Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
A Peek Into The Deep
New aquarium brings sea creatures to Branson
Steve Bitter sounds a lot like a proud papa — but he’s got more “children” to care for than he can count. Bitter is the director of husbandry at Branson’s brand-new Aquarium at the Boardwalk, and he’s responsible for more than 7,500 sea creatures, along with 16 aquarists and life support specialists.
It’s a passion that was born when Bitter was just a kid himself.
“I grew up in the Arizona desert and visited the California coast when I was about 7 or 8,” he remembers. “This started a lifelong fascination with the world underwater.”
A job in a pet store’s fish department — “I had a ball watching them, caring for them and talking about them with customers” — eventually led Bitter to the Marine Aquarium Conference at the National Aquarium in Baltimore. “I was overwhelmed to learn that caring for fish in aquariums was a real profession in an amazing industry,” he marvels. “Over the last 15 years, I moved to Tampa and worked at The Florida Aquarium as a senior biologist, then went home to Tempe, Ariz., and worked as the curator at Sea Life. From there, I became part of Sea Life’s global development team and opened seven aquariums in the U.S., China, Japan, Malaysia and the United Kingdom.
“Last year, I was fortunate enough to get the opportunity to come and work on this beautiful aquarium project,” he says. “My wife, Heidi, and I moved to Branson, and we love the community. It’s been a joy to work with Kuvera Partners on building the aquarium, and now that we’re open, I’m especially excited that I get to work with the really fantastic husbandry team that we have at this facility.”
Being in on the ground floor meant
Bitter guided a “complex process” to choose the animals the aquarium would house.
“We began working on it during the early aquarium design process because we wanted to pair ‘star species’ with themed environments,” he explains. “For example, we planned for lobsters, crabs and eels to live in habitats that are part of a shipwreck zone, and we included rays and sharks in the large coral reef touch pool. Many revisions and additions were made along the way, considering the guest experience; the relationships and dynamics among the species; ethical sourcing; and our ability to house them at the highest standards for their entire lives.”
Perhaps the biggest challenge was the largest exhibit, the Grand Aquarium, “designed to showcase the diversity and splendor of the tropical oceans.”
“With this in mind, we wanted to have as many animal species as possible, but we had to make sure they could all live together in harmony for their entire lives,” he relates. “Tropical reef fish often have much more complex social lives than we give them credit for, and they also have dynamics with other species that we had to account for. So, it was a challenge to select fish that wouldn’t push each other around for territory, compete for food, or try to eat one another.
“Because I’ve been fortunate in my career to work closely with so many remarkable species, I was able to use my knowledge of each fish’s habits and behaviors to choose animals that fit into the aquatic community we wanted to build,” he continues. “In the end, we were able to create this habitat with over 2,000 individuals from nearly 100 species all living together. The Grand Aquarium houses everything from sharks and rays to small damselfish and wrasses. So far, I’ve been really pleased at how well the animals have settled in together, and I’m looking forward to seeing them continue to thrive.”
Bitter explains that some of the animals needed new homes — among them the blacktip reef sharks, who were born at other aquariums that had run out of room — and some were sourced in the wild, but “we spent countless hours researching the origin of every single animal to make sure they came to us from sustainable and transparent sources and were handled very carefully along the way.” He also got to share one of his own conservation goals in the Observation Station exhibit.
“Since really getting serious about aquariums, I’ve been in love with corals, and I’m especially delighted by the relationship of corals with other animals,” he enthuses. The seven individual windows along one wall in the Observation Station “are meant to be special views into the coral reef ecosystem where guests can see how tiny invertebrates depend on corals. Corals perform what I think is the most important work in the ocean, and I was lucky enough to do some coral reef fieldwork with Coral Restoration Foundation during my time in Florida. Unfortunately, nearly all of the corals in the Florida Reef Tract have disappeared in our lifetime. I hope that our aquarium will inspire guests to learn more about coral and help the Coral Restoration Foundation restore that area.”
Visitors to the aquarium can also meet some of the animals up close, and Bitter has worked diligently to make the experience a good one for everyone involved.
“We have two touch experiences, one with rays and sharks, and another with cold water invertebrates like sea anemones and sea stars,” he says. “We get the rays and sharks used to light touching in the course of normal care and during feeding times. So, they don’t get especially bothered by the touching in the touch pool, as long as guests follow the guidelines we provide. We ask that our guests use a twofinger touch on specific zones of the animals. This not only keeps the guests safe, but also keeps the stimulus consistent for the animals so they don’t get startled or perturbed. We think this allows for a really terrific guest experience, as it allows the guests to feel shark skin (rough) and ray skin (smooth and slippery) and to appreciate the unique aspects of each.
“At first glance, the invertebrates are less reactive, but the touch experience is still quite exciting,” he adds. “The sea stars are echinoderms, and they have a unique texture unlike anything else. Anemones actually have a light stinging cell on each tentacle — not dangerous though! — so they stick to the fingers of anyone who touches them.”
One thing Bitter doesn’t have to worry about is his sea creatures contracting the coronavirus.
It is limited to mammals, “and here at the aquarium we only have coldblooded animals, so the animals in our care are not susceptible to covid-19.”
“However,” he adds, “we are very conscious of guest safety, and we are taking numerous steps to protect their health, including timed entry, mandatory face coverings, social distancing and constant cleaning. One area we focus on in the animal care department is the operation of the touch exhibits, since there is human-to-animal contact there. Fortunately, our best information is that saltwater is a disinfectant for covid-19, so any worry about the animals spreading the virus between guests doesn’t seem to be an actual risk.”
For music fans, it seems an inescapable fact of life that, at some point, one’s favorite artist or group will cover a beloved Christmas song — if not take on a whole Christmas album. I guess it’s just part of being a musician; I don’t make the rules. For the rest of us, this sets the stage for a yearly tradition of wading through a new batch of fresh — or not-so-fresh — takes on holiday classics and giving a tentative listen to new original tunes to determine whether they will be added to our rotation of seasonal favorites.
With still not enough live music events happening in the area to build a calendar, this week’s Listen Here! will instead present a few of this year’s crop of holiday releases intended to bolster the yuletide season.
“A Holly Dolly Christmas”
Dolly Parton
Butterfly Records, LLC
Dolly Parton has been an inspiring and comforting voice for generations of fans around the world her entire career. This year, when we all could use a little extra cheer, Parton has once again provided solace and joy with the release of her latest holiday album, “A Holly Dolly Christmas,” which reached the No. 1 spot on both the Billboard Country and Holiday charts in its first week.
The icon’s first holiday album in three decades features a slew of other famous voices like her goddaughter Miley Cyrus, Michael Bublé, Jimmy Fallon and Willie Nelson. The festive album’s meteoric rise to the top of the charts makes Parton the second artist in history with top 10 albums across seven decades, following only Willie Nelson, and her 46th top 10 album.
“Put Up The Lights”
The Bird and the Bee
No Expectation/Release Me Records
In October, Los Angeles pop duo The Bird and the Bee announced their first holiday album, “Put Up The Lights.” The release is a collection of the duo’s favorite holiday songs alongside new and original compositions.
Since forming in 2005, The Bird and the Bee have brought a breezy elegance to their music, putting their own idiosyncratic twist on time-bending indie pop. With “Put Up The Lights,” the pair aim to spread holiday cheer by putting their own spin on classics like “Deck The Halls” and “Little Drummer Boy” (featuring Dave Grohl) alongside originals like “Merry Merry” and “You and I At Christmas Time.”
“December Baby”
JoJo
Clover Music/Warner Records
Acclaimed singer and songwriter JoJo offers her spin on holiday cheer early with the release of her first-ever holiday album, “December Baby.” The 13-track record features five brand new originals alongside JoJo’s take on holiday favorites like “Silent Night” and “The Christmas Song,” plus collaborations with Jacob Collier and
JoJo’s Grammy Award-winning duet partner PJ Morton.
“December Baby” is the cherry on top of what has been a career year for the R&B/pop powerhouse. JoJo kicked off 2020 at the Grammys with PJ Morton; she released a soul-baring body of work with “good to know,” hitting No. 1 on the Billboard R&B Albums Chart; she’s stepped up to use her voice for action and change. And now she’s bringing us the holiday spirit when we need it the most.
“A Very Trainor Christmas”
Meghan Trainor
Epic Records
Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Meghan Trainor also released her first-ever Christmas album this year with “A Very Trainor Christmas.” The release is packed with favorite classics along with a total of six new original songs.
One of those, “Holidays,” features Earth, Wind & Fire and dangles mistletoe from the disco ball as funky horns and a wild beat resound through Christmas Eve and into the morning. “Christmas Party” brings the entire family together, while “Christmas Got Me Blue” gets the lonely hearts dancing. Friends and family abound throughout the album, making for a sweet and sentimental addition to the holiday music catalog.
“The Happiest Season” Soundtrack
Facet Records/Warner Records
The Hulu Original film “Happiest Season” is a holiday romantic comedy that hilariously captures the range of emotions tied to wanting your family’s acceptance, being true to yourself and trying not to ruin Christmas. Music from and inspired by the film presents a star-studded tracklist on the film’s soundtrack.
“The soundtrack’s focus is on LBTQ women to pay tribute to the brilliant queer woman who co-wrote and directed the movie,” says the album’s executive producer and Grammy Award-nominated songwriter, Justin Tranter. In celebration of the queer community, all of the 11 tracks on the album feature LGBTQ+ songwriters or artists, including songs by Anne-Marie, Bebe Rexha, Brandy Clark, Carlie Hanson, Shea Diamond, Sia, Tegan and Sara and more.
Sharon Van Etten
Ahead of the holiday season, Sharon Van Etten released a pair of songs, “Silent Night” and “Blue Christmas.” Van Etten’s rendition of “Silent Night” is broody and minimalistic, emphasizing her muscular voice over droning synth. It was recorded in 2018 for the “The Letter,” a short film by Eric Paschal Johnson.
In Van Etten’s cover of the classic “Blue Christmas,” her voice prettily mulls over lulling, simplistic guitar. It originally appeared on a benefit album called “Do You EAR what I Ear” in 2009 for the Association to Benefit Children. Today, the two tracks are available to digitally stream anywhere for the first time.
“High School Musical: The Musical: The Holiday
Special” Soundtrack
Disney Music Group/Walt Disney Records “High School Musical: The Musical: The Holiday Special,” premiered this weekend on the Disney+ streaming service. Ahead of the debut, the special’s soundtrack was made available on all streaming services. The soundtrack brings together classic favorites and new compositions, as well as new songs from the highly anticipate second season.
The series has been “Certified Fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes as measured by a consensus of reviews by top critics and audience members, and recently received the 2020 GLAAD Media Award for “Outstanding Kids & Family Programming.”
Spotify Singles
Driving more than 4 billion streams since the program began in 2017, Spotify Singles was created to give artists an opportunity to record new versions of their own songs, and the songs of the artists they love. Austin duo Black Pumas, alternative indie/emo darlings Dashboard Confessional, and singer/songwriter and celebrated guitarist Patrick Droney were among 12 artists chosen to record holiday songs for 2020’s “Spotify Singles: Holiday Collection” playlist.
Black Pumas
The Grammy-nominated Austin duo Black Pumas recently released their cover of the legendary R&B artist Lou Rawls’ 1967 track “Christmas Will Really Be Christmas.” “We were really attracted to the message, the lyrics, the arrangement, the feeling,” frontman Eric Burton says. “It’s a message that needs to be heard right now.”
“It touches on a message that I think is poignant to today’s times, that Christmas isn’t really Christmas until everyone has peace and happiness,” adds producer/bandleader Adrian Quesada.
Dashboard Confessional
Dashboard Confessional tackled Elvis Presley’s iconic “Blue Christmas” as part of the collection, which includes a wide range of artists across myriad genres, in hopes of connecting friends and family from afar as they listen.
“I’ve always loved Christmas songs, and I’ve always loved Elvis. What better choice could I have made for our Spotify Single than ‘Blue Christmas,’” says Chris Carrabba of the cover. “We delved into some seriously dreamy territory for our take on this classic Christmas song.”
Patrick Droney
Patrick Droney offers his rendition of Mariah Carey’s iconic classic “All I Want For Christmas Is You.” The self-produced guitar-driven cover comes on the heels of Droney’s brand new EP, “State of the Heart.”
“Mariah Carey pulled off an incredible feat writing ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ – a recording that has been an enduring staple from both a traditional and commercial standpoint,” Droney shares. “It’s an incredibly crafted pop song that also conjures the intimate sentiment of wanting to be with the one you love. I wanted to hone in on that intention and set it over a half time groove to really lean into that soulfulness.”