Tenji was just awarded the contract to build exhibit aquariums for the U. S. Fish And Wildlife Service’s new interpretive center at the Neosho National Fish Hatchery in Missouri. This hatchery was establish in 1888 and is one of the oldest in the country.  Over 130 species of cold, cool, and warm water fish have been produced at the Neosho NFH since it was established. The current focus is on paddlefish and lake sturgeon restoration, pallid sturgeon recovery, production of rainbow trout for mitigation, and native mussel propagation.

For a fascinating history of the hatchery, pick up Kay Hively and Larry James’ educational book “At This Place…A History Of The Neosho National Fish Hatchery.”

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The Tenji Team just finished the installation of the new aquarium for Discovery Place in Charlotte, North Carolina.  The installation includes:

• over 1.3 miles of PVC pipe that were needed to connect all the aquaria, pumps, filters, heat exchangers, and other LSS together into a usable package
• a complete jellyfish lab with culture system
• quarantine holding area
• coral propagation and rearing area
• touch tank
• FRP (Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic) work platforms, tank stands, and tank racks

Now the hard work of acclimatizing the animals and tweaking lighting and aquascaping for the exhibits is needed before the grand opening.  A member of the Tenji Team is staying on to help with this final process and we will be posting pictures of the final tanks later.

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On May 22 the Canadian Museum of Nature, Canada’s national museum of natural history, opened its new exhibits and reinvented historic building.  The six-year, $216-million refit of the building was funded by the Government of Canada.  The staff expected 5,000-8,000 people on opening day but hit 11,000 in the first three hours.  By the end of the day they had finished with a record attendance of 20,500 people (the most ever recorded in a day previous was 4,500).  According to staff, it was “a 16 hour day of constant mayhem, but totally exhilarating.”  The following two days saw crowds of 10,000 people each.

Tenji designed and installed a freshwater aquarium for the new Water Gallery at the museum.  A highlight of the new opening, staff said that people “wasted no time finding the river (exhibit) and were not disappointed. It was really wonderful.”

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Children exhibit experiences have been a particular focus in many of Tenji’s endeavors. The most recent to debut is an expansion at the spectacular Aquamarine Fukushima (AMF) in northern Japan where AMF Director, Yoshitaka Abe, is known for his revolutionary concepts and educational passion.

Ten years ago Abe tapped Tenji to lead a team for the concept development of a variety of exhibit experiences to help (re)connect the next generation to nature and enjoy exploratory “Tom Sawyer” play-learning environments. On March 20th, AMF ‘hatched’ (opened) the Kappa Fishing Village (the Egg) – the third and newest phase of the Kid’s Aquarium expansion. The anchoring activity zone is a small bay where children and families can catch fish (farmed off-site), cook, and eat them, the goal being to show that sustainable seafood comes from healthy oceans and not fast food styrofoam boxes. In addition, many engaging live exhibits and multimedia interactives add flare to the new exhibit wing.

Tenji was invited to help with the hatching by participating with the opening ceremonies and speaking at the media events.  This new venue for children to learn-while-playing is an exciting culmination of the efforts of Tenji and the AMF teams.

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The Bay Area Discovery Museum is located on historic Fort Baker just north of San Francisco. It is a wonderful place for young children and families to explore and learn about the natural and physical wonders of the region.

One exhibit zone is called the “Wave Workshop.” It features several interactive displays that invite kids to experiment and manipulate air and water currents and observe effects on various objects. The central feature, the “Race Table,” provides an opportunity for kids to assemble custom foam ‘boats’ for exciting, windy and wavy racing games.

Museum staff, however, were concerned that the water level of the table was too deep and posed a potential safety hazard. Tenji was contracted to remedy the issue by creating a false bottom that allowed for the same racing action, but in substantially shallower water. It was also an opportunity to add some color by using vivid blue acrylic and upgrade the circulation system to improve water quality and ease maintenance.

The project is now complete and the kids can get back to their racing fun!

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