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An estimated 50 to 80% of all life on Earth is found under the ocean. Plants and animals act as gauges of the effect of human activities on the planet, including pollution and climate change. The sea and large inland lakes are integral to many of the Earth’s systems, including climate and weather.
Knowledge of marine life cycles, habits, habitats, and inter-relationships contributes to our understanding of our blue planet.
Our ocean, coasts, and estuaries are home to various living things. These creatures take many forms, from the tiniest single-celled plankton to the largest animal on Earth, the blue whale.
The ocean helps sustain human life above the water by providing 20% of the animal protein and 5% of the total protein in the human diet.
In the United States alone, there are over 95,000 miles of shoreline. More than half of the U.S. population lives within 50 miles of the coast in the narrow area of land known as the “coastal zone.”
The Rockford Aquarium has framed its mission around a spirit of inquiry and whose public programming successfully will turn visitors and guests into environmental and ecological investigators.
The aquarium will interpret and relate to the environments of living things and the relationships of their domains.
To offer a life-altering aquarium experience where visitors will explore beautiful and vibrant ocean life and learn the importance of conserving our water, the ocean, and its inhabitants.
In the past, Aquariums have been focused on studying, conserving, and showcasing their collections. While these roles remain fundamental, Aquariums have expanded into an evolving edutainment role as a community and regional hub.
By combining educational content and, at the same time, using digital tools that traditionally have a closer link with entertainment, the concept of education and entertainment are combined into one to form “edutainment.”
During the past thirty years, aquariums have emerged as well-known and highly valued visitor experiences and engines of economic development. Over these past years, environmental conscientiousness has brought an increased awareness of the human impact on the planet, particularly fragile is the interaction of humans and the nation’s water resources.
Tourism plays a pivotal role in local and regional economies. An Aquarium magnifies the one to nine tourism marketing investment yields as a catalyst for tourism impact. Every dollar invested into Aquatic tourism marketing yields nine dollars in visitor spending in return for the community. The total economic impact of the project mission will impact the Rock River Valley region.
Funding from individual, family, and foundation donors who seek to invest in healthy oceans, fresh waterways, and a prosperous, strong community.
In-kind support and investment from organizations and corporations whose missions will be strengthened through collaboration with the Rockford Aquarium.
Local, State, and Federal support to significantly expand unique hands-on science and technology opportunities for all students, enhance ocean and freshwater systems literacy for every resident, and attract our guests to an innovative, immersive water experience.
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