AP Environmental Science students observed intertidal organisms in a field trip to White Pool Beach in Palos Verdes on Oct. 23.  Students had the opportunity to supplement their studies by classifying and recording the frequency of the wildlife in the tide pools.

The purpose of the trip was to give students hands-on experience in collecting data about marine wildlife populations, as well as the chance to observe the impact of society on nature and marine life, AP Environmental Science student Samantha Yeh ’20 said.

“I really liked seeing the various sea animals, like the crabs and the sea stars,” Yeh ’20 said. “It was much more interesting than just looking at pictures in a textbook in class.”

Students said that the trip was a good opportunity to utilize the skills and knowledge they gained in class to real life situations, and that it helped to reinforce the ideas they learned in class.

“It was cool to study the tide pools,” Yeh said. “We learned how organisms influence each other, and how human intervention can have an impact on that. I liked being able to apply the tools that we learned in class about species counting and population diversity.”