NOAA kiosks installed at four locations in Virginia and North Carolina

Visitors can explore their local maritime environment through new interactive NOAA kiosks.

With the touch of a finger, communities in North Carolina and Virginia can now learn about Monitor National Marine Sanctuary and its cultural and natural marine resources, as well as obtain real-time information about area weather and ocean conditions.

Four interactive touch screen kiosks recently were installed at the Bass Pro Shop in Hampton, Va., Janette's Pier in Nags Head, N.C., North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island, N.C., and Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum in Hatteras, N.C. The kiosks provide users with a virtual tour that highlights the sanctuary's education, science and resource protection programs.

"We are very excited to provide interactive, educational kiosks to the local community," said David Alberg, superintendent, Monitor National Marine Sanctuary. "Our goal is to promote the region's cultural and natural resources and we hope the kiosks will motivate people to learn more and explore these places for themselves."

"As an outdoor recreation retailer, the interactive NOAA kiosk is a great fit for our Bass Pro Shop," said Tommy D. Watkins, general manager of Bass Pro Shop in Hampton. "Our customers find the local tide, wind, and weather maps very useful and children really enjoy the educational games on the kiosk."

As part of NOAA's National Marine Sanctuaries Interactive Kiosk Program, the four new units join a national network of 37 kiosks with content specific to the different sites and overall system.

The Monitor sanctuary kiosks include information, images and video on topics including: The USS Monitor, WWII Battle of the Atlantic, area shipwrecks, and local species and habitats. In the "Kids Corner," children can play games that teach them about marine life.

Managed by NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, Monitor National Marine Sanctuary was designated in 1975 to protect the wreck of the famed Civil War ironclad USS Monitor, which sank during a storm 16 miles off Cape Hatteras, N.C., in 1862.

NOAA's mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources. Join us on
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