Aquarium of Boise Idaho Aquarium News

Ituri · 6 Sep 2012

Idaho Aquarium to acquire rehabilitated unreleasable Green Sea Turtle.

Idaho Aquarium gets a sea turtle | Boise, Garden City, Mountain Home | Idahostatesman.com

After obtaining state and federal permits, building a 16,500-gallon habitat and hiring staff with "extensive sea turtle experience," the aquarium is ready to welcome "Beam" to his new home in Boise, according to a statement from the aquarium.
Beam, a young green sea turtle, was found stranded in Florida after being hit by a boat in March 2011, according to the statement. The Mote Marine Lab used cement and zip ties to fuse the pieces of his crushed rear shell. When he healed, Beam was unable to dive and forage for food due to air trapped in the shell, leading the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to declare him unreleasable to the wild.
Upon learning of Beam's situation, the Idaho Aquarium began working through the extensive permitting process for acquiring sea turtles, which are an endangered species. Beam will be the only sea turtle in captivity in Idaho, according to the aquarium's release.
He is scheduled to arrive in Boise the first week of October. The aquarium plans to hold a "sneak peak" event Oct. 5 from 6 p.m to 8 p.m.

Read more here: Idaho Aquarium gets a sea turtle | Boise, Garden City, Mountain Home | Idahostatesman.com
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Ituri · 22 Feb 2013

Owner indicted for illegal harvesting of wildlife

Idaho Aquarium owner indicted for illegally buying sharks, rays | KTVB.COM Boise

BOISE -- Federal charges have been filed against the Idaho Aquarium for buying and bringing Florida Atlantic fish to Idaho.
It's a federal case that has, at least for today, shut down the Idaho Aquarium.
Two men, including the owner of the aquarium, are accused of conspiracy to buying protected wildlife out of Florida.
Christopher Conk and Ammon Covino are accused of buying $6,300 worth of protected fish out of Florida.
If they're convicted, they face upwards of 20 years in prison and a million dollars in fines.
Even though Conk and Covino face charges out of Florida, they were in federal court in Boise today for what was more of an extradition hearing than an initial court appearance.
What happened today was a process to make sure both men make it to Florida.
Judge Candy Dale set Conk's bond at $10,000 and Covino's at $100,000. The judge used a type of bond that allows them to use a business as collateral.
Court documents released today outline conversations between Covino and a person in Florida looking to sell spotted eagle rays and lemon sharks.
In one conversation, Covino is accused of telling the person to sneak the fish to Idaho.
Another conversation said it would be no big deal that they did not have the permits to buy the fish.
Then a conversation between Covino and Conk accuse them of saying they would keep the transaction "on the down low."
In all, the two men that run the Idaho Aquarium, as well as the aquarium as a corporate entity, were indicted on four charges of conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act and violating the Lacey Act. That's an act that makes it illegal to purchase protected marine life.
As for Conk, he has faced similar charges before.
He pleaded guilty in 2011 to shipping and selling live coral to buyers around the world. Since his conviction he's been on supervised probation.
Both men are expected to be in Key West, Florida, on March 15 for a formal arraignment.
Officials from the Idaho Department of Fish and Game and the U.S. Fish Wildlife Service were at the Idaho Aquarium Thursday to make sure no one got inside the building.
Those officials would not answer our questions, and tried to keep us from looking in the windows.
Idaho Fish and Game says they were called in to assist, but could not share any information on what's going on with the animals.
People guarded all the entrances.
A handful folks hoping to go to the aquarium today were turned away.
"We come about twice a year every time we come and visit the boys and they have a great time. They get to touch the fish and play with everything in there. So it's a lot of fun," said Kathleen Sullivan.
Sullivan is from Colorado and came to visit her nephews. Whenever she visits they go to the Idaho Aquarium because the boys love it.
KTVB is working to find out what happened to the animals mentioned in the indictment -- the sharks and rays that were illegally obtained.
The U.S. attorney's office in Idaho referred us to the U.S. attorney in the Southern District of Florida. They have not returned our calls.
A lot viewers have been asking on Facebook if the Idaho Aquarium is closing and - if so - what happens to your passes.
Those answers are not yet available, but we are looking into it and will report what we find out.
We checked the Idaho Aquarium's Facebook page Thursday afternoon and it said they hoped to be open later this afternoon, or that they would definitely be open tomorrow.
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Ituri · 28 Feb 2013

Director Re-arrested, Aquarium Does Damage Control

Idaho Aquarium employees hope to restore the community's trust - www.kivitv.com

The workers at the Idaho Aquarium talked to Today’s 6 and FOX9 On Your Side about how they're taking extra steps to make sure everything they do is on the up and up, after police arrested the aquarium’s leaders for illegally purchasing marine wildlife.

On Wednesday, the aquarium was somewhat busy and operating as usual, despite a lot of troubles for its managers.

Federal agents arrested the directors, Ammon Covino and Chris Conk, last Thursday for illegally buying and shipping four spotted eagle rays and two lemon sharks from Florida.

On Thursday, the agents arrested Covino again for violating the terms of his release, and then his nephew for obstruction of justice.

According to investigators, Covino directed his nephew to destroy certain information on a recent order of illegal nurse sharks.

However, since then, aquarium workers said they've put new procedures in place. "After Thursday’s incident, I sat down on the computer on Friday and came up with an animal acquisition form,” said Nathan Hall, Marine Biologist. “It’s a multi-step check list that I go through and make sure that everything's done, that we're getting the correct permits and health certificate, before any animals are ordered. Then, it gets signed and dated by me.”

The aquarium employees said they hope to restore the community's confidence and keep the doors open. Covino and Conk are each charged with one count of conspiracy and three counts of illegally purchasing marine wildlife. They're set to appear in Florida Federal Court on March 15th.

In the meantime, the assistant director of the aquarium has stepped in to fill their shoes.
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snowleopard · 11 Aug 2013

Does the expansion from 10,000 sq. ft. to 15,000 sq. ft. have any kind of semi-official opening date?

Idaho Aquarium- Exhibits

July update in regards to obstruction of justice charges:

Eagle man faces prison time in Idaho aquarium coverup | KTVB.COM Boise

Ituri · 11 Aug 2013

I visited yesterday and I didn't get the impression that work on the expansion was on going. Any mention of it in the aquarium itself was gone and they are now raising funds for a coral propagation area with the intent of breeding coral for release into the wild. There was no longer any mention of fundraising for otters, shark tanks, or amazon aquariums.

With the trial of Covino and Conch coming up in September and the aquarium itself named as a defendant on the indictment, it will be interesting to see what the future holds for this upstart facility.

TheOnlineZoo · 11 Sep 2013

Federal agency seizes puffins from Idaho aquarium - YNN - Your News Now

TheOnlineZoo · 22 Sep 2013

Secrecy divides Idaho Aquarium board | Idaho Companies | Idahostatesman.com

Ituri · 19 Oct 2013

The board has come together and hired a new director, a respected local businessperson, Nancy Vannorsdel. She has got her work cut out for her.

Longtime Boise business leader takes the helm of the Idaho Aquarium | Idaho Companies | Idahostatesman.com

Here's a name familiar to many: Nancy Vannorsdel.

The former president and CEO of Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce has agreed to serve as interim director of the Idaho Aquarium.

"We have a lot of challenges ahead of us. We are going to do things the right way," she said. "I want to help them bring back this wonderful product and get it in shape to be one of the jewels of the Treasure Valley," she said.

On the job less than a week, Vannorsdel has been meeting one-on-one with staff members and calling on her friends and colleagues in the community to offer their expertise. She expects to announce three new board members soon.

One of her first steps is assuring the public that former Idaho Aquarium co-directors Ammon Covino and Chris Conk are no longer associated with the facility.

"They are gone. They are gone by law and by the will of the board," she said.

The aquarium has received negative press recently including a federal Florida jury's indictment of Covino and Conk for illegally transporting Florida marine life to Idaho. The duo pleaded guilty and will be sentenced in December. Soon after the indictments, allegations surfaced of mismanagement and poor animal care.

Vannorsdel replaces Amanda Davidson, who has resigned as interim director. Davidson also resigned from the board and is now an office administrator.

Read more here: Longtime Boise business leader takes the helm of the Idaho Aquarium | Idaho Companies | Idahostatesman.com
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TheOnlineZoo · 3 Dec 2013

Prison time sought for aquarium co-owner | KXAN.com

KEY WEST, Fla. (AP) — The president of an Idaho aquarium convicted in the illegal shipping of protected sharks and rays from Florida has been sentenced to a year and a day in prison.

A federal judge in Key West on Monday imposed the sentence on 40-year-old Ammon Covino, president of Idaho Aquarium in Boise and co-founder of Portland Aquarium in Oregon. Covino is also barred during two years of probation from working in a wildlife exhibit.

His brother, Vince Covino, is seeking to open an aquarium in a closed furniture store in Northwest Austin.

Court documents show Ammon Covino admitted involvement in illegally obtaining and shipping three spotted eagle rays and two lemon sharks for the Idaho Aquarium.

Intercepted communications showed Covino told Florida shippers to ignore the law.

The aquarium itself also pleaded guilty, agreeing to pay a $10,000 fine and donate $50,000 to the National Fish and Wildlife Federation.

Ituri · 6 Dec 2013

In their continued effort to reestablish themselves and to distance themselves from previous management, the Idaho Aquarium has launched a new website.

Home

Gone are the promises of river otters and giant shark tanks, and the new expansion is now described as including, "an Educational Classroom, Amazon Exhibit, Touch Tanks, Medical and Quarantine area and Reptile Vivarium." This appears that perhaps their priorities are beginning to be in the proper place.

Ituri · 11 Dec 2013

Here is an article highlighting some of the many changes that have occurred at the aquarium since the change in management. These changes seem to all be steps in the right direction.

Specific changes mentioned were larger accommodations for the the Pacific Giant Octopus, Stingrays, and Sea Turtle, as well as a new educational classroom. The gift shop is being turned back over to the aquarium itself as a revenue generator for the facility rather than a for-profit side venture (which had previously been run by the brother of convicted former aquarium owner, Vince Covino, who also owns the Portland Aquarium).

When Nancy Vannorsdel took over as Idaho Aquarium interim director in October, she wanted to find out what it was doing right and what it could do better. She talked extensively with the staff and her friends in the community. She spent three Sundays in the parking lot interviewing patrons coming out of the aquarium.
Then she took what she learned and came back with a plan.
"We are changing our name, we are changing our look and we are shifting our focus to education, which is where it should have been," Vannorsdel said.
Key to the new education emphasis is the Exploratorium, a large multimedia room to be used for classes, lectures, traveling exhibits and other educational offerings. It also will include a viewing area where visitors can get a behind-the-scenes look at the biologists and staff at work in the aquarium's lab. Even the gift shop will have a nonprofit, educational orientation
UNRETIRING — AGAIN

Vannorsdel has been successful in many areas — except when it comes to retirement. She has failed at it. Twice.
When she retired from banking in 1997, she was one of the highest-ranking female bank executives in the Northwest. That retirement lasted fewer than six months; she took up the helm of the Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce and served as its CEO for 12 years.
She retired from the chamber in 2009, but has now embarked on rebuilding the Idaho Aquarium after a two-year run that ended with its founders going to federal prison, authorities seizing improperly permitted animals and a slew of management problems.
She jokes that she signed on for a four-month stint, figuring it would be a fairly simple job: Establish some rules, polish the tarnished areas, tidy up the books. After all, she helped run one of the region's largest banks and led one of the state's largest nonprofits. "How hard could it be?" she asked.
Then she started peeling back the layers. "Every single day, something would happen, something new would come up," she said.
EATING THE ELEPHANT

She reviewed the books and said she was shocked at what she found. Financial records were missing or incomplete. The records that did exist indicated money coming in had not always been spent on the nonprofit facility.
The Idaho Attorney General's Office had an investigation underway, and Vannorsdel said she supported it "in every way."
Realizing she needed help with day-to-day operations, she cajoled longtime friend Joni Sullivan into serving as interim chief operations officer. Sullivan has owned her own business, served on several nonprofit boards and founded America to Africa HELP, a nonprofit dedicated to improving the lives of disadvantaged children in Africa.
Vannorsdel said if she ever sees a consulting fee for her aquarium work, she will split it with Sullivan.
When they looked at the challenge, Vannorsdel and Sullivan asked themselves: "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time," Vannorsdel said. "And let me tell you, we have pretty much eaten the entire elephant."
Vannorsdel handpicked four new board members with no prior connections to the aquarium or its founders, and she plans to announce several more.
She also went to work resolving several investigations into the aquarium. Earlier this year, employee and whistleblower complaints sparked inquiries by Idaho Humane Society, Idaho Department of Fish and Game, U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration and U.S. Department of Labor.
Vannorsdel said those have been resolved.
"We do everything by the book now," said Vannorsdel.
She drew up new protocols to ensure the aquarium abides by state and federal rules. The first test proved successful: While purchasing a new octopus, the aquarium discovered the dealer's permit had lapsed. The aquarium refused to go forward until the dealer permit was renewed.
Idaho Humane Society Director Jeff Rosenthal said he is pleased with the aquarium's new leadership, including new board members without ties to the aquarium. "I see that as a very positive sign," he said. "Hopefully any problems can be cleared up."
NEW NAME, NEW LOOK

Tanks and exhibits are being redone to improve animal health and visitor experience. Larger tanks are being built for the rays, the sea turtle and the octopus.
Vannorsdel said she thinks one of the reasons the aquarium's octopi kept dying was because the tank was too small and the intelligent animal needs "enrichment."
"They need to have more than food and water to thrive," she said.
Vannorsdel selected an artist-in-residence, Angela Drake, to paint murals and redo the interior's palette.
In three or four months, a major part of the remodeling should be done and the Exploratorium complete. But that means Vannorsdel's four-month term likely will be extended.
"I have some things I want to be up and running before I go. I want it to be financially stable. I want the Exploratorium to be going gangbusters," she said. "But in order to do that we need one thing. We need the people to come back."
Once the aquarium is on better footing, it will conduct a national search for a director and Vannorsdel can try one more time to do that thing she cannot seem to get right: "When I get out of this I am not going to flunk retirement again," she said.
FIRE BEFORE NEW GROWTH

Biologist Sheree Dessel, 24, has worked at the aquarium for almost two years. She said there were dark days when she dreaded coming to work. She persevered because she couldn't leave the animals. Her face lights up when she talks about Vannorsdel and Sullivan and how the cloud lifted when founders Ammon Covino and Chris Conk were removed and, ultimately, sent to federal prison.
The quality of animal care has improved with the new management, she said. "Now the biologists have a say," Dessel said. "The animals are doing much better. They are happier."
The aquarium's problems and media coverage of Conk and Covino's arrests was excruciating, because it drove visitors away and left the few dedicated staff members reeling, she said. But it needed to happen.
"Otherwise these changes would have never taken place," she said. "It did hurt us, but a fire has to come through to start new growth. We've got a huge disaster that happened to us, but we are starting fresh, and we are starting to see new growth.
"I would love for people to come back and see the changes we've made," Dessel said. "Give us a second chance. I want people to come in see what we have done, to see what Nancy and Joni have done. Our hearts are truly in it."

Read more here: Things are going swimmingly for Idaho Aquarium, at last | Idaho Companies | Idahostatesman.com
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Things are going swimmingly for Idaho Aquarium, at last | Idaho Companies | Idahostatesman.com

Chlidonias · 11 Dec 2013

Vannorsdel said she thinks one of the reasons the aquarium's octopi kept dying was because the tank was too small and the intelligent animal needs "enrichment."
"They need to have more than food and water to thrive," she said.
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it would be interesting to know the time scale referred to here (i.e. weeks, months). Octopus don't have very long lifespans naturally, often just a couple of years even in the larger species, and they are usually captured as adults and hence near the end of their life anyway. But yes I never like seeing octopus in Aquariums because they are almost always housed in tanks that are far too small and far too empty. And they are so smart that they need constant stimulation and novel things to play with all the time. Often they just sit there and gnaw their own arms off out of sheer frustration.

Ituri · 11 Dec 2013

They've had at least three giant octopus in the two years they've been open.

Chlidonias · 11 Dec 2013

if it is only three in two years (I do note you said at least though) then that is not a high death rate. Pacific giant octopus aren't usually captured fully-grown obviously, I guess more half/two-thirds grown because they still need to be big enough to be impressive, but they grow like weeds and then they die. Live fast, die young, leave a swarm of good-looking babies. That's the octopus motto.

It is very good they are giving the new octopus enrichment of course. (I also liked how the reporter put the word in quotation marks like "what is this strange word"? )

Ituri · 20 Dec 2013

Two news items. First the Green Sea Turtle has been confiscated from the facility. This was because the former owners were the permit holders and the permit was revoked on their convictions.

Feds remove Idaho Aquarium's sea turtle | Boise, Garden City, Mountain Home | Idahostatesman.com

In better news, they are currently raising funds to build a much larger and more complex habitat for their Giant Pacific Octopus.

Octopus

Ituri · 24 May 2014

The Idaho Aquarium is changing its name to the Aquarium of Boise, with a new logo. They are making major changes to the facility that will improve guest flow and the standard of care the animals receive. The new Pacific Giant Octopus exhibit recently opened, and is a harbinger of good things to come.

A sea change for aquarium | Boise, Garden City, Mountain Home | Idahostatesman.com

The aquarium's new directors, Nancy Vannorsdel and Joni Sullivan, have shed a lot of tears since they decided to take on repairing the business, which had suffered a string of legal and management problems.

"It has been one awful thing after another," Vannorsdel said.

When staff biologist Sheree McMullen released the octopus into its new home Thursday at the Idaho Aquarium - being renamed Aquarium of Boise - longtime friends Vannorsdel and Sullivan broke out in both tears and smiles.

"This is a real milestone," Sullivan said.

Vannorsdel was heartbroken when the aquarium's octopus died shortly after she came on board as director in October. When Vannorsdel learned from staff that the octopus had been housed in a tank that was too small and lacked "enrichment," she set about getting a new one built.

Raising the $15,000 and getting it built was the easy part. The hard part was waiting three months for the new tank's water to reach optimum conditions.

Finally, this week, the water's readings came in on the mark. The octopus is now stretching its tentacles in a larger home with a tunnel and other features to keep it occupied.

"We call it the octopus palace," Vannorsdel said.

NEW LOOK
On May 31, the aquarium will hold a grand opening to unveil its new name and to launch a $375,000 capital campaign to expand and remodel the facility. It also will add an "Exploratorium" - a learning center that will offer marine and environmental science programs for schools, as well as other learning opportunities.

"All of our programs during the school year, all of our field trips, all of our lesson plans, are integrated with Common Core," said Sandra Cavanaugh, a new board member and development director.

Some remodeling will get underway within the next couple of weeks, including improvements to the building's exterior and construction of a new aviary, said facilities manager Joseph McMullen. The aquarium has small bird and reptile displays.

Vannorsdel and Sullivan, chief executive officer and chief operating officer, respectively, took over the nonprofit aquarium in October after its former directors, Ammon Covino and Chris Conk, were charged and convicted in a Florida federal court of conspiring to bring illegally harvested spotted rays and lemon sharks to Boise for display at the aquarium.

NEW VOLUNTEERS
Vannorsdel and Sullivan have had to repair or re-create nearly every aspect of the aquarium, from financial procedures to protocols for animal care.

They assembled a new board of directors comprising biologists, educators and community leaders. They brought in new employees and put together an army of 100 volunteers who conduct tours and assist with the animals.

Vannorsdel and Sullivan, who are not being paid, initially agreed to stay four months. They're now in their eighth month.

"We want to stay on until we feel ready to turn it over," Vannorsdel said.

Cavanaugh calls the pair of directors a "tour de force."

"They have single-handedly held the aquarium above water - no pun intended," said Cavanaugh.

Read more here: A sea change for aquarium | Boise, Garden City, Mountain Home | Idahostatesman.com
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Smaggledagle · 27 Oct 2022

2022 News:

On February 24th, the aquarium announced they acquired a (0.0.1) tarantula (species not specified) named Raj.

Happy Tarantula Thursday from our newest resident "Raj!" #aquariumofboise #boiseaquarium #idahoaquarium #tarantula #tarantulathursday #letsbefriends... | By Aquarium Of Boise | Facebook

On August 5th, the aquarium announced they are renovating/expanding the Cuvier's dwarf caiman exhibit. Renovations were completed in early September.

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