I love working in the education and conservation department here at SeaWorld San Diego. Our newest area, Pole to Pole, is one of the reasons why. When we heard that we were going to have the opportunity to participate in something that has never been done before, all of us jumped on board.

Cameroon is one of the last places on earth still home to wild gorillas and chimpanzees. Sadly, much of the local population is unaware of this rich biodiversity and has never even seen a live gorilla. This lack of knowledge and appreciation makes achieving conservation action in the area a great challenge. Luckily, an organization called Ape Action Africa is focusing its efforts on bringing gorillas and chimpanzees back from the brink of extinction.

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and the Cahoon Elementary Magnet School of Animal Science have teamed up to provide students with a innovative, year-long program that will challenge children to strategize solutions regarding some of our world’s greatest conservation challenges. The project is called “Conservation Matters” and allows children to apply the abstract knowledge of Language Arts, Social Studies, Math and Science directly to real-life conservation challenges.

20 healthy sea turtles are being returned to the wild by SeaWorld animal experts. The turtles were rescued from the frigid waters of Cape Cod back in December and after intensive care at the New England Aquarium were flown to SeaWorld in Orlando.

Kathleen Gass, left, SeaWorld animal expert, introduces a roseate spoonbill to Kaitlyn Jones at Princeton Elementary School.

What do 200 kids, a bald eagle, a pair of penguins, a mock sea turtle rescue, a life-sized inflatable grey whale and a pledge to save the environment all have in common?

Learning is usually associated with reading, writing and arithmetic. At SeaWorld, park Educators teach their own version of the ABCs----aquatic animals, birds and conservation.

In Honor of Teacher Appreciation Day we wanted to highlight our 2010 NSTA Environmental Educator of the Year, Cindy Suchanek from Mira Loma High School Sacramento, California

SeaWorld Orlando returned a mom and calf manatee pair back to nature with the help of students from Fern Creek Elementary School. The kids received a hands-on conservation lesson as animal care specialists sent Mossback and her calf Eva into the waters of Blue Spring State Park in Orange City, FL.