He swims three-times faster than humans, will weigh close to 300 pounds, grow up to 6 feet long, and may have to fend off orcas, large sharks and polar bears. But for now, and with the help of a group of Stimson 8th graders, ‘Iron Man’ will have to be thankful as he regains his health in the comfy and safe confines at The Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation.
In yet another example of the ‘Gift that Keeps on Giving’ the Stimson’s Penny Wars winning team, Ms. Jaimi Goldberg’s Homeroom 213, chose to donate $833.33, the remaining one-third of their total winnings to the local group.
The Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation is a 501 (c) (3) not for profit organization that operates the New York State Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Rescue Program. The primary mission of the Riverhead Foundation is to preserve and protect our marine environment through education, rehabilitation, and research.
This past Tuesday, Riverhead Foundation volunteer Steve Abbondondelo and co-worker Chuck Russell made a presentation to Ms. Goldberg’s homeroom class and graciously thanked them for the monetary gift. Adopting a rescued harbor seal named 'Iron Man,’ the students were intrigued but the presentation and asked many questions.“We roughly estimate that the rescue, rehabilitation, and tagging costs can be upwards of $6,000 for a harbor seal or sea turtle,” said Mr. Abbondondelo. “Iron Man weighed only 43 pounds we he was found on January 19th suffering from dehydration, pneumonia and seal pox. He will be in our care for a while and this money will actually go to help care for him.”
We are happy to report that ‘Iron Man’ is responding well and currently eating 10lbs of fish per-day. Thank you Stimson and thank you Stimson community. Your hard work and generosity is paying off in countless ways.
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