The kids watched as trainers made the 350-pound animals work for herring, commanding them to roll over, get in and out of the pool, and once, soar straight up out of the water in graceful leaps. The tricks performed by the sea lions are moves they need to know for working with researchers, who are trying to determine what is endangeringthem, Brindle explained. The SeaLife Center's mission combines education with research and wildlife rehabilitation. For instance, researchers are trying to determine why the Steller sea lion population is crashing. In a region south of Kenai Peninsula, some 150,000 sea lions in the 1970s have dwindled to 25,000, researchers say.
Scientists suspect nutrition is to blame.
Leslie Peart, the center's education director, said the scientists' experiments will become part of the lesson plans. Students will watch and hear what scientists are doing, and they'll get a chance to explore careers outside the classroom. In one class earlier this month, students analyzed how many calories of herring, squid or pollock the center's 550-pound male sea lion, Woody,needs to sustain himself. Between the animals, the activities and the exhibits, ''children'ssenses are all stimulated. Donna York, science coordinator for the Anchorage School District, said she thinks the center will offer great opportunities for students when all the exhibits and researchers are in place.