Program areas at Loveland Living Planet Aquarium
Aquarium program The Aquarium consists of six primary exhibit areas centered around unique geographic ecosystems found on earth. Exhibits include ocean explorer, expedition asia, penguin research station, discover Utah, journey to south america, and deep sea lab. There are also several outdoor interactive exhibits on The plaza, including a coral playground and an interactive water table that encourage guests of all ages to explore, discover, and learn about eaths diverse ecosystems. Guests can see over 5,600 animals representing 550 different species from ecosystems across The world. This year saw physical additions to The building that expanded our educational capabilities greater than before. Eeco voyager was implemented to be an exciting way to teach people about our Planet and how everything is interconnected. Guests wear vr headsets and experience a simulated reality that lets them explore ecosystems far from our landlocked location. It teaches The importance of water, that we are all connected by water, and that The choices we make matter. 2022 saw a resurgence of growth and many exciting developments within The Living Planet Aquarium. We celebrated our 7 millionth guest this year, putting us at projected attendance ahead of our pre-covid trajectory and on track toward reaching a greater part of The Utah and rocky mountain regional population. Guests were able to participate in many exciting presentations and activities in alignment with our mission: to explore, discover, and learn about earths diverse ecosystems. To help accommodate The ever-growing number of guests, llpa broke ground on our brand-new science learning center in 2022. This center quintuples The number of available classrooms we have for learners of all ages and doubles The square footage of The Aquarium so that even more learners can connect themselves to our Living Planet. New falconry mews expand our collection of animals to birds of prey from Utah and help to demonstrate The necessity of conservation action in our own backyards.
Education program llpa's robust educational program, developed in partnership with Utah's informal science education enhancement (isee) program, offers free, experiential science outreach, field trips, and teacher professional development in line with Utah state board of education guidelines. Our team covers nearly every elementary school in The state, focusing on grades 2, 4, and 6. In 2022, they visited 913 Utah schools, reaching over 70,000 students and teachers in their own classrooms, aided by two new electric vehicles. Onsite, we educate students of various ages about their role in conservation. In 2022, 573 schools brought approximately 8,000 students and teachers to llpa for interactive Aquarium field trips, where ambassador animals highlight The interconnectedness of our world. Our conservation education initiative begins as early as kindergarten. The Aquarium introduced new educational opportunities, including a successful summer camp program and teen stem futures, which connects stem professionals with adolescents for hands-on activities. In total, we engaged with over 510,000 guests throughout The year, offering opportunities to explore, discover, and learn about earth's diverse ecosystems while promoting conservation actions and challenges.