40 APRIL 2024 PHOTOS COURTESY OF KARIN KORPOWSKI - GALLO Pangaea Land of the Dinosaurs. Butterfly Wonderland. Camp Ocean allows for close-up encounters with marine life. By Mallory Gleich Twenty minutes north of Arcadia (near the 101 and Via de Ventura) sits a 35-acre entertainment complex – Arizona Boardwalk – where families can explore animals, plants, butterflies, dinosaurs and more. This venue’s mission is fun, and there is plenty to be had on the Boardwalk. The complex opened in 2016 under the name OdySea in the Desert. In 2020, it was rebranded to Arizona Boardwalk, which encompasses eight standing attractions, restaurants, shopping, and outdoor special events. “The name is reminiscent of family fun and lots of excitement and helps set the stage for what to expect at this type of destination,” Founder and CEO Amram Knishinsky said. “It allows us to showcase our wide-ranging entertainment options. We needed a name that puts the emphasis on fun, and Arizona Boardwalk delivers.” The first attraction to open was Butterfly Wonderland in 2013, inspired by the butterfly fields Knishinsky visited as a child in Israel. Then came the Laser + Mirror Maze. In 2016, the largest attraction – OdySea Aquarium – opened. OdySea holds accreditation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. It also contributes to scientific research, conservation, and education programs worldwide. “With over 6,000 animals representing 300 species across 65 exhibits, OdySea offers captivating presentations of aquatic life,” Marketing Director Karin Korpowski-Gallo said. “From freshwater habitats like rivers and streams to vast oceans, our collection showcases the beauty and diversity of marine ecosystems.” The building also houses land and sky animals like tropical birds and sloths. Their goal is to “emphasize the interconnectedness of all ecosystems, educating visitors about the importance of conservation and preserving biodiversity,” Gallo said. The aquarium is the largest in the Southwest and fifth largest in the country. OdySea is home to an “Aqua Lobby,’’ where large aquarium globes – fish included – hang from the ceiling. The bathroom features a direct view into the shark exhibit. Voyager is a seated theater that rotates guests past four 46-foot viewing windows that feature sharks, sea turtles, groupers, rays, and sea lions. SeaTREK ® is a recreational guided tour with visitors donning wetsuits and advanced dive helmets that allow them to breathe freely and walk upright underwater with Indo-Pacific sea life. OdySea hosts Penguin and Sloth Encounters, Behind-the-Scenes Shark Tours, Russian sturgeon touch experiences, two stingray touch pools, and a tide touch exhibit. At Butterfly Wonderland, the Boardwalk collaborates with butterfly farmers from rainforests worldwide. Each week, they receive a shipment of approximately 1,200 butterflies in their chrysalis stage. These butterflies materialize in the Emergence Gallery and find their home in the glass conservatory. Butterfly Wonderland features a 3D movie theater, Spineless Giants exhibit, Tropical Waters aquarium, Tropical Birds exhibit, Rainforest Reptile wing, and a “bug vending machine” known as the Edible Insect Station. The center courtyard at Arizona Boardwalk offers special events (most of them free) every weekend, from outdoor movies to festivals, carnivals, cultural events, expos and holiday fun. Other attractions include Ripley’s Believe It or Not, Pangaea Land of the Dinosaurs, Cyber Quest Family Arcade and the Museum of Illusions. For those who develop an appetite during their outing, never fear: there are various food options, including Frozen Penguin Ice Cream, Johnny Rockets and the Pangaea Dinosaur Grill. Attractions with limited runs also take place, like Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition, and UFO Experience: The Truth is Out There. “These exhibitions enable us to highlight popular family attractions. Following a substantial run, we refresh the offerings to ensure a dynamic experience for repeat visitors, keeping the destination fresh and engaging,” Gallo said. In May 2023, Arizona Boardwalk announced the acquisition of an additional 48 acres of land for future expansion. “We are excited to bring this new phase to life,” Gallo said. “We are going to create something truly exceptional in the future.” azboardwalk.com A summer’s worth of fun – all in one place By Jennifer Marshall Lauren Hubert has taught Earth, Environmental, Anatomy, Biology and French classes at Camelback High for the past 25 years. Along with “teacher,” Hubert can now add “fellow” to her list of accomplishments, as she was invited to participate in the Ecology Project International (EPI) Teacher Fellowship Program in March. “I was unaware of the program until around a year ago,” Hubert said. “A colleague told me about it, so I checked out the website and was impressed with what they do to support conservation education with teachers and students.” The fellowship lasted eight days and took place at Yellowstone National Park. “I was most excited about Yellowstone,” Hubert said. “Never having visited this national park, I anticipated being amazed. Bucket list, check! The other teachers and I learned about snow science, the park’s geothermal features, how to use telemetry to track wolves and hooved animals and ecosystem biodiversity.” Any K-12 teacher is welcome to apply to the program, with 50 educators selected each year. Applicants must complete an application, submit a resume and essays, and conduct in-person and online interviews. EPI was established in Costa Rica in 2000, with 61 students participating. Now, it runs programs in critical ecological hotspots in Mexico, Belize, Costa Rica, the Galapagos Islands and Yellowstone. Efforts in these regions include projects like sea turtle protection, beach clean-ups, coral reef monitoring and bison management. “Since that first course in Costa Rica, more than 50,000 students and teachers have joined us in the field,” Marketing Manager Neala Siegle said. “EPI’s mission is to inspire youth with nature and empower them with science, fostering tomorrow’s leaders.” The prog ram is designed to provide training in progressive field-based science education, grant unique opportunities to work with wildlife, and connect participants to a network of passionate educators, according to Siegle. During the trip, fellows contributed to research projects on the park’s five major hoofed mammal species and collected data about group composition and individual diets critical for ongoing studies. “Only the North Yellowstone area near Mammoth Hot Springs is open before late April, so I plan to return in June with my family to visit the rest of Yellowstone,” Hubert said. “It’s a huge national park, rich in biodiversity and geothermal features that you can’t experience anywhere else.” Along with the fellowship, Hubert recently completed graduate courses at ASU and a Fulbright DA research sabbatical in Singapore. These experiences, coupled with an Arizona Teacher’s Academy Grant, will allow Hubert to teach a new class this fall focused on sustainability, giving students college dual enrollment credit through the Maricopa Community Colleges. Later this summer, Hubert will head to Japan with her students, and she hopes to visit more national parks, the Galapagos, Alaska, New Zealand, Africa, Thailand and Iceland. ecologyproject.org This educator is crossing Yellowstone off her bucket list Lauren Hubert

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