Birch Aquarium 'Mexican Seas' Photo Exhibit Designed To Inspire Ocean Stewardship

Birch Aquarium

Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily

Where: 2300 Expedition Way, La Jolla

Admission: Adults, $17; Teens (13-17), $14; Child (3-12), $12.50; Senior (60+), $13; UCSD student/staff w/ID, $11; College Student w/ID, $12; and Toddlers (2 and under), free. Active-duty U.S. military ID holders receive $2 off each ticket.

Some of the most diverse and magnificent marine life in the world is located in the waters off Mexico, and it’s featured in a photo exhibit that opened Friday at Birch Aquarium. The photography and research merges art and science in an effort to inspire ocean stewardship.

Illegal hunting and habitat destruction have reduced populations of American crocodiles to critical levels in many areas. About 250 of them are now in a protected reserve off the Mexican coast.

Scripps ecologist and resident photographer Octavio Aburto is on a mission to show the public how conservation benefits not only from wildlife, but local communities and economies. He showed us a giant school of bigeye trevally fish swirling in a reproduction ritual. It’s one of four areas he photographed off the waters of Mexico.

Other photos in the exhibit include one of orange cup coral, one of several species adorning the rocky reefs of Cabo Pulmo where fishing has been banned for more than a decade and sea life is thriving. Another photo shows a Munk’s devil ray leaping out of the water during its courtship ritual. The Munk’s devil ray is named after Dr. Walter Munk, a famous Scripps Oceanography researcher.

“With the amount of fish you can see here, it’s that this population hasn’t been over fished,” Aburto said.

Aburto is part of the next generation of scientist trying to educate the public about the problem of exploiting our natural resources.

“It’s very important for people to understand that we need crocodiles for estuaries, sharks for reefs and they are not dangerous,” he said, adding it’s more dangerous not to have them around.

Aburto says it’s not enough to publish research papers, he wants his images to connect with the public. His exhibit “Mexican Seas” takes us on a photographic journey and debuts this weekend at the Birch Aquarium in La Jolla.

Birch Aquarium "Mexican Seas" Photo Exhibit Designed To Inspire Ocean Stewardship

Pond tour will inspire gardeners, support ZooMontana, and showcase flashy fish

Teus Sterkenburg may not have the biggest pond on the tour, but he does have bragging rights to the most extensive filtration system and possibly to the most pounds of swimming fish. All but one of the colorful fish thriving in his pond were bred and raised by Sterkenburg himself. The sole outsider is a Japanese Koi.

“It really doesn’t matter how many fish you have, it’s the pounds that count,” he said in his distinctive European accent at a recent interview on site at the 7,000 gallon water feature in his yard, also known as Pond #13 on the Water Skippers Pond Club tour to benefit ZooMontana. “The more they can eat, the more mess they make and the better filtration you need.”

The tour Saturday, June 28, is a self-guided car and walking tour of 15 of the most distinctive and inspirational ponds around the Laurel, Joliet and Billings area. Tickets are also good for a week’s admission to ZooMontana, where Pond #10 sits.

“This is the biggest movement in gardening right now,” said Tony Seitz, another dedicated Water Skipper and Sterkenburg’s friend. “You can start with any size or type of pond, and there are great examples at the zoo and on the tour.”

Besides raising koi at the zoo, the Water Skippers have cleaned and maintained the ponds at the facility for many years.

“We are so lucky to have Jeff Ewelt. He is wonderful to work with,” Sterkenburg said. “For the longest time nothing happened with the ponds and they really fell into disrepair. Jeff let us come back.”

According to Seitz, Sterkenburg is the major laborer and force behind the zoo ponds, although often the club meets at ZooMontana. They can hold a working meeting and have a lot of helping hands.

“It isn’t about us or our ponds,” Seitz said. “We see wonderful things happening at the zoo and want to do whatever we can to support them. The pond tour is an inexpensive way to see some wonderful gardens, ponds and fish for folks interested.”

It would be easy enough to spend the day at one pond with the sounds of soothing water, pretty fish and plenty of interesting water plants, including irises and lilies, but visitors on the tour will have the opportunity to see all those and more in a variety of settings, sizes and designs. From the hidden small treasure in a back yard to a natural lake for a front yard, the tour is an experience the entire family will enjoy.

“You will have a pond next year at this time, I guarantee it,” said Seitz. “After you go on the tour you will have so many ideas. You’ll have to put them in use.”

Pond owners will be happy to share their knowledge and give tips to anyone who is interested, Seitz said. Koi aficionados should definitely stop by Sterkenburg’s. He’s happy to share information on keeping and breeding the fish.

“They are a little shy today,” Sterkenburg remarked. “They know there are strangers here, so they aren’t as friendly as when it is just me.”

Nonetheless, the fish, ranging from little to lunkers of 10 or more pounds, follow visitors around the habitat to where they know the food can be found in a bright red plastic Folger’s coffee can. Waiting to be fed, the fat female fish crowd at the water’s edge. Food lands in a nearby bog and several of the fish do their best to reach the pellets, almost beaching themselves to nab the pellets.

“See that,” Sterkenburg said. “They really like the food.”

The fish can live and grow for decades, but the investment is worth all the time and work, he said.

Begin at any of the sites to find inspiration. Pond #5 at 1109 N. 31st St. in Billings, is just off the hospital corridor. It features a distinctive pond on a smaller scale.

Looking to hide a negative feature? Homeowners at Pond #9 at 1828 Whispering Meadows Dr. in Billings added water to an old gravel pit. With the addition of landscaping, a dock, floating islands and a fountain, the pond’s transformation created an entirely new dynamic.

Bring a picnic lunch and stop in Laurel, where there are several ponds to see. Scope out a spot to watch fireworks on July Fourth while enjoying lunch at Thomson Park — Laurel hosts Montana’s most explosive show — before heading to the Joliet ponds.

To learn more about the Water Skippers Pond Club, email waterskippers@gmail.com or call 406-656-3328.

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Pond tour will inspire gardeners, support ZooMontana, and showcase flashy fish