Local Aquarium Celebrates 50 Years, Gains National Recognition

gulf

[dropcap]G[/dropcap]ulf Specimen Marine Lab (GSML) is hosting their 5th annual benefit event, Sharks & Chablis, on Sunday, May 18, 2014, from 2pm to 7pm at 222 Clark Drive in Panacea, Florida. The street party features live entertainment, seafood by the Seineyard Seafood Restaurant, Barefoot Wines and craft beer, silent auction and guided tours of the aquarium. Exhibitors add to the fun with live birds and reptiles, wilderness awareness and unique photo ops.

“Sharks & Chablis is a miraculous gathering of people who come to say ‘Thank you for having Gulf Specimen,” says Jack Rudloe, GSML president. “We have tremendous food, great music. It’s a wonderful event.”

This year marks a half century that GSML has been sourcing scientific discovery, fighting for habitat protection and educating students of all ages on the wonders of Florida’s Gulf Coast. Internationally recognized for sustainable collection methods that support cancer research, the lab is the supplier of choice for universities across the country and around the world. The aquarium and educational center, built by the tireless work of founders Jack and Anne Rudloe, now boast 20,000 visitors annually.

With even more to celebrate in 2014, Jack Rudloe and his family travel to Washington, DC, to accept the presti- gious National Wetlands Award in Outreach and Education, administered by the Environmental Law Institute(ELI). The award is validation of a lifelong battle to save North Florida’s unique landscape and the wealth of animals it supports.

“I congratulate the extraordinary individuals selected for the National Wetlands Awards for demonstrating how citizens and communities can and do make a difference,” states ELI President John Cruden. “With our federal agency partners, we look forward to an awards ceremony that showcases the remarkable contributions they have made to a healthy and productive environment.”

As further evidence of GSML’s influence on the international marine science community, Wakulla’s “Wetland Warrior” recently achieved immortality as the namesake for a new species of jellyfish found in Madagascar Chiropsella rudloei. Rudloe had travelled to the Indian Ocean decades earlier on an expedition funded by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). During the trip, he made extensive field notes which were ultimately used in the discovery of the new sea wasp species.

“The specific name was chosen to honor Jack Rudloe for his dedication to the study of the marine environment and its inhabitants,” says Bastian Bentlage, the University of Maryland researcher who identified the new species.

The resident environmental celebrities do not intend to rest. GSML staff plans to extend its educational reach through live aquarium feeds and marine science material for schools. The SeaMobile continues to amaze with its innovative brand of hands-on awareness techniques. Money raised through the Sharks & Chablis event will help to fund these projects and further GSML’s legacy of conservation and education that highlights the natural treasures of the Florida Panhandle.

“The public turnout at Sharks & Chablis reassures the staff that what they do is important and that people value the work. The funds we raise enable the projects that really set Gulf Specimen apart,” says GSML’s Executive Director Cypress Rudloe. “We’re striving to become the leading marine science educational center in North Florida.”

Sharks & Chablis 2014 is sponsored by Tallahassee Democrat, Clear ChannelMedia, Seineyard Restaurant, Tallahassee Community College, Barefoot Wines and Capital City Bank Group. To buy tickets or make a donation, visit www.gulfspecimen.org/sharks and chablis. To learn more about the important environmental work being done a short drive from the Capital City, join us at this good time event! Visit www.gulfspecimen.org for information on ways to more purposefully and positively impact coastal creatures and their marine habitats.