What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/1244619
10 WHAT'S UP! MAY 10-16, 2020 Creature Crafting — Virtual visitors are invited to get creative at home with WOW's new video series that teaches the young and young at heart how to create DIY crafts such as coffee filter jellyfish, bird feeders or slithering snake bracelets. Ecosystem Explorations — New ecosystem exploration videos reveal fascinating world habitats and the wildlife that call them home. "Swamps [for example] are one of the most misunderstood ecosystems — often thought of as dirty, icky places," says Shelby Stephenson, public relations manager. "We hope this video educates our fans on the important role they play for our planet!" Stephenson goes on to explain that the Swamp at Night exhibit at WOW "is actually two stories and features towering cypress trees covered in Spanish moss, and even a swinging bridge that connects to a treehouse." "This exhibit also features a reverse light cycle, because many of the species who call the swamp home are nocturnal," Stephenson says. "This means that during the day, the swamp is dark so that the animals are awake. Overnight, this exhibit receives special lighting to mimic daylight — and that's when the animals sleep. "Swamps act as a giant sponge — absorbing groundwater and then filtering it out. They are also crucial habitat for animals like ducks, egrets, alligators and many more. When we protect these habitats, we protect the animals that live there, too," Stephenson adds. "We hope videos like this educate our fans about Earth's many fascinating ecosystems — many of which have been re-created at Wonders of Wildlife. We won't work to protect habitats we don't love — and we can't love something we don't know anything about. We hope that these videos leave viewers feeling more inspired to get involved in conservation." And if they are so inspired, WOW is offering a new "Mission Conservation" phone app game that invites kids to conduct weekly conservation-themed missions and win prizes. All that's required to play is to download the app on your phone, visit the Mission Conservation landing page on the WOW website and scan the app over the code to unlock that week's challenge. "Even when we're closed, it's still important to us to fulfill our mission of inspiring everyone to get outdoors and get involved in conservation," says Stephenson of the online offerings. "Since our guests can't come to WOW, we wanted to bring WOW to them." Wonders of Wildlife had not set a date to reopen when this story went to press. The Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium describes the Open Ocean as a "circular fish freeway you can observe from the center." A WOW aquarium journey begins inside the Great Oceans Hall, which not only brings the depths of the ocean to the Midwest but also includes historic fishing boats that belonged to Ernest Hemingway and Zane Grey. Online, video tours take virtual visitors through the Wonders of Wildlife while the museum and aquarium are closed. In the Out to Sea exhibit, visitors can explore coastal waters and view sharks, goliath grouper and dozens of colorful reef fish. Feel- good videos offered online by WOW during the covid-19 shutdown feature dreamy under-the-sea scenes, adorable penguins and graceful jelly fish "with serious Zen vibes." (Courtesy Photos) FEATURE WOW Continued From Page 9