Something for the Summer!
*Stars of the Sea
*Our Living Coastline
Aquarium of the Pacific
100 Aquarium Way
Long Beach
1 562 590 3100
aquariumofpacific.org
*Timed tickets or advanced reservations are required!*
Stars of the Sea is a new exhibit at the Aquarium of the Pacific. Visitors meet sea stars such as the venomous crown-of-thorns and spider-like brittle stars and learn about how the nonprofit Aquarium of the Pacific is working to save the largest sea star of them all: the critically endangered sunflower sea star.
Also, visitors will see a reimagined section of the Aquarium’s California Terrace that focuses on coastal habitats, featuring the new immersive outdoor touchpool experience, Our Living Coastline. This new exhibit includes a life-like rock structure, multiple viewing windows, and surging cascades of water, designed to mimic a real tidepool on a rocky shore. Visitors of all ages will be able to learn about and touch different sea star species, including bat and ochre sea stars, along with sea urchins and sea anemones from California’s northern and southern coastal regions.
These colorful creatures are one of the oldest marine invertebrates and have ancient roots in our World Ocean, dating back 450 million years. The five-armed structure of a sea star we commonly see is a remnant of their early lineage, but some modern sea stars can have up to twenty-six arms, like the sunflower sea star. They have evolved into more than 2,000 species, but some remain under threat and may disappear forever.
Environmental stressors in the ocean because of climate change, like warming temperatures, pollution, and changes in its chemistry, threaten the lives of sea stars. These stressors affect the immune systems of over twenty sea star species, making them susceptible to their primary threat: diseases like sea star wasting syndrome. Many sea star populations have not been able to bounce back to their former numbers because of these threats, but scientists and other experts are working together to find ways to help.
These multi-armed invertebrates are pros at regulating their respective ecosystems. In tidepool habitats, ochre sea stars eat mussels, creating space for other species to live. The sunflower sea star has a starring role in their kelp forest homes where they control the urchin population. Without this management, urchins can overpopulate and graze kelp forests away.
The population for this kelp forest guardian plummeted due to sea star wasting syndrome, leading to sunflower stars becoming functionally extinct along the coast of California in 2013. The Aquarium of the Pacific is part of ongoing conservation efforts with the goal of rebuilding the number of sunflower sea stars in California. This includes the Aquarium of the Pacific’s role as one of the founding partners of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) SAFE sunflower sea star program. The Aquarium is also focused on sunflower sea star conservation through its role as a founding member of the Pacific Coast Ocean Restoration Initiative (PCOR), a comprehensive, collaborative statewide effort aimed at restoring and recovering degraded marine ecosystems across California such as kelp forest ecosystems.
The new STARS OF THE SEA and OUR LIVING COASTLINE exhibition is a new summer experience. Timed ticket reservations are available on the website: aquariumofpacific.org.
Game On! Science, Sports, & Play Exhibition
California Science Center
700 Exposition Park Drive
Los Angeles
californiasciencecenter.org
That’s right! Eight-time Major League Baseball All-Star, two-time World Series champion, and World Series Most Valuable Player L.A. Dodgers Freddie Freeman provides instruction when it comes to the science of swing at the new interactive exhibition GAME ON! Science, Sports and Play at the California Science Center.
He is one of several sports mentors representing the science of several sports at this extremely interactive exhibition.
Get your GAME ON! Science, Sports, & Play! at this Exposition Park experience. Visitor information is on the website: californiasciencecenter.org. The exhibition is FREE!
Stephen Reid, Head Gardener & Assistant Curator, Rose Garden
How to Grow Roses
The Huntington
San Marino
Botanical Workshop: Mastering Rose Care
Saturday, May 31st @ 10am-Noon
Tickets: huntington.org/event/botanical-workshop-mastering-rose-care
Southern California gardening experts say it’s time to get out, explore and enjoy the 2025 roses season. One of several locations to find booming blooming roses is The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Garden.
This morning Assistant Rose Garden Curator Stephen Reid teaches us about buying and growing roses.
Tickets for this morning’s workshop are on the huntington.org website.
Hotel Surplus Outlet
16625 Saticoy Street
Van Nuys
818 787 7807
hotelsurplus.com
The annual Summer Hotel Surplus Outlet sale is underway. There bargains on everything you can image for your home and apartment despite the current tariff concerns.
Information is on the hotelsurplus.com website, however this is an in-person Saticoy Street in Van Nuys experience. By the way, Hotel Surplus Outlet is working with those displaced by the Pacific Palisades and Altadena wildfires, working to establish and furnish temporary housing.
Tariff Turmoil
Glow + Flow Beauty Supply
Inglewood
Hawthorne
glowandflowbeauty
Glow and Flow Beauty Supply is another small business in tariff turmoil. Co-found Diann Valentine says the on again – off again tariffs create an environment of uncertainty for small businesses.
Ms. Valentine says prices remain steady at the moment. The see the latest beauty products and prices for women, men, and children, check the website glowandflowbeauty.com.
25th Anniversary
KJLH Women’s Health Expo
Long Beach Convention Center
300 East Ocean Boulevard
Long Beach
kjlhradio.com
The 25th anniversary of the KJLH Radio Women’s Health Expo is underway in Long Beach. This special event, presented by Black Infant Health, is a day of information, health screenings, and more!
New York Times bestselling author and motivational speaker Lisa Nichols is event’s keynote speaker.
The kjlhradio.com website says admission to this Long Beach Convention Center event is FREE!
So, let’s make this a wellness, empowerment, and community Saturday. Gayle Anderson, KTLA 5 News.
