Bay Village summer readers top goal to ‘adopt’ tide pool animals
With the Tide Pool Exhibit as a backdrop, Bay Children's Librarian Susan Ballard and Summer Reading Program participants Patrick Moy, age 6, and GT Moy, age 9, present a check for Tide Pool adoption fees to Lake Erie Nature & Science Center Executive Director Catherine Timko.
View Image Gallery
Area book lovers exceeded their summer reading goal by more than 3,000 hours, earning the long-term “adoption” of the aquatic animals living in Lake Erie Nature & Science Center’s Tide Pool Exhibit. The Friends of the Bay Village Branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library group offered to pay the adoption fees if participants in the "Books Ahoy!" Summer Reading Program would complete 18,000 hours of reading. The unique incentive encouraged readers of all ages to log more than 21,000 hours!
Librarian Susan Ballard presented a check to cover the adoption fees to Center Executive Director Catherine Timko. “We’re proud of the way the community embraces reading, supports our library and Lake Erie Nature & Science Center,” said Ballard. “We set the reading bar high and readers of all ages responded.”
“This has been a wonderful partnership bringing together two valued community resources,” observed Timko. “We hope the summer readers will come visit the Tide Pool animals they’ve 'adopted.' We recently added some new fish and invertebrates to the exhibit. Joining the popular Clownfish of 'Nemo' fame, there are new anemones, starfish, urchins, crabs, coral, shrimps and a Lettuce Nudibranch. Our visitors have been enthusiastically searching out these new inhabitants.”
Lake Erie Nature & Science Center’s Adopt An Animal program allows wildlife lovers to help pay for the care and feeding of the dozens of animals on exhibit and used in teaching and outreach. Adopt An Animal sponsorships are available for as little as $5 per month, with the Tide Pool adoption fee set at $25 per month. Of course, “adopted” animals stay at the Center, but donors can visit them during regular Center hours, daily 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Admission is free!
Lake Erie Nature & Science Center is an independently funded nonprofit affiliate of the Cleveland Metroparks and adoption fees are just one of the ways the community helps to support the Center’s educational mission.
Shawn Salamone is Community Relations Manager at Lake Erie Nature & Science Center.