The National Aquarium in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor is planning an outdoor exhibit to help revitalize the popular tourist destination.
According to CBS Baltimore, the project involves building a wetland inside the Inner Harbor between piers 3 and 4 and aims to create an urban green space that can educate people about conservation. Aquarium curator Jack Cover told CBS that the goal is to “connect people to nature and with an effort to make it a world where we all live in harmony.”
The $14 million project, being funding by public and private donations, will be free to the public. The project will help improve water quality in the Chesapeake Bay, as well as create a new habitat for the bay’s wildlife.
The National Aquarium was established in Baltimore in 1981 with a mission to inspire conservation, and today holds more than 20,000 species of fish, birds, amphibians, and marine mammals.
Since its opening more than 30 years ago, the National Aquarium has been a symbol of urban revitalization, education for youth, and a strong source of pride for residents all over Maryland. The opening of this new exhibit is already receiving positive reviews from visitors to the Inner Harbor.
Amelia Hijar told CBS, “I love the idea of being able to always come back and have something new to see and share something as a family.”
Construction for the new exhibit is scheduled to begin the end of this year and will be completed by 2019.
For more information about the National Aquarium go to http://www.aqua.org/
Sources: http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2016/01/31/national-aquarium-builds-wetland-in-inner-harbor/
Image from Flickr Creative Commons: Lauren Powell-Smothers.
