Cambridge, Md. – August 22, 2007 – The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science Horn Point Laboratory invites the public to take part in its annual Open House from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 13, 2007. The theme for this year’s community open house is “Our Waters: Discover, Explore and Restore.”

With more than 40 activities planned for all ages, visitors can:

• tour Horn Point’s Aquaculture and Restoration Ecology Laboratory, the state-of-the-art building dedicated to the integrated restoration of the Chesapeake Bay;
• see prehistoric Atlantic sturgeon captured in cooperation with local fishermen and now a part of a restocking effort planned for Chesapeake Bay;
• discover how the Horn Point Oyster Hatchery is helping bring oysters back to the Chesapeake Bay;
• learn about efforts to restore seagrass beds, wetlands and deteriorating islands, such as Poplar Island;
• experience how scientists bring storms into the lab to study their effect on aquatic plants
• see how baby clown fish are being raised in our Finfish Hatchery;
• explore a drop of water and the amazing world of tiny creatures within it;
• watch as real-time weather and water conditions are reported to the internet from sensors in Chesapeake Bay and learn about a sensor network that encircles the globe;
• talk with researchers who explore bays and oceans around the world; and,
• take part in kids activities in the Environmental Science Education Tent with nature crafts, a touch tank filled with Bay critters, face painting, and other fun games.

All Open House activities sponsored by the lab are free and open to the public. Children will receive free t-shirts. The Horn Point Lab is located at 2020 Horns Point Road. For more information and directions, please call (410) 221-8425 or visit www.hpl.umces.edu/openhouse.

The Horn Point Laboratory is an environmental research facility of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES), the principal research institution for advanced environmental research and graduate studies within the University System of Maryland. With laboratories in Frostburg, Solomons Island and Cambridge, UMCES researchers are helping improve our scientific understanding of Maryland, the region and the world.

CONTACT:
Chris Conner
443-496-0095