Yonit Shames
March 30 2005
The Biology Club will celebrate Earth Day early by hosting an event on April 6, including a movie, refreshments and information about environmental issues at noon in Building 21.
The movie “Being Caribou” will be shown, and food, including popcorn, will be served. Pamphlets will be available for those who are interested in learning more about Earth Day, recycling and the Wildlife Sanctuary of Northwest Florida. There will also be sign-up forms there for those interested in becoming volunteers.
Throughout the event, members of the club will be taking donations for the wildlife sanctuary. They will also be trying to raise awareness of new recycling bins on Pensacola campus.
The Biology Club “is trying to make people aware, and stop at the source what’s causing [environmental] harm,” Kim Reich, public relations officer of the club, said. She said that the club does a lot of fundraising, in particular for the sanctuary, which suffered extensive water damage from Hurricane Ivan.
The sanctuary, which receives injured wildlife and provides medical care and a safe haven for the animals, is a non-profit organization that is dependent on donations. The sanctuary also provides educational programs and field trips.
Peggy Olive, the club’s advisor, said that there will also be petitions at the event for those who want to express their feelings on drilling for oil off the Florida coast. This is a timely issue, as Alaska drilling proposals are currently being reviewed by Congress. Some environmentalist groups fear that drilling in protected environments like Alaska could open other protected areas for drilling, such as the Florida coast.
The Biology Club provides students with exceptional opportunities, Olive said. Members take field trips to diverse, biology-related destinations, such as aquariums, zoos, lectures and seminars. Last year, they met Pulitzer Prize winning scientist E.O. Wilson. They can also getinvolved in international organizations that are related to their future careers.
Olive said that activities are fueled by member interest, which was what prompted the Earth Day activities.
Students who are interested in joining the Biology Club should contact Peggy Olive by phone at 484-1161 or by e-mail at polive@pjc.edu.