Belle Isle Aquarium to Reopen

[Ron]

http://www.freep.com/article/20120912/NEWS01/120912043/Belle-Isle-Aquarium-officially-reopens-Saturday

Could they have picked an uglier fish to take a picture of?   

[Regalblue]

Lol, Ron did you expect something else, from curator SuperG?

[Ron]

Lol, Ron did you expect something else, from curator SuperG?

I had no idea - I thought he worked out of some shop in Livonia?

[runawaypencil]

So its reopening this sat the 9-15-2012...  IF it is I will be there, as I have never seen it..  I have gone in the past 2 years a couple times just to look at the closed door and dream how cool of a place it must have been in its prime.. 

[Super Turtleman]

I'll have to take a trip and check it out at some point. Maybe make a Detroit weekend out of it.

[Regalblue]

Lol, Ron did you expect something else, from curator SuperG?

I had no idea - I thought he worked out of some shop in Livonia?

That was Pet Connection,  they let him go yrs ago.

I'm free Saturday the 22nd morning/ early afternoon . If anybody wants to make a group trip/meeting out of it.

[Rob S]

I can't believe good old Super G scored that gig. I'm a little jealous.

[Marty]

I suspect that if it's a paying job, it's not very much.  I also would not be surprised if he was eventually replaced with an ichthyologist down the road if the aquarium is opened up more frequently.

[Ron]

http://www.freep.com/article/20120914/NEWS01/120914055/Bing-kicks-off-reboot-Belle-Isle-Aquarium?odyssey=nav|head

Detroit Mayor Dave Bing helped usher in a new era for the Belle Isle Aquarium on Friday, speaking at a ribbon-cutting ceremony in advance of Saturday’s grand opening.

“Today we’re taking another step to return Belle Isle – the oldest operating aquarium in the country -- to its historical glory. Our collaboration with the conservancy to reopen this treasured facility is a great example of making public-private partnerships work in transforming Detroit," he said afterward, as a rainy sky cleared to full sun.

On Saturday at 10 a.m., the volunteer-run Belle Isle Aquarium will officially reopen, seven years after budget cuts forced the city to close the Albert Kahn-designed fishbowl. The aquarium will be free and open to the public every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

For organizers Jennifer Boardman and Vance Patrick of the Belle Isle Conservancy, and fish curator Gary "SuperG" Balduc, Saturday’s grand opening is the culmination of several years of work, including a final six-month push to bring the aquarium back to life. A one-day event in February saw 4,000 visitors brave the brisk air to see the green-tiled, tube-shaped aquarium that was the country’s oldest continuously operating aquarium when it closed in April 2005. The event raised about $4,000.
....

[Joefish]

Lol, Ron did you expect something else, from curator SuperG?

I heard a rumor and was told to look for this thread.  Really he is curator?  The Friends of Belle Isle seemed like a much more reputable group with many more qualified people.  The state is now involved..... Mr. Snyder, Mr Nofs , you have mail! 

[Marty]

I don't know if I'd go so far as to call him disreputable.  Inventive, yes (think respectocons, lol). 

Beyond that, you have to give the guy credit for volunteering his time.

However, I don't know that he has the background to do much more than they are right now.  Typically, you'll see public aquariums participate in research projects, maintain endangered species and coordinate same with other aquariums, and be able to diagnose and treat any number of diseases that might afflict the numerous different species an aquarium.

[mightieskeeper]

That would be a hard job to handle seven days a week.  I hope superG does not choke!

[four_by_ken]

Anyone been there yet?

[four_by_ken]

So, whats going on at Belle Isle?

[danielratti]

So, whats going on at Belle Isle?

When I went not a lot of fish more arts and crafts than anything. There was some dude walking around taking pictures of stuff to print out and pUT into frames to put i'm a empty tank...