On December 6th, members of Enloe’s very own Marine Conservation Club made their way down to Crabtree Creek. Their goal? A clean stream. They teamed up with the Enloe Fishing Club and got to work. In the end the group had collected 13 bags of trash and saw a Muscovy duck whom Dae Borg, the president of the club, spoke very fondly of: “It was so cute. […] he’s like a little dog. He pants and stuff and just was walking around.” The main goal of this outing was to show that conservation, specifically marine conservation, starts locally. There is no need to go down to the beach to conserve marine life, rather, there are changes to your everyday life you can make and projects, such as a stream cleanup, you can do.

When I spoke to Dae, she felt it was important to note that the club isn’t just about marine conservation, but rather it was about deeper topics “such as environmental racism, overall environmental degradation, […] specific animals, […] and [how] different human induced actions are harming the environment.” Dae has been a part of this club all four years of her high school career and plans to attend App State to double major in both environmental studies and journalism. She is passionate about keeping the planet safe and hopes to make a difference. As president,  she is excited about being able to share her passion for marine conservation and conservation in general with this club.  

Feehan Tuttell, a senior at Enloe, used to be vice president of the club but decided to step back and be their “number one fan and biggest supporter.” I talked to him about why being in clubs such as Marine Conservation Club is important and what he has gained from it. He highlighted the importance of getting to know “people with like-minded interests” and how it can help you make friends and gain new perspectives. Furthermore, he believes even though Marine Conservation Club sounds like it’s strictly for those interested in marine conservation, it’s definitely not. Rather, it’s just for people who are interested in conservation and learning more about marine life. When I asked about his future plans he said, “It’s not necessarily marine conservation anymore. It’s now just conservation period.” 

Lastly, I spoke to Violet Grossmann, a sophomore and new member of the Marine Conservation Club. Because this is her first year in the club, I asked her about how the meetings have felt as a newer member. She told me they have felt very welcoming and she enjoys the different activities they have to offer. She also told me about the blue bins in the west gym lobby and the cafeteria. They are Marine Conservation Club’s own recycling bins and are managed by the club. These are separate from the normal recycling bins in the teachers’ classrooms and were put in place by Dae Borg and Feehan Tuttell.

If you are interested in marine biology and conservation or just want to know more about these topics, you can come to the Marine Conservation club meetings after school every other Tuesday in room 1611. Join their Remind @enloemari or follow their Instagram @enloemcc to stay updated.