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Registration

Tours of the Amos Rehabilitation Keep (ARK)

Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 10 a.m.

855 East Cotter Avenue, Port Aransas Texas 78373

 

Park in our parking lot at 855 East Cotter Avenue,  and meet at the tarpon statue in front of the Patton Center for Marine Science Education.

Learn what goes on behind the scenes in a marine animal rehabilitation facility. Touring the ARK, you can expect to see endangered sea turtles, sea birds, raptor ambassadors, and interpretive signage focusing on the importance of marine life and their habitats. 

Tours are limited to 15 people. Tours are entirely outdoors, last for approximately 45 minutes, and require some walking. Tours may be canceled due to inclement weather or during holidays. 

Reservations are required. The tour participant fee is $10, starting June 1. Children under three are free. All registration fees go directly to the rehabilitation efforts of the Amos Rehabilitation Keep (ARK). [Due to animal permits, all participants need to register. If you have a child age 3 and younger, please register using the Children 3 years and younger option.]

For questions and ADA accommodations, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 361-749-3152

Register here

https://utdirect.utexas.edu/nlogon/txshop/list.WBX?component=0&application_name=MRMARINE&cat_seq_chosen=02&subcategory_seq_chosen=000

 

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Bay Education Center (Rockport)

So many of us are drawn to the local estuaries but know little about their important role in our ecology. The Bay Education Center provides the visitor with an innovative way of exploring and learning about these important bodies of water and the life they support. Stroll at your leisure to enjoy our hands-on exhibits and check out the current water quality in our bays.

An added attraction is Science On a Sphere®, a spherical display system created by NOAA to illustrate Earth science concepts to people of all ages.

To request a field trip, please complete and submit the Visiting Group Request Form. Once submitted, someone from the Marine Science Education staff will contact you within two business days.

REQUIRED FORMS once your reservation has been confirmed:

Liability Statement

Each individual who participates in an on-site educational program must complete a Release and Indemnification Agreement form (see Release Forms below) before they will be allowed to participate in the program.

Individuals who do not fully complete the required form will not be allowed to participate in the scheduled activity.

This includes individuals participating in an on-site dormitory stay, tour, field trip, workshop and/or research vessel cruise. The minor form is to be completed and signed by the parent or legal guardian of any participant who is under eighteen years of age. The adult form is to be completed and signed by each person who is eighteen years of age or older (students, teachers, chaperones, etc.).

It will be the responsibility of each group sponsor to ensure that each participant completes the form in its entirety and the group sponsor is responsible for turning in the completed forms upon checking in at UTMSI for their scheduled activity. Please note that each form must be signed and dated by the parent/legal guardian, and/or by the participant who is eighteen years of age or older. Forms must also be signed and dated by a witness.

Rockport Bay Talks

The Bay Education Center typically has scientific lectures during the winter. Check back for the series in 2022. You can view several lectures held virtually in 2021 at our YouTube Channel. 

2021 Virtual Lectures Include:

Alicia Walker - Sea Turtle Stranding and Rehabilitation

Derek Bolser - Fantastic fish and where to find them

Simon Brandl - Understanding and conserving coral reefs

Kristin Nielsen - Mercury Exposure From Subsistence Fishing

Jace Tunnell - Saving 1,000 Cold Stunned Sea Turtles

Victoria Congdon - Seagrass in the Gulf of Mexico

Brett Baker & Andrew Esbaugh - Diversity in a Changing Ocean

Visiting Class Instruction Form

  1. Waterfront Cafe Menu
  2. Visiting Group Request Form
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  4. Port Aransas, Texas