La Jolla News Nuggets: Beached dolphin; sea turtles; mural enhanced; penguin name finalists; more
Beached dolphin dies after being found at La Jolla Shores
Community members called the SeaWorld Rescue Team to La Jolla Shores early May 15 to report a beached dolphin.
The team found the animal in critical condition and it was taken to the SeaWorld Rescue Center for treatment. However, it died shortly after arrival, according to SeaWorld representative Tracy Spahr.
Spahr said the cause of death had not yet been determined.
Reports of distressed animals can be made to (800) 541-7325 or SWC.Rescue@seaworld.com.
Sea turtles reportedly lay eggs onshore in La Jolla
After reports of sea turtles laying eggs at La Jolla Shores this week, SeaWorld representative Tracy Spahr said such activity is rare “but not unheard of.”
Doug Marshall, owner of La Jolla Surf Systems, said he saw about 15 turtles come ashore May 16, lay eggs and return to the water. He said he’s often seen turtles while he kayaks but this was the first time in more than 20 years at The Shores that he had seen them lay eggs on the beach.
Spahr said there is a population of sea turtles around La Jolla Cove and The Shores but the SeaWorld team had not seen any lately. “We know they exist,” Spahr said.
Artist returns to La Jolla to add to mural
Los Angeles-based artist Rosson Crow returned to her La Jolla mural “Ocean Front Property in Arizona” on May 14 to enhance it.
The mural, installed March 22 at Silverado Cleaners at 925 Silverado St. in The Village, is part of the Murals of La Jolla program and was applied directly to the wall in vinyl panels.
Last weekend, Crow added spray-painted and enamel colors on some parts of the mural. She said she didn’t have a plan for where to add paint. “I’m just organically feeling it,” she said.
Murals of La Jolla Executive Director Lynda Forsha said this was the first time an artist had returned to add to a mural.
Torrey? Azulito? Choices for penguin name narrowed to five finalists
Birch Aquarium at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla is a step closer to naming one of its little blue penguins.
After nearly 2,000 suggestions were submitted during a naming campaign launched April 25, the aquarium faced the task of narrowing the entries to just five for the public to vote on.
The finalists are:
- Diego — for San Diego, the only place in the western United States where you can find little blue penguins
- Flip — a nod to penguin flippers and FLIP, the Floating Instrument Platform that was operated by Scripps Oceanography for more than 50 years
- Triton — for the small but mighty penguin
- Azulito — means “little blue” in Spanish
- Torrey — highlights the conservation of unique species like the Torrey pine trees found only in San Diego and the Channel Islands
Members of the public are invited to vote for their favorite name at aquarium.ucsd.edu by 5 p.m. Sunday, May 29. The winning name will be announced Thursday, June 2.
The aquarium’s Beyster Family Little Blue Penguins exhibit will boast a 2,900-square-foot habitat with a rocky and sandy shore, an 18,000-gallon penguin lagoon, a small amphitheater and a discovery cave for children to watch the little blue penguins on land and inside nesting burrows.
Newcomers Club explores S.D. Museum of Art
The La Jolla Newcomers Club ventured to Balboa Park on May 3 for a visit to the San Diego Museum of Art. In addition to viewing the museum’s standard exhibits, the group took a docent-led tour of the recently opened exhibit “Monet to Matisse: Impressionist Masterpieces from the Bemberg Foundation.”
Afterward, many of the visitors stayed and had lunch at Panama 66 restaurant.
Another docent-led tour is scheduled for June at the recently renovated Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego in La Jolla.
People who have moved to La Jolla’s 92037 ZIP code in the past three years are eligible to join the Newcomers Club. For more details, visit lajollanewcomers.org.
Goeddel gift creates new Technology Sandbox at UCSD
UC San Diego alumnus David Goeddel and his wife, Alena, have donated $7.5 million to the UCSD School of Biological Sciences, which includes support for the newly named Goeddel Family Technology Sandbox.
The Technology Sandbox is a new facility on campus designed to provide enhanced access to cutting-edge technologies and expertise to accelerate collaboration, discovery, technology transfer, workforce development and data analytics in emerging areas of science.
Funding from the Goeddels will support the operational and programming needs of the center, which also will offer workshops for students, faculty members and industry partners.
The gift also establishes the Goeddel Family Industry Innovation Postdoctoral Scholar Fellows program, which will support postdoctoral scholars affiliated with the Technology Sandbox.
The couple also established the Global Discovery Seed Fund and the Dr. David V. Goeddel Chancellor’s Endowed Chair in Biological Sciences.
La Jolla Elementary School hosts International Festival
La Jolla Elementary School hosted its inaugural International Festival on May 13, with more than 800 people attending. The event had 18 countries represented at booths assembled by parent volunteers.
The festival included live music, food trucks and more, with children collecting stamps in “passport books.”
Estancia La Jolla to host first Agave Fest
The Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa will host its first Agave Fest at 6 p.m. Friday, June 3, at 9700 N. Torrey Pines Road.
The event will feature artisanal Mexican spirits along with authentic Baja-inspired cuisine, live music and other entertainment.
Tickets are $150 and can be purchased at bit.ly/EstanciaAgave.
— Compiled by La Jolla Light staff ◆
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