Share a Steinhart Story

I particularly enjoy the White Shark they had for awhile. I guess the tank proved too small for her.

We know our butterflies! A few years as Peace Corps in East Africa. We followed with a lot of neotropics travel, and North America in all directions as our times passed on. Visited lots of jungles chasing butterflies everywhere for the Peabody Museum of Natural History. Roanna, my spouse and I got to know the winged beauties, thousands of them. Sent some ground beetle specimens to the Academy once as well. So there we were in the then new Tropical live exhibit. Maybe 2018. A great place, our favorite place at the Academy. But WOW a crowd on the circular spiral odservation walkway and a spectacular Morpho butterfly (say huge, brilliant blue) thrashing around on the pavement. Roanna shouldered thru the crowd to the aide of beast. People going “you can’t touch a butterfly” and even “the scales are toxic”. The crowd gasped when she said “watch me” carefully grasping the lepidopteron by the forewing margins as her experience informed her manner. Then she gently flung our subject back into the equatorial recreation display. The rescue flew again, flew without hesitation and alighted as Morphos do on a branch and we left that Aurelian safe and sound. Victor DeMasi, Roanna Metowski, Redding Connecticut 203 448 0106 17 July 2023

My mom used to take me to the "old" academy starting in 1945. I was 3 years old and was fascinated by the fish in the aquarium, the alligators and the rock collection. Also loved the old planetarium. Still taking our grandchildren and still loving every minute of any visit.

I’m a docent who likes birds so I set up under the Tyrannosaurus with the condor wing, the condor foot and some pictures of Archaeopteryx (the 1st bird like dinosaur). A small group of kids always shows up and I talk about the condor for a few minutes then ask them if they knew about the connection between birds and dinosaurs. At this point I ask them to take a look at the condor foot while I hold it up so the group can easily view it and the T-Rex foot behind me. (The feet are nearly identical except for size,) “ What do you see”? One time someone in the back said “you mean that thing is nothing but a 20,000 pound chicken? So the conversation starts. Made my day as a docent.

My children and I always visit the little cave where the little pipe fish play peek-a-boo and chicken with the big fish. It is such a calming centering place and we love it. Thank you for all the memories.

For many years when our two boys were young, not a month went by without a Cal Academy visit. We will always have this treasure trove of cherished memories. You helped inspire in one of them future studies in wildlife biology and in the other a deep interest in science. We are filled with gratitude and we celebrate your truly remarkable and life-changing work!