Abstract
Conservation education is a growing trend in the zoo and aquarium field, with most facilities today adopting it as their mantra. Conservation education is used to spread information regarding the environment and encourage individuals to participate in pro-environmental actions. The purpose of this project was to create an all-inclusive touch tank area and sensory garden as well as provide conservation education content about the marine environment at Island Dolphin Care in Key Largo, Florida. Using the current layout of these two areas and relevant scientific research, the redesign of the touch tank and sensory garden were completed to be interactive for individuals of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities. The expanded touch tank area will provide three individual tanks, each with a variety of marine invertebrates for a hands-on experience, along with interactions of closed top simulations to show the effects of climate change. The sensory garden area will also be extended, providing an all-inclusive playground, section for each human sense, and a quiet space. Educational content was created to be all-inclusive, understanding specific accommodations for those with special needs and disabilities, including those with vision, hearing, speech, and mobility impairments. Surveys will be used to monitor and evaluate the experience of clients and guests for future edits and additional content.