Whale watching, kayaking, beach bon fires. No, this isn’t the awesome club. It’s the marine biology club, and yes, anyone can join.
The marine biology club is looking for new members, and students don’t need to major in the subject to join. Formed just last semester, the club is one of the fastest growing on campus. With fun activities like beach clean ups and aquarium visits, anyone can see why.
Lynnette Reed, the president and founder, said she created the club to help spread awareness.
“I have a passion for marine biology,” she explained, “I wanted to inspire others to help preserve our oceans.”
President Lynnette Reed talks to a new club member.
Although ocean preservation is the main goal of the club, they still find a way to have fun doing it. On Nov. 11, the club hosted a beach cleanup at nearby Seal Beach.
“We found a lot of weird stuff,” Reed explained during their club meeting on Nov. 20. “There was a lot of Styrofoam and some large tires.”
The club members all agreed that more needs to be done to clean up the beach trash, which has an extremely negative effect on the natural marine wildlife. “I was surprised how much trash was in between the rocks,” said Reed, “it’s a lot more than what you see.”
Though Reed is a marine biology major, most members of the club are not. Club secretary Stephanie Alegria is a chemical engineering major.
“I just wanted to learn more about marine biology,” she said, “I’d also like to eventually like to help the environment in my future career.”
Stephanie Alegria answers a club member’s question.
Along with beach cleanups and fun trips, the marine bio club also helps in marine research projects. At the club meeting, the group informed new members about a trip to the Cabrillo salt marsh, which took place the next day.
At the salt marsh, the students assisted researchers and aquarium workers in collecting, measuring, and
classifying species they found in the marsh.
Though many of the club members have majors in science fields, even that is not a requirement. For Heather Thomson, her undecided major didn’t stop her from signing up with the club and attending the Cabrillo salt marsh trip.
“I took the marine biology class and loved it,” the new club member said, “I just wanted to get back into it.”
New member Heather Thomson talks to club advisor Jesus Reyes
So for any student who wants to help save the environment, learn about the ocean, or just want to do some fun activities, the marine biology club is perfect for you.
For more information, email cypressmbc@gmail.com, or visit the club’s Facebook page at facebook.com/cypressmbc. The club’s next meeting will be on Dec. 4 at 4:30, in room 310.
