On Friday, July 8, myself and Jessica Taylor drove up to Lubec, Maine the home of the New England Aquarium's Right Whale Research Program since 1980. We made the 8 hour drive north to participate in Lubec’s Bicentennial celebration. We brought my favorite educational tool; the life-sized inflatable right whale named after Calvin (Catalog #2223). We also brought some interactive pieces of our Whale Day school program for people to enjoy. We had a table with research tools that are used during boat surveys on each good weather day in the Bay of Fundy; a laptop, camera, binoculars and a crossbow used for collecting biopsy samples of right whales. We also had right whale baleen for people to touch as well as an activity to illustrate how a strainer for a mouth is a great way to eat lots of food. We used a blubber model and a blubber “glove” to give people an idea of why right whales eat so much and how important it is, especially when swimming in the cold Bay of Fundy waters!

Many of the people that came to check us out were people who live in the area year-round or just for the summer. Many folks knew of the Aquarium and recognized our research vessel Nereid. Lots of people, of all ages, asked really great questions and it was a great day overall with locals and visitors alike enjoying a great day at West Quoddy Lighthouse.