Profile: Cal Poly wildlife club

It could be the love for outdoor activities, the desire to conserve the beauty of natural habitats, to learn more about biology and the related careers or the challenge of taking on something greater like climate change. Whatever the reason might be, the Wildlife Club is there to help.

“It’s a really good forum for people who are interested in the environment, in global warming, in wildlife to exchange ideas, interact and communicate with each other to get stuff done,” said liberal studies senior and Wildlife Club President Nicole Chrislock who is in the process of getting a double major in biology.

The Wildlife Club, an affiliate of the college of math and science, has been around for more than two decades and has served as a channel where people with an interest in wildlife can share ideas on how to help, and enjoy Mother Nature.

“The club is opened to everyone, not just math and science majors” stressed Chrislock, “We all learn from each other; some people are interested in botany, others in conservation,” she added.

In fact she joined the Wildlife Club after taking a support course in biology and discovered that biology was a field of study she too wanted to major in. She said students shouldn’t be too intimidated to join the Wildlife Club simply because they are not biology majors.

She mentioned that for non-biology majors, the club is there to explain more about the environment, wildlife and biology in general. “We have fun recreational activities: hiking, camping, canoeing and kayaking. All that fun stuff,” added Chrislock.

Liberal studies senior Wendy Hurtado said she joined the club three years ago to learn more about plants and animals while also taking part in outdoor activities. She also emphasized that the club is open to all majors, but that she would like see more biology majors join because they bring projects and ideas to the club from the biology department.

Rebecca Nuffer, a biology junior, joined this year to see if her biology concentration in field and wildlife was something she really wanted to do.

“We really try to help people that are in the major find people that can mentor them who are already professionals in their field, so that they can get advice on what they should be doing in their undergrad and what they need to do for grad school,” Chrislock said.

The club often brings in guest speakers from the biology department to their meetings to speak with members about pertinent topics in the field.

The club, which has been around for more than two decades, has worked with other groups and organizations in the past who share similar interests. However in recent years, the club has strayed away from that, which is something Chrislock wants to change. It is now looking at ways to partner with other clubs on campus that share similar goals.

“In previous years the Wildlife Club was actually associated with the Wildlife Society and that kind of deteriorated over the last couple of years,” said Chrislock.

The Wildlife Society is an international non-profit organization that focuses on wildlife conservation around the world. The Wildlife Club has partnered with the Central Coast chapter of The Wildlife Society in the past.

“Our focus for this year is to become more involved in the community; to really get out there and connect with the Wildlife Society,” she added.

A barbeque put on by the Wildlife Society last weekend was a first step in resurrecting that relationship, said Chrislock.

So far they have partnered with ECOSLO, a local, non-profit membership organization dedicated to protecting and enhancing the natural environment, for a beach cleanup planned for Nov. 15.

The club is currently in the process of filling in officer positions with people who are interested in publicity and organizing events. “There are only three of us right now and the more the merrier,” she said.

“If we have enough young minds working together, we can definitely create a change to help the environment or other issues.and anyone can be a leader in an area they are passionate about,” Chrislock added.

“Our generation is definitely active, but I think we can be more active,” she said. “There are a lot of people that have great ideas, but don’t have an outlet in which they can express those ideas and I feel like this club can definitely be that outlet.”

For more information on the Wildlife Club, attend one of their meetings which are held every other Tuesday from 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. Their next meeting will be in the science building, room E-46 on Nov. 18th.