology and Marine Biomedical Research Programs.

“Our research is strongly focused on understanding the two-way relationship between oceans and human health,” Yordy says. “It also focuses on the reverse direction of that relationship — how the marine environment may provide answers to emerging human health issues.”

One study involves looking at the effects of harmful algal blooms (like Florida’s red tide) on animal and human immune systems; another is working on identifying new natural compounds derived from sharks, skates and rays that can be used to treat human disease.

JaMES LOCaSCIO, 42, is based at Mote’s Charlotte Harbor Field Station, where his research focuses on the population structure of adult snook on beaches and barrier islands. Mote studies have shown that the same individual snook appear on the same beaches at regular intervals. Locascio’s interested in finding out whether the fish found offshore mix with those along beaches.

“The snook is a very interesting species because it inhabits a wide range of environmental water quality conditions from fully fresh to fully marine salinities and its entire life cycle may be completed from the beaches to the backwaters of the estuary,” says Locascio. “They also change sex from male to female, and the mechanism for doing so remains a mystery.”

Visits to museums and science-based magazines nurtured Locascio’s interest in science as he grew up in Chicago. “During my childhood we often visited museums, always had subscriptions to science-based magazines, and spent a lot of time outdoors exploring — there were no personal electronic devices in those days.”

What advice would he offer to young students today? “Read as much as you can about the topics in marine research that interest you — and even those that don’t — and volunteer to work with marine scientists as often as you are able. This will help provide a realistic perspective on what it is like to work in this field.”

JameS LOcaScIO, Ph.D. “as an independent research facility and visitor center, Mote contributes economically, intellectually and culturally to the Southwest Florida community. Because Mote is an independently operated organization, it requires maintaining a close bond with the community and I think this is what sets it apart from other institutions.”


coming Soon

Following the huge success of our first temporary exhibit, Penguin Island, the aquarium at Mote Marine Laboratory is excited to announce our new offering, Sea Lions: On the Water’s Edge. This new exhibit, scheduled to open in December 2012 and run through the spring, will feature California and Pategonian sea lions and offer visitors a unique experience to get to know these fascinating marine mammals.

Sea lion populations have rebounded over recent decades, yet today, they face similar threats to some of Florida’s own marine species — especially the sea turtles and dolphins Mote treats in our animal hospitals in Sarasota.

Mote Members receive free admission to the aquarium — and will be able to visit our sea lions over and over again! If you’re not a member, join online today at www.mote.org/membership.

Protect our reefs: Get your Plate today

www.reefplate.com


by Hayley Rutger and Nadine Slimak


as the manatees most highly trained to

participate in research in the world,

Hugh and Buffett have become

scientific stars

Studies with the pair have focused on

everything from how manatees regulate

their body temperature to how well they

see and hear — and play a crucial role in

helping wildlife officials protect

manatees in the wild.

Hugh and Buffett, half-brothers born at

the Miami Seaquarium, have been

participating in research at Mote since 1998. The studies started as a New College

class project to teach them husbandry behaviors that would make providing

veterinary care less stressful for the animals. The manatees were taught to give

blood, to stay still long enough to be weighed and measured and even how to

provide urine samples.

It wasn’t long before they mastered those behaviors and a larger project to

understand how they use their senses to navigate their environment took off.

Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris) are an endangered species

protected by state and federal laws. While conservation and management efforts

have played important roles in supporting manatee populations, these marine

mammals continue to face many threats, including habitat loss, severe cold stress

during winter, entanglement in marine debris and boat strikes.

In 2011, 88 manatees in Florida died in boating-related collisions. a new Mote study published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Experimental Biology shows that manatees should be able to hear boats but raises new questions about why they don’t get out of the way.

huGh ANd buFFEtt Even Mote aquarium’s resident manatees participate in scientific research.


gaining new insights into why they’re at risk from boats has become a key focus of the studies at Mote. The most recent findings, published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Experimental Biology, looked into whether manatees could distinguish sounds similar to those made by boats above other background noise.

The project was led by Mote’s manatee care, training and research coordinator Joseph gaspard III in collaboration with a team of scientists who do ongoing sensory studies with Hugh and Buffett: Dr. gordon Bauer, the New College professor who began the studies with student Debborah Colbert and others at Mote in 1998, and University of South Florida professor Dr. David Mann, along with University of Florida professor Dr. Roger Reep.

During the study, Hugh and Buffett were trained to swim down to a listening station about 3 feet beneath the water’s surface and perform a task when sounds of different frequencies were played. In this case, when Hugh and Buffett heard sounds, they were supposed to touch a yellow paddle. When they heard nothing, they were trained to stay in place.

The team tested their hearing by selecting a particular sound frequency, or pitch, and gradually lowering the volume of the sound until the manatees could no longer hear it. Plotting these “hearing thresholds” on a graph, the team could see that the manatees had good hearing between 8 and 32kHz and could even hear sounds as low as 250 Hz (about middle C on a piano) — though the lowest and highest sounds had to be quite loud for the manatees to hear them. (For comparison, human babies hear best at about 20 Hz to 20 kHz and adults can typically hear up to about 16 kHz.)


“This showed us that manatees should be able to hear approaching boats,” gaspard said. “But we also know that in the wild, the underwater world is very noisy. Even the sounds made by the smallest animals — say, a shrimp — can be quite loud and travel quite far. So our next question was to find out whether Hugh and Buffett could distinguish a boat-like noise from other background sounds.”

Playing test tones — ranging from 4 to 32kHz — against background noise that was centered on the same pitch, the team recorded the difference between the volume of the tone and background

noise when the manatee could no longer

distinguish the tone. By plotting the

critical ratio — the level at which the

background noise swamped the

manatee’s hearing — against pitch for

each animal, the team saw that the

manatees had good hearing in noise.

Hugh and Buffett’s sensitivity to low

frequencies in conjunction with low

critical ratios suggests that they should

be able to hear motorboats above

background noise.

So why do they still get hit by boats?

There are several hypotheses.

Too many boats at once. Says Bauer: “It

could be like us standing in the middle of a busy intersection with traffic all around us, trying to get out of the way of a car. Maybe we hear a car coming from one direction and move out of the way and then get hit by one coming from another direction.”

They head toward deeper water. a previous Mote study of wild manatees showed that manatees headed toward deeper water when they heard a boat, potentially putting them in harm’s way.

There are so many boats, they block out the sounds. If you work in a noisy office, you might have grown accustomed to blocking out the noisy conversations taking place around you. Bauer and others wonder if manatees could be doing something similar.

Maybe it’s the place they’re in. The habitat — for instance a hard bottomed area where sounds might “bounce” or an area of soft sediment where sounds could be absorbed — might make it more difficult for manatees to hear boats.

Maybe they’re just really focused — on something else. “Manatees might be less aware of boat sounds when they’re sleeping, eating or performing other activities related to their daily lives that require their full attention,” gaspard said.

and then there’s that whole crunchy food thing, according to Bauer. “Have you ever been sitting on the couch eating potato chips and watching TV? The sound of the crunching can mask your hearing. Since manatees eat sea grass and water hyacinth, maybe the crunching masks their hearing and makes it harder for them to hear boats.”

Now that’s what we call food for thought.


In a sterile 44-degree room, eggs are gently rubbed over a stainless steel screen set atop a stainless steel bowl to seperate them from the ovaries.

The eggs are then rinsed thoroughly in 36-degree water as a worker carefully tweezes out any broken or sub-standard eggs.

The rinsed eggs are placed in a metal sieve and set aside to drain. Then they’re placed in a clean bowl and weighed.

Eggs are mixed with kosher salt. The salt — key to the curing process that helps the eggs harden — produces the distinctive “pop” as they’re eaten.

1 2 3 4

23

4

56


1

Eggs are drained after being mixed with salt. Mote uses the malossol method — adding just enough salt to cure the caviar without overwhelming the natural flavor.

Using a spatula, workers scoop eggs into lacquer-lined tins or glass jars. Care is taken to avoid breaking or damaging the delicate eggs.

Tins of Mote Caviar are refrigerated — at 25-degrees — and turned regularly to promote curing and to help them develop the proper flavors.

then it’s off to market they go!

5 6 7

In 2006, Mote became the first in Florida to sell farm-raised caviar. Today, it’s hailed by chefs and tasters alike as “amazing” and “absolutely flawless,” among other tongue-tingling adjectives.

Today, Mote Caviar is sold by some of the country’s most discriminating purveyors — Petrossian, Pacific Plaza, Dean & Deluca, Balducci’s, Browne Trading — and eaten in the country’s finest restaurants — the Waldorf astoria Hotel, The Ritz-Carlton.

Have you ever wondered how roe — the eggs of a female fish — are turned into something that has been considered a delicacy for centuries? If so, we invite you on this special tour of Mote’s processing facility.

Find out where you can purchase Mote Caviar at www.mote.org/caviar.

Sign up to receive news of special sales direct from Mote at www.mote.org/caviarsignup


mote mileStoneS

NEW CHIEF aDVaNCEMENT OFFICER JOINS MOTE

Tom Waters of Sarasota has joined Mote as the new Chief advancement Officer to lead the organization’s fundraising and brand development efforts as defined within Mote’s 2020 Vision and Strategic Plan.

The plan, adopted unanimously by Mote’s Board of Trustees at the beginning of 2011, serves as the blueprint guiding Mote’s marine research, education, outreach and policy initiatives to meet the critical needs facing our oceans in this century and beyond. Building a strong endowment for Mote, which is an independent nonprofit 501c(3) organization, is a key step in achieving the long-term financial support required to achieve the core goals of Mote’s 2020 Vision and Strategic Plan.

“We’re very pleased to have Tom with us here at Mote,” said Mote President and CEO Dr. Kumar Mahadevan. “He brings a wealth of experience and community involvement to our organization and we look forward to seeing his new ideas for helping us build a strong financial base for Mote.”

Mr. Waters joins Mote from the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, where he served as the Foundation’s Vice President of Development and Donor Services since 2000. He is married with two daughters, a son and two grandchildren and is active in numerous volunteer and civic organizations in the community, including the Southwest Florida Estate Planning Council, Leadership Sarasota County and the greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce.

“The chance to make a difference locally, nationally and internationally does not come along very often, so I am thrilled to be joining Mote to truly help make a difference in our world,” Waters said.

FOUNDaTIONS gIVE gENEROUSLY TO MOTE

Mote received $490,000 recently from two Sarasota-based family foundations. This crucial support will help us better serve the local community through world-class marine research and through hospital care for marine animals.

The new funds include a major grant from the Sara S. Roberts Foundation for Mote’s efforts to rescue and treat sick and injured dolphins and whales and an anonymous grant for Mote’s shellfish restoration, marine-based cancer research, sustainable seafood farming and Postdoctoral Fellowship Program.

as an independent, nonprofit marine research institution, Mote depends on local support for many of its science, education and outreach efforts.

“It’s hard to imagine our community without Mote Marine Lab — they are a world-class institution right in our own backyard, and we are proud in particular to support their efforts to help injured dolphins and whales,” said george Famiglio, Jr., Trustee of the Sara S. Roberts Foundation.

“Family foundations in our area have been an important pillar of support for

Mote throughout our 57-year history, and we are especially grateful for this new round of generosity,” said Dr. Kumar Mahadevan, Mote’s President and CEO. “These grants will aid our work within the exciting Vision and Strategic Plan we unveiled in 2011, which above all else is focused on today’s research for tomorrow’s oceans.”

COMMUNITY MEETS CHaLLENgE TO gIVE

Mote Marine Laboratory and aquarium would like to thank the many donors who stepped forward to support Mote during the 36-hour giving Challenge — a special community fundraising effort sponsored by The Community Foundation of Sarasota County, the gulf Coast Community Foundation, the Manatee Community Foundation and the Patterson Foundation.

The Challenge provided matching dollars and other special incentives for the 101 nonprofit organizations that participated. In addition to engaging community support, the Challenge was also designed to highlight the Community Foundation of Sarasota County’s new giving Partner Web site. This new online tool is designed to help donors make more informed decisions about how they give their philanthropic dollars.

Mote is proud to announce that in just 36 short hours, 322 donors gave $70,432 to support our efforts. With matching funds and other incentives, we were able to raise $103,206! Thank you for your support!

Learn more about Mote and view our giving Partner profile at www.mote.org/partnerprofile.


THIS SPRINg, a TINY NEW PaTIENT aRRIVED at Mote’s Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Hospital weighing in at just under 5 ounces. Nicknamed “Stanley,” this small loggerhead was brought to Mote in March by staff from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), who retrieved it from a resident who said he rescued it from a canal in Marco Island.

Stanley’s case is unusual: Based on its size, the turtle probably hatched in 2011. at this stage of life, Stanley should have been far offshore living in clumps of seaweed called sargassum. How Stanley remained behind is unknown.

“While we’ve treated hundreds of small hatchlings over the years, we’ve never had a rescued turtle come into our hospital during this part of its life stage,” said Lynne Byrd, Mote’s rehabilitation and medical care coordinator.

as Mote Magazine went to press in June, Mote was preparing to release Stanley — weighing in at a whopping 11 ounces — offshore in the sargassum. “He’s more than doubled his weight while he’s been in the hospital,” Byrd said. “This turtle has been an interesting little patient to have because we just never see them at this age.”

Summer is the height of nesting and hatching season for sea turtles, so Mote urges you to watch out for little guys like Stanley (and their mommas) as you’re enjoying our beaches.

Clearing the Way for Sea Turtles

Protecting sea turtles is important year ‘round — especially in Southwest Florida where turtles nest on local beaches from May 1-Oct. 31. Here are some tips you can use to help sea turtle moms and babies:

Do:

• If you encounter a nesting turtle, remain quiet and observe from a distance

• Shield or turn off outdoor lights that are visible on the beach from May through October

• Close drapes after dark and put beach furniture far back from the water

• Fill in holes that may entrap hatchlings on their way to the water

• Place trash in its proper place

Do Not:

• approach nesting turtles or hatchlings, make noise, or shine lights at turtles

• Use flashlights or fishing lamps on the beach

• Encourage a turtle to move while nesting or pick up hatchlings that have emerged and are heading for the water

• Use fireworks on the beach Sea turtles are protected under federal law and any harassment or interference with a sea turtle, living or dead, is subject to penalty. If you witness anyone disturbing a turtle or find an injured or disoriented hatchling or adult, please notify agents with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at 1-888-404-FWCC (3922), the local sheriff’s department, and/or Mote Marine Laboratory’s Sea Turtle Program at 388-4331. If you find a dead or injured sea turtle, contact Mote’s Stranding Investigations Program at 988-0212.

M16 MOTE MAGAZINE | suMMEr 2012 www.mote.org

He’s not a statue, but a real live Canadian whose professional life was all about concrete — from his first job to his last job some 40 years later.

Ken Rear was raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, and he graduated from the British Columbia Institute of Technology as a civil engineer in technology. He started working with concrete at a building materials company in Vancouver, married his lovely wife, Sheila, and had a son and a daughter. Years later, he moved with his family to Boston where he worked with another company in chemicals for concrete. His final job was with a cement manufacturer in atlanta as Vice President and Director of Research. He also organized an international conference of cement scientists, an activity he remains involved in.

So, where and how did Ken connect with Mote and marine science?

Ken was fascinated by marine life from the earliest. First, in aquariums in Vancouver and Seattle. Later, at those in Boston

and atlanta. as a youngster in Vancouver he went scuba diving in the cold waters of georgia Strait and played footsie with giant octopuses.

Ten years before retirement, he and Sheila bought a vacation house on anna Maria Island to be near the sea. There they came to know of Mote the way so many people do — as aquarium visitors. In 2007, free of paid work, Ken became a volunteer aquarium guide. “Those marine science courses new guides are required to take really hooked me,” Ken says.

Today, he is also a marine animal handler who has helped care for an orphaned dolphin in Mote’s veterinary hospital. Ken feels strongly that Mote’s research, aquarium and education programs are all deserving of more support than just his donation of time.

That’s why he has made a direct bequest to Mote in his final will and testament. “I’ll do what I can to protect marine life while I’m still around, and my money will help when I’m gone.”

There are many ways you could add your solid financial support to Mote. For a start, talk to ann Hayes, Director of Major gifts and Planned giving, at 941-388-4441, ext. 261, or e-mail [email protected].

NON PrOfIT OrG.u.s. Postage

PAIDManasota, fLPermit #1201

1600 Ken Thompson Parkwaysarasota, fL 34236-1004

(941) 388-4441www.mote.org

his Commitment to Mote is Cast in concrete

LeAvIng A LegACy: Ken Rear

MOTE MAGAZINE | suMMEr 2012 M17www.mote.org

He’s not a statue, but a real live Canadian whose professional life was all about concrete — from his first job to his last job some 40 years later.

Ken Rear was raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, and he graduated from the British Columbia Institute of Technology as a civil engineer in technology. He started working with concrete at a building materials company in Vancouver, married his lovely wife, Sheila, and had a son and a daughter. Years later, he moved with his family to Boston where he worked with another company in chemicals for concrete. His final job was with a cement manufacturer in atlanta as Vice President and Director of Research. He also organized an international conference of cement scientists, an activity he remains involved in.

So, where and how did Ken connect with Mote and marine science?

Ken was fascinated by marine life from the earliest. First, in aquariums in Vancouver and Seattle. Later, at those in Boston

and atlanta. as a youngster in Vancouver he went scuba diving in the cold waters of georgia Strait and played footsie with giant octopuses.

Ten years before retirement, he and Sheila bought a vacation house on anna Maria Island to be near the sea. There they came to know of Mote the way so many people do — as aquarium visitors. In 2007, free of paid work, Ken became a volunteer aquarium guide. “Those marine science courses new guides are required to take really hooked me,” Ken says.

Today, he is also a marine animal handler who has helped care for an orphaned dolphin in Mote’s veterinary hospital. Ken feels strongly that Mote’s research, aquarium and education programs are all deserving of more support than just his donation of time.

That’s why he has made a direct bequest to Mote in his final will and testament. “I’ll do what I can to protect marine life while I’m still around, and my money will help when I’m gone.”

his Commitment to Mote isCast in concrete

LeAvIng A LegACy:

Ken Rear

There are many ways you could add your solid financial support to Mote. For a start, talk to ann Hayes, Director of Major gifts and Planned giving, at 941-388-4441, ext. 261, or e-mail [email protected].

Mote Magazine, Summer 2012

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Transcript of Mote Magazine, Summer 2012