MARINE DISCOVERY CENTER CHARLOTTE WELCH PERIOD 7 INTERNSHIP

I work with the different fish tanks that they have at the marine discovery center. I am a docent on Saturdays, which means I tell the visitors what fish are in the tanks.

Along with the seahorses they also have a Big Red Hermit crab named Big Red. I know so original right. You have to be careful when you pick him up. He isn't very nice.

At the November open house I got to help out with the children's room At the November open house I got to help out with the children's room. Playing a Bean Bag toss game with them.

At the haunted house in October At the haunted house in October. I got to take part in the scary experiences that lurked around every corner. It was definitely a experience I will never forget. I ended up helping with the Scary room and I was to tell the Captain when to come out of his "hiding place"

On Wednesdays when I go to help out I help Lou get ready for the sea squirts program. I cut out paper and paint different things for the little arts and crafts that they do at the program. Also I will make copies of the schedule for the day so all the parents can get one as they come in.

When I docent I am telling the people who are going on the boat tours about the tanks. This is the Discovery Boat Tour that goes out every day and is a ton of fun for visitors.

These are the different fish that they have in the Sports Tank.

I also aided in the Restoration project that the Marine Discovery center was embarking on. 4 Saturdays I went to the salt marsh that is all man made. we planted native plants that wont harm the environment in any way at all. It was a dirty job literally and I got blisters like you wouldn't believe but in the end it was all worth it because now I can say that I was a part of making that what it is now.

The lobster at the Marine Discovery Center started to show signs of being sick. So they took him out of the tank that he was in and placed him in a tank by himself. After that the fish people at the Marine Discovery Center took care of the lobster every day. After about 3 months he was back to normal and was able to be put back into the tank he was in.

The Marine Discovery Center was lucky enough to get this Terrapin The Marine Discovery Center was lucky enough to get this Terrapin. This little guy was on of many that were being poached from the U.S. to Japan. there were over 200 in total that the man was trying to take. The MDC actually got three of them but this little guy was the only one who survived. I got to feed him whenever i was there he was like a little dog with his food.

CLEAN UP AT THE LAGOON. One of the most rewarding things I did during the time of my internship was I helped clean up the lagoon. We went to a island in the New Smyrna Beach area and just cleaned up trash for a few hours. The stuff you found was outrageous. I was shocked to see that that much trash actually existed on the islands.

The boat tours go in the lagoon, you learn about the natural habitat and the animals that live in it. You will almost always see dolphins when you go out on the water. The Marine Discovery Center boat tours. On Saturday morningsI would Docent for the MDC and I would help prepare the guests for the Boat tour they were going on. I actually went on it once and it is a wonderful experience. The profits from the boat go to the restoration project they are trying to complete.

You have the ability to go kayaking around the lagoon and see the salt marsh that they have created in the natural habitat that they had to work with. It is absolutely beautiful and fun to go around and see all the progress that has been made with the marsh. All the animals that come to see it are amazing. I am happy to say that I was a part of creating this.

I helped out with the second open house since I was there I helped out with the second open house since I was there. It was another amazing experience, I got to hold a sign telling people where to go, I also got to play games with the kids and make it a memorable experience for them. This time more kids ended up joining the Sea Squirts program and just came to the MDC more often which is a good thing to see.

They moved not to long ago and since they have moved they have been able to help the environment even more. They were able to build the salt marsh or help out with it. They are right on the lagoon now so they can assist the animals who get caught in fishing net (which happens more then you think).

The main goal of the Marine Discovery Center is to protect the wildlife. They do it by keeping everything natural, they don't put many non natural things into the environment, they just help it out a lot. This was the experience of my life. I will never forget what I learned from them, I hope everybody gets the chance to go and visit the MDC, it is really worth your time and you will be extremely happy you did.