It's one of the more unusual exhibits on display at the Butterfly Pavilion in Westminster.
Stroll past the colorful butterflies and other insects, and you'll find a 250-gallon saltwater tank. It houses part of a nationwide collaboration to save a badly damaged coral reef found off the coast of Florida.
The rescue project began in 2020 after a coalition of zoos and aquariums teamed up to house and grow coral in response to a disease that spread across the underwater habitat off Florida.
The Butterfly Pavilion stepped up to be part of the project. Six years in, we wanted to hear how a coral colony ended up in Colorado and what challenges its handlers overcame along the way.
Sara Stevens is a marine biologist who manages the coral ark project for the Butterfly Pavilion. She spoke with Erin O’Toole about this unusual rescue mission.
