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St. Lucie County Marine Center
420 Seaway Drive
Fort Pierce, FL 34949
Tel: (772) 462-3271
Fax: (772) 465-3237
Email
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The St. Lucie County Marine Center houses the Smithsonian Marine Ecosystems Exhibit and cares for their maintenance and management.
The Center opened on August 27, 2001, and serves as the Smithsonian Marine Station's primary public outreach and educational effort.
Of major interest is a living model of a coral reef ecosystem that was contributed by the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History in Washington where it was on display for 20 years as one of the Museum's most popular exhibits. Additional living exhibits and wall displays focus on regional marine and estuarine ecosystems of the Indian River Lagoon and nearshore oceanic waters, and include presentations of ongoing research projects at SMSFP.
The Smithsonian Marine Ecosystems Exhibit is more than an aquarium; it aims to provide the general public and school children with some understanding of the importance of the marine environments around them, from coral reefs to communities such as seagrasses, mangroves and coquina rock hard bottoms. The exhibit aims to show the visitor that a marine ecosystem is a complex community of plants and animals interacting with each other and their environment, and that humans can think of themselves as an integral part of the larger ecosystem known as earth. |
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Hours: Tues-Sat, 10:00am-4:00pm; Sun: noon-4:00pm; Mon: Closed |
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Admission $2 adults; $1.50 senior; $1 children (free on Tuesdays) |
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Location: South Causeway Island County Park on Seaway Drive --across from Smithsonian Marine Station |
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