Spring is such an exciting time of year and also known as a season of rebirth and new life, perfect descriptors of spring at DPMMR. However, spring at DPMMR is also known as the start of our “busy season” and in a way – the start of our “New Year.” Consequently, February is usually a month dedicated to laying the foundation for a successful year ahead. Our training teams spent most of February teaching the animals new behaviors to further connect with our guests, our veterinary team spent the month completing annual physicals, our guest service team worked to stock and inventory our gift shop, and our maintenance teams worked to repair and update the facility so that we can fulfill our mission.

This past February has been a little different, however. Beyond the routine “New Year”/Spring Season preparations, our development and rescue teams have been collaborating on an exciting new project (currently let’s call it “Project BRT”). Once complete, Project “BRT” will provide experiential learning to thousands of guests each year, all the while directly supporting our rescue, fieldwork, and conservation of wild whales and dolphins. Just this month, the team reached a milestone when they completed the physical preparation of the project site and started to go “vertical” with construction. 

With a little hard work, a lot of heart, and a pinch of luck, the project will be ready to launch sometime this spring. I’m very encouraged by the recent progress and can’t wait to share more details and an opening date VERY SOON. 

In other news, we recently announced the date for DPMMR’s 3^rd Annual Connect to Protect Gala. We can’t wait to return to an in-person fundraising event. Our team will continue to monitor the pandemic, but we remain hopeful that we will be able to host an exciting party on May 7^th. The proceeds from this year’s event will be helping us continue improving the welfare of the 7 dolphins that call DPMMR home, through strategic capacity building efforts. Hope to see you there! 

Finally, I want to extend my deepest gratitude to you for being a loyal supporter of DPMMR. Together, we have celebrated a lot of victories for our mission and animals. For example, we now have a scale that we weigh the dolphins on, weekly, to ensure their optimal healthy weight is maintained. (We didn’t have that a year ago!) We now have a shade structure for the dolphins. (We didn’t have that 52 weeks ago!) Our rescue and research teams in the field have the resources they need to execute field research much more routinely than before, resources that were scarce only 12 months ago. The past 365 days have been the best in our history as an organization, and I am eagerly looking forward to celebrating more accomplishments with you by our side. 

Thanks for being a supporter and cheerleader of Dolphins Plus Marine Mammal Responder. I’m so thankful to have you on our team. 

Stay Warm! It’s nearly “Spring”! 

-       Nancy