Happy September to Everyone!
I cannot believe it’s already fall in the Florida Keys (mainly because it’s the hottest month of summer for us and it does NOT feel like fall)! Although September is the start of crisp and cooler fall temperatures for much of the country, in the Florida Keys we have one more month to go before our weather finally starts to cool down (and the threat of hurricanes begins to decrease). Despite the fact that 2021 has flown by at DPMMR, we have made a ton of progress this year!
Thanks to the incredible skill and many hours of manual labor from DPMMR donor and supporter Andy Rivers, we installed a new shade structure on our floating dock system this month. The goal of this shade structure is not only to provide shade for our dolphins’ eyes during our training sessions, but to provide shade for our trainers as well. We are thrilled to have finally installed such a critical component to our animal welfare program. The dolphins and the trainers all love it!
Also, this fall, DPMMR’s Director of Research, Holli Eskelinen, PhD., flew down from Michigan to give our animal care team a two-day workshop on the current research projects ongoing at the facility, as well as to highlight all of the many publications DPMMR are producing and continue to push forth. DPMMR is very proud to be publishing six research papers this year and to remain as a strong contributor to marine mammal science and the greater scientific community.
Additionally, I am pleased to now teach three semesters of a graduate class from University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, hosted at DPMMR. The class, entitled Marine Mammal Applied Behavior Analysis and Managed Care, was historically only offered as a Spring semester class, only. Now, I teach this class Spring, Summer, and Fall at DPMMR to graduate students seeking their Masters of Professional Science from UM.
Finally, I am VERY happy to announce that DPMMR is gearing up for our next Connect to Protect Gala, which will occur on Saturday, May 7th, 2022. Save the date and stay tuned for more news to come about the location and all the fun to be had!
See you all soon!
-Nancy
