Dr. Sylvia Earle is an American marine biologist, explorer, author, and lecturer. She has been a National Geographic explorer-in-residence since 1998 and was named by Time Magazine as its first Hero for the Planet in 1998.
With ‘Her Deepness’ Dr. Sylvia Earle – the doyenne of ocean conservation – delivering the opening remarks at the unveiling of the vision for the first of its kind climate and ocean conservation inspired living museum in San Francisco, to a packed audience at the Bently Reserve, Dr. Jill Biden gave the Keynote, lauding the initiative as both timely and necessary. Chair of BCDC – Bay Conservation and Development Commission, Zachary Wasserman took the stage urging audiences to engage, share and act on rising sea level challenges, and citing the potential of the new museum to provide content platform vital to spreading awareness through exhibits and shared experiences.
The transformation of Aquarium of the Bay at PIER 39 has been under planning and design for over a year led by Bay.org President and CEO, George Jacob, known for stellar museum projects around the world. With musical tributes and speeches by Board Chair Ben Bleiman, Advisor Dr. Paul Auerbachand past Chair Steve Machtinger, the audience was visibly moved by the vision drawn from the Ohlone shell mounds, ocean geometry and iridescent scales on the biomimetic architectural facade coupled with immersive content delivery platform.
Veteran TV personality Doug McConnell was the master of ceremonies that featured musical talent and tribute to the environment by Aliza Hava and dreaming the impossible by America’s Got Talent’s Lawrence Beamen in addition to Freddy Clark and the Wobbly World.
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Established 37 years ago as the Bay Institute, Bay.Org/Bay Ecotarium and its six branches are united under one mission to enable conversations on climate resilience and ocean conservation globally, while inspiring actionable change locally by protection and preservation of the San Francisco Bay and its ecosystems, from Sierra to the Sea™. Visit www.Bayecotarium.org.
