Oregon Coast Aquarium

Newport business leaders proposed building an aquarium beginning in the early 1980s. They proposed a $7 million facility in 1982 as a way to boost the local economy. Mountain States Construction was selected to build the first phase for about $12 million in August 1990. Plans for the first phase included construction of a building and four acres of outdoor exhibits, with completion expected in spring 1992. On May 23, 1992, the Oregon Coast Aquarium opened with about 5,500 visitors the first day. Those in attendance on the first day included Senator Mark O. Hatfield, Governor Barbara Roberts, and Congressmen Mike Kopetski and Les AuCoin. On January 7, 1996, Keiko the orca whale arrived on a United Parcel Service C-130 cargo plane, with freight expenses donated by the company. This move from Reino Aventura, an amusement park in Mexico City, came after fund raising by environmentalists and school children to build a $7.8 million habitat for the movie star in Oregon. Keiko was moved to Iceland in 1998 in an attempt to return him to the wild. For 2012, the aquarium had 450,000 visitors and earned $850,000 on about $7.3 million in revenues. ==Exhibits==

The Oregon Coast Aquarium's collection focuses on the flora and fauna native to the Oregon Coast. The aquarium is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Main building (Lactoria cornuta) Exhibits in the main building include five permanent displays: Sandy Coast, Rocky Coast, Connected Coast, a Jelly Gallery and a changing exhibit area. The first features fish and invertebrates that live either close to shore or in bays such as Yaquina Bay. Progressing, the aquarium displays feature animals further offshore ending in a kelp forest and sea jelly exhibit. Flanking the permanent displays are the changing exhibits. There are also exhibits focusing on small marine life in the area including jellyfish, and a tidepool exhibit in which visitors may touch sea stars and sea anemones. Temporary exhibits have included "Turtles," "Swampland," Claws that featured crustaceans, and Oddwater, which featured unusual sea creatures such as the green-blooded cuttlefish and the jet-powered chambered nautilus. Passages of the Deep The largest exhibit is "Passages of the Deep", in Keiko's former tank, it features walk-through acrylic tubes surrounded by deep water marine animals such as sharks, rays, and rockfish. The exhibit has three sections. Orford Reef contains mostly rockfish and other smaller Pacific-Northwest fish. Halibut Flats contains halibut, ling cod, a small ray, and other large fish, and includes a mock sunken ship. Open Sea is the last section in the tunnel, and holds many species of sharks including seven gill sharks, as well as bat rays, mackerel, anchovies and salmon. Seabird Aviary The aviary at Oregon Coast Aquarium exhibits sea and shore birds. Those on display include the seabirds tufted puffin, common murre, rhinoceros auklet, pigeon guillemot, and the shore bird black oystercatcher. The seabird aviary includes two large pools and rocky cliffs. Nature Play Area The aquarium's nature play area offers an interactive exhibit for kids which features models of logs (in reference to the area's history in timber), a replica eagle's nest, and a slide designed to look like a river chute. Outdoor Amphitheater The outdoor amphitheater was built as part of the same renovation project that brought the nature play area and the headwaters feature. It is an outdoor presentation space that hosts educational presentations from experts and animal demonstrations from caretakers. The Aquarium is also home to a nature trail that overlooks the Yaquina Bay estuary and features native plants and free-roaming wildlife. ==See also==