Newsday from New York, New York • 4

Trainer Robert Green feeds two whales, Kathy and Newfy, in the tank at New York Aquarium on Coney Island. Species Go Public they had limited views through the small panes of glass that were provided only on one side of the tank. In the early 1970s, however, when the use of plexiglass which can support heavy weights over long expanses became widespread, the aquarium drew up plans to renovate the tank so visitors would have an unobstructed view of the whales through a series of "seamless plexiglass sheets. Money for the project came from the citys 1980 capital budget, and construction began two years later. Although the tank was actually unveiled in May, Ruggieri called yesterdays official event "a way for us to say thank you to a lot of people who helped us along the way.

"This was once one of the most vital areas of the dty, said Ruggieri, a marine biologist who is also the director of the Osborn Laboratory of Marine Sei- Nevada? Photos Kara WUm Two species of local flora blooming In the new exhibit at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden are Marshmallows, above, and a Jerusalem artichoke, below. By Randy Banner Kathy and Newfy are two whales in love. Although trainer Bob Green says they have tried to keep their relationship "private by submerging inside their tank at the New York Aquarium on Coney Island, the couples cavorting was officially revealed to the public yesterday as aquarium officials dedicated a new indoor home where visitors can view the animals from all sides. At the Bame time and in the same borough, more than 100 varieties of colorful plants and flowers were displayed for the first time in 20 years as the Brooklyn Botanic Qardens opened a new local-flora section. The whale tank, according to aquarium director George Ruggieri, was built in 1957, when the New York Zoological Society opened the Coney Island aquarium.

While the tank attracted visitors, Jackie Fazio, curator of the local-flora examines a cluster of Asters. ence, which is housed at the facility. "And the tank is a step in helping to bring Coney Island bade. Once people know about it, tfcey will come to see it, and that will get new blood into the area again. City Commissioner of Cultural Affairs Bess Myerson called the whales new home "an opportunity to make the expression Hn the tank a good one.

"We get childlike when they see something this, i said at dedication. "I always had the feeling when I went to a zoo or an aquarium that somehow the animals were housed in smaller zquarters than they should be. So, from an aesthetic as well as a humane paint of view, it is a very gratifying thing to see two of New Yorks greatest treasures displayed in this type of environment. Meanwhile, those who care for horticultural treasures at Brooklyn Botanic Garden said they, too, hoped that their charges would flourish in a newly renovated 2tt-acre local-flora section that has been reopened after 20 years. The section, conceived as a group of garden beds in 1911 and reorganized into eight distinct ecological zones in 1931, was closed in 1963 because of alack of money.

Last year, after the Brooklyn Botanic Garden organization received a windfall of major corporate and private grants, it decided to reopen the area, which features plants that grow within a 100-mile radius of the city. The horticulture director, Edmond O. Moulin, said the new section is an important addition to the 50-acre garden because of its "ability to show us what we have right in front, but often don't notice. "We all long for the exotic, said Moulin, pointing to a white cedar in the bog area of the new section. "And, then, all of a sudden, the exotic becomes cliche.

We often overlook those things that are closest to us, things that have great value 1 that' we frequently foil to see. NevKUyKano wUm section at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden,.