Reawaken your “sense of place” before the craziness of the holiday season by participating in the “Wild Women on the Outer Banks Weekend” November 13-15.  Women from across the country will have the opportunity to visit maritime forests, beaches and marshes of the Outer Banks.  Activities include kayaking, wild edibles foraging, nature crafting, “behind the scenes” exploring at the Aquarium and more.  Participants can even “sleep with the sharks” in front of the 285,000-gallon Graveyard of the Atlantic exhibit.  This one-of-a- kind opportunity  is conducted in partnership with the Nature Conservancy’s Nags Head Woods Preserve.

Registration begins on October 1, 2009 with participation limited to 22 “adventurous women” ages 21 and above.  The cost is $300 per person.  Aquarium Society Members receive a 10% discount.

For information call 252-473-3494 ext. 266.

The North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores is looking for volunteers who want to immerse themselves in their work. The Aquarium’s volunteer dive team is recruiting new members for 2010. The deadline to apply is Nov. 30.

The program offers certified SCUBA divers a unique and rewarding underwater experience. Volunteer divers inside the 306,000-gallon Living Shipwreck converse with visitors about the many animals gliding around a replica of the U-352, a famous World War II shipwreck. Volunteer divers also assist with other programs underwater, as well as help care for animals and maintain exhibits.

Divers selected during the fall recruiting drive start their duties in January. In addition to SCUBA certification, divers must be at least 18 years old, be in good health and be willing to make time and training commitments. See the Pine Knoll Shores Volunteer page for application forms and more information on the program and requirements.

2nd place, 2008 Aquatic Life at the Aquariums, Karen Doody - koi at Pine Knoll Shores

If you like to take photos, picture this — your pastime could win you $500 in the 2009 North Carolina Aquariums’ Underwater Photo Contest. And you don’t even have to get wet. The Aquatic Life at the Aquariums category features photos of animals and exhibits at the three state Aquariums - at Fort Fisher, at Pine Knoll Shores and on Roanoke Island.

Divers can compete in two other categories, Underwater Animal Close-ups or Underwater Open, with photos taken in the waters off the coast of North Carolina or within the state’s freshwater systems.Photos must be submitted online at by midnight, Dec. 31, 2009. (more…)

On October 1, 2009, the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island will become one of the few institutions in the world to exhibit marine paintings by renowned artist and conservationist Frank Stick (1884-1966).  Some of the works to be shown at the Aquarium were last seen in public at the Musée Océanographique de Monaco in 1988.

Hooked! The Reel Art of Frank Stick focuses on his watercolors of fish, on loan from the Outer Banks History Center (OBHC) in Manteo.  The exhibition celebrates the 20th  anniversary of the OBHC and runs through December.

Stick, a student of Howard Pyle and colleague of N.C. Wyeth, was one of the most popular and prolific American illustrators of the early 20th century.  He was also a lifelong sportsman, a founder of the Izaak Walton League, and co-author of the first book on surf fishing.

Stick visited the undeveloped Outer Banks of North Carolina on a fishing trip in the mid-1920s.  Like many before and since, he was hooked.  Despite the area’s lack of roads, bridges, and electricity, he gave up commercial art and moved with his family to the Banks.  Over the next 37 years, he played a major role in local economic growth (one of his subdivisions became the Town of Southern Shores) and the stabilization of the beaches.  He was also involved in the creation of the Wright Brothers National Monument, the Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, Cape Hatteras National Seashore and the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge.

When he returned to his easel in semi-retirement, Stick concentrated on two subjects that he knew well: fish and fishing.  A planned field guide never took shape, but he continued to paint until a few weeks before his death.

Stick’s early work had been scattered, but most of the fish paintings went to his son David (1919-2009) who was himself an eminent historian and author.  In 1981 the University of North Carolina Press published a majority of the paintings in a book entitled An Artist’s Catch.  Six years later, David Stick donated his library, his papers and 324 of his father’s paintings to the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources to form the nucleus of the Outer Banks History Center.

The OBHC, a regional archives and research library administered by the N.C. State Archives, is located at Roanoke Island Festival Park in Manteo.  In addition to the Stick paintings, the Center’s holdings comprise nearly 300,000 manuscripts, photographs, books and maps.  For  more information, contact  the Center at (252) 473-2655 or by e-mail at obhc@ncdcr.gov.

This art exhibition is included in Aquarium admission.  Visit www.ncaquariums.com or call 252-473-3494 or 1-866-332-3475 for more information about Hooked! and the many other Aquarium exhibits and programs.

The North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island invites you to “Be a Child at the Aquarium.” On December 12 and 13 all adults visiting the aquarium will receive the child admission price of $7.  Check out the 285,000-gallon Graveyard of the Atlantic exhibit, featuring the 10:30 a.m. “Dialogue with a Diver” program.  Other exhibits include Wetland on the Edge, Saltwater Gallery, two touch tanks and the new Oceans Revealed: Power of the Planet exhibit.   Have your photo taken by FotoFx, while you share your experience with your children or grand children.  Open 9-5 daily, call 252-473-3494 or visit www.ncaquariums.com for more information.

Aquarium Director Jay Barnes, left, accepts Community Advocate award from Chamber President Mike Wagoner.

The Carteret County Chamber of Commerce honored the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores recently with a Community Advocate award.

The award, presented during the annual JobLink appreciation luncheon, singles out employers that “go the extra mile” to make Carteret County a better place, said Chamber President Mike Wagoner.

Wagoner said the county is fortunate to be a family-friendly tourist destination.

“The crown jewel, the place that really puts us on the map, is the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores,” he said.

Whether you’re a night owl or an early bird, paddling tours with the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores offer prime views for peak season coastal birdwatching.

Aquarium guides take to the water each weekend throughout the fall, weather permitting, with excursions along the shores of Bogue Sound.  Many birds traveling the Atlantic Flyway during the annual fall migration stop over on the North Carolina coast. The Aquarium treks are timed to showcase migrating and resident waterfowl, shorebirds, songbirds and other wildlife during morning and evening hours when animals tend to be active.

On Saturdays beginning at 4 p.m., explore the tidal flats and quiet backwaters in the Sunset Kayak Trip. On Sundays, partner up for a leisurely ride through the salt marsh in the Early Bird Canoe Trip, starting at 9 a.m.
Both tours include basic paddling instruction and are suitable for beginners. The Aquarium provides vessels and life jackets, and participants can opt for kayaks or canoes on either excursion.

Paddling trips are $20 per person - sign up for both in one weekend for a 10 percent discount. Advance registration is required - contact the Aquarium Registrar,  252-247-4003, ext 257.

Laughing Gull by Kitty Dough

Get a glimpse of the orange-spotted shame-faced crab, laughing gull, knobbed whelk and other life forms at the “Edge of the Ocean” in a new art show at the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores.

The works by members of the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators (GNSI), Carolinas chapter, showcase plants and animals found from the surf zone through the first dunes on North Carolina beaches. The exhibition, free with admission or Aquarium membership, runs through Nov. 6.

The 45 members of the GNSI Carolinas chapter work together to promote natural science illustration. Members include scientific illustrators, botanical and wildlife artists, amateur artists and students.

“This is a group of people with a keen interest in nature and a love of capturing the essence of plants and animals,” said Aquarium Exhibits Curator and GNSI member Georgia Minnich. “We strive for scientific accuracy.”

Monday, December 22, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. This day is nothing but fish.  We will feed fish at the Aquarium, make an assortment of fishy crafts to keep or give as gifts, and go fishing (weather permitting).  Ages 8-12; Cost $30; Preregistration required.  Call 252-473-3494 ext. 232.

Monday, December 21, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. How do animals survive in the dark?  On the shortest day of the year, learn about nocturnal and deep sea animals.  Make sand and shell candles to light the night or give as gifts.  Ages 8-12; Cost $30; Preregistration required. Call 252-473-3494 ext. 232.