Help Commemorate Marine Mammal Rescue Team's First Rescued Seal to be Released Back into Wild
Belmont, a premature harbor seal pup rescued off a Hampton beach in April, was returned to the wild on September 2nd.
The stone sculpture of a juvenile harbor seal that sits by the main entrance of the Seacoast Science Center is part of Thomas Berger’s exhibition, Ocean Treasures: Homage to Creatures of the Sea (on display through September 13, 2014). It has captured the attention of visitors of all ages and is the hallmark that inspires the Center’s visitors to learn about seals and other creatures that live along New Hampshire’s coast. Berger, a seacoast artist and landscape designer, has inspired another seacoast artist and long time supporter of the Center, Marcia Gibbons, to challenge the community. She believes the sculpture, Harbor Seal, should be part of the Center’s permanent collection after the exhibition ends in mid-September. To inspire others to give, Gibbons made a $1,000 gift toward the $4,300 cost to purchase the piece of art.
According to Gibbons, “I’ve always been committed to the Center and its mission, and am a huge fan of Thomas’ work, which fits the Center’s mission so perfectly.” Gibbons was also inspired to give in celebration of her grandson, Mathew Gibbons, who attended camp at the Center when he was a youth and is currently employed by Berger’s landscape design company, Green Art.”
“The sculpture not only helps to raise awareness of the Center’s Marine Mammal Rescue efforts, keeping it at the Center is the perfect way to commemorate the Rescue Team’s first rescued seal, Belmont, who was rehabilitated and released back into the wild.”
Belmont, a premature harbor seal pup, was rescued off the beach in Hampton Harbor on April 30. Believed to be abandoned by his mother because people and dogs approached it too closely while it was resting on the beach, the pup was transported to the National Marine Life Center in Buzzards Bay, MA for rehabilitation and thrived under their care. The healthy, juvenile seal, now able to hunt on its own,was released into the wild on September 2, 2014 at the Scusset Beach State Reservation in Sagamore Beach, MA.
The sculpture, Harbor Seal, which Berger carved out of a granite boulder, has been a popular spot for family photographs. “ I thrive to inspire people to reflect on nature’s beauty and its vulnerability through my art,” said Berger. “I want people to touch and experience it.”
You can help keep the Harbor Seal sculpture on permanent display at the Center by making a donation toward balance of the total goal of $4,300 to purchase the piece of art. Donations can be made online, by calling Nichole at 603-436-8043 ext. 26, or by mailing a check payable to the Seacoast Science Center and mailed to 570 Ocean Blvd., Rye, NH 03870.
To learn more about the Center’s Marine Mammal Rescue Team’s efforts, and to keep up to date with the Team’s efforts, follow us on facebook at nhmarinemammalrescue.
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