XMission and The Living Planet Aquarium Team Up to Officially Launch New BioFacts Station on October 27 2006



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XMission and The Living Planet Aquarium Team Up to Officially Launch New Bio-Facts Station on October 27, 2006

XMission- sponsored educational exhibit will engage thousands of annual guests with more ocean species than ever before's8212;right in the heart of Utah.

Salt Lake City and Sandy, Utah September 25, 2006 -- XMission, Utah's8217;s largest independent Internet service provider, has teamed up with The Living Planet Aquarium to unveil the aquarium's8217;s Bio-Facts Station located within its expansive new 43,000 square foot location in Sandy on Friday, October 27, 2006.

Sponsored by XMission, the Bio-Facts Station is the first of its kind to exist in the Beehive State, providing thousands of visitors with a hands-on marine biology learning center amid numerous exhibits of aquatic species from tropical ocean-dwellers to local varieties.

The Bio-Facts Station provides unique opportunities to witness and study a variety of amazing little creatures including several species of crabs and snails such as the Turbo Snail, the Fighting Conch, the Decorator Crab, tube anemones, some interestingly named shrimp varieties like the Sexy Shrimp and Peppermint Shrimp, and the beautiful Feather Duster. Visitors will also have the chance to touch such animals as starfish, urchins (Pencil and Pincushion), sea cucumbers, and Horseshoe crabs. Naturalists will explain how these animals live, feed and propagate, describe their natural habitats and help visitors understand and value these rich and interconnected ecosystems.

In addition to its annual sponsorship, XMission provides free web site hosting for the aquarium's8217;s web site and will further provide free wireless Internet (Wi-Fi) access services to the aquarium and its guests, allowing them to enjoy the Internet and the aquarium's8217;s future online resources, such as the Coral Realm. Moreover, additional projects between XMission and The Living Planet Aquarium are in the planning stages and focus on further expanding the aquarium's8217;s educational programs through Internet technologies. These projects may include high-bandwidth Internet services, an online photo gallery and educational walk-up computer kiosks, as well as other sponsorship activities.

's8220;This partnership with XMission is a great opportunity to expand the educational breadth of our facility. The Bio-Facts Station will complement our Marine Hall exhibits and provide an excellent venue for exploration of invertebrate life on our living planet, helping visitors understand how we are all connected to the global system of life,'s8221; said Brent Andersen, CEO and founder of The Living Planet Aquarium.

's8220;Through the Bio-Facts Station, The Living Planet Aquarium and XMission together have created a unique hands-on, family-friendly educational experience,'s8221;explained Pete Ashdown, XMission founder and president. 's8220;And, by merging education and technology, our joint effort further enhances visitors's8217; experiences as we provide new and interesting ways to create diverse learning environments.'s8221;

The Bio-Facts Station Kick-Off Festivities         
The Living Planet's8217;s founder and CEO Brett Andersen, XMission President and U.S. Senate Candidate Pete Ashdown, and kids of all ages will attend the celebration, which will be hosted at the Bio-Facts Station. The celebration will include the following events:

>Press Breakfast at 8:00 a.m. (MT). The Bio-Facts Station will host a breakfast time meet and greet for members of the press and other invited guests.

>Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at 9:00 a.m. (MT).

>The Living Planet Aquarium Members-Only Sneak Peek at 10:00 a.m. (MT). Aquarium members are invited to attend this exclusive sneak peek of the Bio-Facts Station before the doors open to the general public.

>Bio-Facts Station Public Grand Opening at 11:00 a.m. (MT). 's8211; The Bio-Facts Station will officially open its doors to visitors of all ages for a grand opening celebration.

>Grand Opening 's8220;Adopt a Bio-Facts Station Sea Star's8221; event 's8211; Adopt a living sea star at the Bio-Facts Station; with each $25 adoption donation, receive a plush and cuddly five-inch sea star to take home. This special runs all day!

>Teacher's8217;s Bio-Facts Station Tea Party 's8211;Teachers are invited to attend a very special tea party 4:00 p.m. 's8211; 6:00 p.m. (MT). The aquarium's8217;s own 's8220;Sunken Ship's8221; naturalists, 's8220;Nathanial and Anna,'s8221; will be on hand in period costumes to perform mini-presentations of The Living Planet's8217;s exciting field trip programs.

>Halloween celebration from 3:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. (MT). The Living Planet Aquarium will host a fun-filled Halloween celebration for all ages! Family-friendly tricks, treats, refreshments, and decorations will make this the Halloween celebration of the year! The Living Planet's8217;s staff will be in costume; festivities will peak with the children's8217;s costume contest at 6:30 p.m. (MT). Visitors are encouraged to wear their most creative Halloween costumes!

The event will be hosted at The Living Planet Aquarium at 725 East 10600 South, Sandy, Utah, 84094. Admission to the event is only $8 for adults and $5 for children, and free for aquarium members. Further information is available at www.thelivingplanet.com at 801-355-FISH (3474), and at www.xmission.com.

About XMission
XMission is one of the oldest and most experienced Internet service companies in the United States, and is Utah's8217;s leading independent Internet service provider (ISP). Headquartered in Salt Lake City, XMission provides world-class broadband and dedicated Internet connectivity to Utah individuals and businesses, and web hosting, e-commerce hosting, and co-location services to businesses around the world. Founded in 1993, XMission complements its connectivity and hosting offerings with unmatched 24/7 technical and customer support.

XMission is committed to serving its community and provides free wireless services in many areas of downtown Salt Lake City, including Main Street, the Salt Lake City Library, The Gallivan Center, Pioneer Park, and Liberty Park. XMission also proudly supports a number of Utah's8217;s nonprofit organizaitons by providing free web hosting services and discounts to nonprofit employees, and by sponsoring a variety of community-based events and facilities, including the Living Planet Aquarium, the Utah Arts Festival, Living Traditions Festival, Twilight Concert Series, and No More Homeless Pets in Utah.
Detailed descriptions of XMission's8217;s products and services are available online at www.xmission.com. XMission can be reached by email or by phone at 877.964.7746.

About The Living Planet Aquarium
The Living Planet Aquarium is dedicated to providing opportunities for families to learn about our interdependence on the fragile ecosystems of our planet through entertaining, educational exhibits and programs. The current Gail Benjamin Preview Exhibit presents a peek at Utah's8217;s lake and stream ecosystems and tropical coral reef habitats. Visitors can take a virtual boat ride and learn about the Great Salt Lake ecosystem, see fish that are native to Utah, come face-to-face with sharks, razor-toothed eels and delicate seahorses, and imagine themselves at the bottom of the sea amidst colorful giant coral, sponges and the ship-wrecked 1830s Albatross. This preview exhibit, a glimpse of what's8217;s to come in the future with the world-class aquarium, brings more than 100 species of animals to people who might not have the chance to see them or their ecosystems in a natural setting.

The Living Planet's8217;s facilities and programs benefit a wide spectrum of constituents: families; students; educators; scientists; researchers; and the environment, and the thousands of our living planet's8217;s animal species whose preservation is intrinsic to the aquarium's8217;s mission.
To date, more than 350,000 guests have visited the preview exhibit since it opened in June 2004.

Additionally, the Living Planet's8217;s educational outreach programs have touched more than 240,000 Utah school children in their classrooms; and 10,000 children annually -- from kindergarten-aged through sixth grade -- study various aspects of our watery planet through school-sponsored field trips to the aquarium.





XMission and The Living Planet Aquarium Team Up to Officially Launch New BioFacts Station on October 27 2006