Watermarks

Spring 2025

Welcome to Watermarks

In the latest issue of Watermarks, our digital magazine for National Aquarium members, we're looking at a 30-year partnership that brings together art, science and two important Baltimore institutions. We're also introducing you to some special Aquarium species and the people who care for them. We're taking you into Blacktip Reef for a whole new view of one of the Aquarium's most iconic exhibits before heading to the Eastern Shore to check on planting progress at Nassawango Creek Preserve. Finally, we're zooming in on the differences between two familiar spring pollinators, bees and wasps.

In This Issue

Read about a longstanding but little-known partnership between the National Aquarium and Johns Hopkins University, get to know some Aquarium species that hold special places in our staff members' hearts, learn ways to differentiate between certain stripey springtime pollinators, and much more.

Celebrating 30 Years of Scientific Collaboration

It's the 30th anniversary of the biological illustration collaboration between the National Aquarium and Johns Hopkins University! We're looking back at the program's history and showcasing this year's illustrations.

Learn More

Species Special to Our Staff's Hearts

The Underwater World of Blacktip Reef

Mistaken Identities: Bees vs. Wasps

Art, Science and Partnership

Baltimore wouldn't be Baltimore without Johns Hopkins University and the National Aquarium. This marks the 30th year that the two institutions have collaborated to create medical and biological illustrations. The partnership benefits Hopkins grad students who are developing their skills and building their portfolios, and Aquarium experts who use the finished illustrations in books, articles and conversations with our guests.

Read About the 30-Year Partnership

Staff Favorites

There's a saying that familiarity breeds contempt, but the opposite (and far sunnier) view can be equally true: We love most what we know best. Through the daily care they provide, members of the Aquarium team get to know every species here incredibly well, and they develop a unique appreciation as a result. Get to know some special Aquarium species and the people who treasure them.

A Whole New View of Blacktip Reef

You never know what you might see swimming by when you visit the National Aquarium. A majestic ray, a colorful wrasse, maybe even a human in scuba gear. A specialized team of staff and volunteer divers complete all sorts of essential underwater tasks. They clean, feed animals, provide medical care and more. Dive into Blacktip Reef with us to see the exhibit in a whole new way, through the scuba mask of a volunteer diver.

President and CEO John Racanelli

"The National Aquarium, despite our name, is a private nonprofit, and we are so grateful for the generous support of our members and donors. We are proud to be a welcoming place where people from all walks of life can deepen their connection to the natural world—and to one another."

Your Membership Matters The Impact of Member Support

The National Aquarium is a nonprofit organization changing the way humanity cares for our ocean planet. We are proud of what we accomplish to benefit people, animals and the planet—thanks to support from our members.

Lending Helping Hands (and Feet)

Conservation Project Manager Hallie Carter leads habitat restoration efforts throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Watch and listen as she talks about a recent Atlantic white cedar planting event at Nassawango Creek Preserve on Maryland's Eastern Shore. For more than a decade, the Aquarium has been part of efforts to restore this ancient forest ecosystem.

Atlantic white cedars are native evergreens that thrive in marshy wetland soil. Once common, these slow-growing trees are found only in a small portion of the Chesapeake coastal watershed today.

What Was That Winged Insect Anyway?

April showers bring May flowers—and May flowers bring pollinators like bees and wasps. Bees are descended from wasps, which explains some of their buzzing, stinging, pollinating similarities. Despite the characteristics that bees and wasps share, there are key differences that set them apart. In the latest installment of our Mistaken Identities story series, we zoom in on bees' and wasps' bodies, legs and stingers.

Animal Updates Fins, Scales, Feathers and Tails

There's always something new to see at the Aquarium if you know where to look! We're introducing you to some recent additions to the Pacific Coral Reef and Slurping habitats, a corn snake who just joined our ambassador animal family, and wildlife visitors to Harbor Wetland!

Close-Up Side View of a Small Purple Firefish Swimming Above Coral in the Pacific Coral Reef Exhibit
Corn Snake Slithering on a Dead Branch and Flicking Its Tongue
Dusky Pipefish Swimming Just Above the Pebbly Floor Between Thin Seagrass Blades
Night Vision Photo, Taken Via a Trail Camera, of a River Otter Resting on the Snow-Covered Harbor Wetland Exhibit

More From Past Watermarks

Conservation Exploring Tubman's Eastern Shore

Animals Two-Toed Sloths: An Evolution of Care

News Life's Work

Support the National Aquarium Together, we can change the way humanity cares for our ocean planet.