Marine Animal Rehabilitation Center

Happy December!  Another year is nearing the end and we have been busy at MARC!  Thanks to so much community support from our volunteers, students and donors, we have helped to provide care for nearly 100 animals in 2012.  That number may climb to over 100 animals in the next week – as we plan to assist New England Aquarium by transferring another batch of sea turtles to MARC for care.  Each sea turtle costs several thousand dollars to support during the course of their rehabilitation – and returning healthy turtles to the wild is one of the most important things we do at MARC.  While we receive generous support from the University of New England and federal grant programs, we rely heavily on donations to keep our program afloat.

Join us for Seas the Day:: MARC’s December Days of Donating!!! 

Each day – now through December 31st, we will be highlighting several small items that benefit the MARC program in some way.  Bring one (or a few) items along to the MARC hospital (or send them in the mail) and we’ll walk you behind the scenes of our operations – to see where all the magic happens.

Every day between now and New Year’s Eve – come by between the hours of 10 am – 4 pm to deliver some items and visit the MARC hospital.  (We will be closed to the public on Christmas Eve/Day and New Year’s Eve/Day).

• Dawn Soap – Help us keep our hospital clean!
• Thermometers, like this one - preferably waterproof, flexible, unused.   These help us monitor the temperatures of our seals  very accurately!
• Hand Soap (antibacterial) – Help our volunteers stay germ-free
• Hose Nozzles (prefer those coated in rubber) – They are used daily to clean seal/turtle/porpoise rooms
• Mr. Clean Magic Erasers – Do a great job of super-cleaning our animal pools
• Sponges – excellent for dish-washing
• 3M Green Scrubbers, like these – perfect for scrubbing fish scales off of all surfaces
• A few really durable kitchen knives. – for cutting up squid and fish.  Those without wooden handles are even better!
• A knife sharpener – help us preserve the life of the knives we use regularly.
• Adopt an Animal – through our online adoption program – every dollar helps the animals at MARC
• Donate! – online (or mail a check) – All donations are tax-deductable.
• Gift Cards – We frequently shop for animal supplies at places like:  Home Depot, CVS, Lowe’s, Hannaford, Rite-Aid, Target, Walmart
• Gift Cards – Perhaps you want to enrich the lives of our generous volunteers??  Provide cards to places like Dunkin Donuts, Tim Hortons, Starbucks, Hannaford, etc and we can purchase snacks and coffee for our volunteer training days (and nights).
• Iodized Salt – Cheap, but does wonders for keeping out salty seals, well, salty.  Purchase at your grocery store – and we use it all year round to supplement feeds and other vitamins.
• Glucose Tablets – manufactured for people, but we RELY on them for seals who need help with their blood sugar.  It’s added right to their feeds to keep them balanced.
• Duct tape – grey, black, orange, purple, yellow, green, red, blue, blue: we use these colors regularly in our facility.
• WD40 – salt water in our hospital causes lots of squeeky doors and wheels.  One small can keeps us squeek-free for weeks.
• More items coming daily!!!

Help us offset the costs of caring for the animals, by helping us to stock many of the items in our hospital that we otherwise have to purchase!  To drop off your donation, please come by our office or mail donations to the address below!

MARC at the Marine Science Center – Room 132 (first floor near elevator)
11 Hill’s Beach Road – map
Biddeford, Maine 04005

**Park in Lot #15.  Walk across the street and up gated driveway to find our building (#17)!

Our animals can rest easy this holiday season thanks to you!

Thanks to everyone that joined us September 22, 2012 onsite and afar for our “2nd Annual Frolic for Flippers 5K“.   Though the rain decided to crash our party for the second year in a row, the drizzly rain created the perfect Frolic for Flippers weather.

We are thrilled to announce that between onsite registrations, Frolic from Afar registrations, participant fundraising, and raffle ticket sales (and some donations are still coming in daily), you helped us raise over $5000 for the UNE Marine Animal Rehabilitation Center!

Every dollar earned really does make a HUGE difference.  Our animals appreciate it and so do we!

Here’s a summary of our event:

Total Participants:  211
Total On-site Participants:  145
Total ‘Frolic from Afar’ Participants:  32
2012 Event Volunteers:  34
Post-Race Tours of MARC: 75 guests
Top Fundraiser:  Nicole Hunter
Top Runner:  Chris Harman, Age 25 completed the course in a whopping 16:10.2!  Nice work!

Race Results

TOP FINISHERS

Sully the Seal and Dolly the Dolphin:  Provided by Marine Mammals of Maine
Photos provided by Rich Obrey (http://www.richobrey.com)

Did you attend?  We would love your feedback to improve for next year!

And thanks again to our AWESOME Frolic for Flippers 5K 2012 Sponsors!  We couldn’t have done it without you!

Thanks to the Humanitarian Art Project (HAP) art-lovers can support marine mammals and sea turtles by purchasing original masterpieces online.   With each purchase of a unique art piece, HAP donates 10% of the purchase price of the item to the charity of your choice.  We’re happy to announce that MARC was recently added to the list of included charities.

Founder & Owner, Brigitte Perreault states, “Our mission is to help non-profit organizations receive funding and therefore perpetuate a sense of presence and help for those in need during difficult and/or tragic times, as well as supporting humanitarian causes around the world. We are delighted that Artists are signing up, raising up, wanting to be part of this Project”.

Photography to paintings to sculptures, there are many beautiful pieces to choose from and all purchases will benefit the charity of your choice.  Some examples of the many pieces available at HAP are below.

"Africa", by Gary Palmer available at Humanitarian Art Project

Find “Africa” at the online gallery.

"Balls of pleasure", by Sofie Siegmann/ Mixed Media, available at Humanitarian Art Project

Find “Balls of Pleasure” at the online gallery.

"Birds with no Wings", by Belgin Yucelen/ Available at Humanitarian Art Project

Find “Birds with no Wings” at the online gallery.

The York Harbor Inn and Crooked Cove Records are excited to announce the release of a benefit CD starring many of the talented musicians that play in the Ship’s Cellar Pub at the York Harbor Inn.  “SeaHorse – A Musical Collaboration for Equine and Aquatic Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation”, will help support the Marine Animal Rehabilitation Center and The Double B Equine Rescue.

“SeaHorse” will be available for a $10 donation at the York Harbor Inn and at various local businesses.  Phone orders may be placed by calling the front desk at the Inn at (207) 363-5119.  A CD release party will be forthcoming.

Under the drive and leadership of the Ship’s Cellar Pub manager, Holly Sault, the Pub has continued to give back to the local community in many different ways.  To date, Holly’s fundraising efforts for local organizations have raised over $10,000.  The tradition of giving continues with the release of “SeaHorse”.  The idea of a CD, originally suggested by server Karen Short, was immediately embraced by the Pub staff, owner Garry Dominguez, and the musicians.  Jerry Short, Karen’s husband, musician, and Production Manager at Crooked Cove volunteered to compile the CD, while Karen designed it.  Crooked Cove owner, Tom Daley, generously agreed to donate the complete production of the CD’s, so that 100% of profits can go directly to the charities.  Crooked Cove is a concept-to-completion CD manufacturer in Eliot, ME.

“SeaHorse” features an incredible line-up of local musicians, with a variety of different styles, and all original songs.  For local music fans, as well as travelers who want a special memento of their visit to the seacoast, this is a must have compilation.  Some of the artists include Dave Gerard, Peter Black, Harvey Reid, Joyce Anderson, Don Severance, and Jerry Short.  “A lot of these musicians have given their time for fundraisers, and this CD is also a way to give them some publicity back.  It’s win-win for everybody.” – says Pub Manager Holly Sault.  Holly believes in making as much of a difference as we can.  By utilizing the talents of so many on this project – the Pub staff, Crooked Cover, and the musicians -  she hopes to raise a lot of money and make a lot of difference!

The University of New England Marine Animal Rehabilitation Center (UNE/MARC), and The Double B Equine Rescue were chosen as benefactors of the CD for two special reasons.  Both are certified 501c3 completely non-profit organizations, so we know exactly where the money goes.  All donations go directly into helping the animals, not towards staff or overhead costs.  Also, needs go up while support drops off during the winter, making it a very difficult time of year.

MARC is Maine’s only marine animal rehabilitation facility, located on the campus of UNE in Biddeford.  Over the last 10 years, they have helped to save over 900 animals, including seals, sea turtles, dolphins, and porpoises.  The recent economic climate, coupled with an increase of animals in need of help, has put a strain on the rehabilitation center.  MARC relies on fundraising activities to continue its valuable work in the emergency treatment and rehab of injured and endangered marine animals, research, and education.   During the winter, marine turtles, of which many are endangered or threatened, become stunned in the cold water, which shuts their bodies down.  They need to be warmed up gradually under heaters then kept in heated pools to stimulate their natural environment.  The sea turtles rehabilitation can last for 5-9 months before they are well enough to be released.  From January thru August, seal pups and young animals of a variety of different species, keep the center busy.

Horses are one of the first animals to be abused of suffer in a recession due to the high cost of food, blankets, shelter, and care.  The Double B Equine Rescue cares for horses that have been state seized, surrendered, neglected, physically abused, and/or abandoned by previous owners.  They bring them back to good health, rehab them, and those that are adoptable are placed in good, caring, loving homes.  The others remain on The Double B’s 22 acres of forest and pastured land in Industry, ME.  They currently have 16 horses and expect more to come in over the winter, which presents a financial challenge.  Owner Brenda Green says this has been the worst year for donations since they opened in 2006.