March 22-24, 2012
Trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Cannery Row
The Monterey Bay Aquarium

The Monterey Bay Aquarium opened in 1984 on the site of the old Hovden Food Products cannery. The aquarium's man financial backer was David Packard, of Hewlett Packard and his daughter Julie is currently the executive director. One of the main honorees of the museum is Edward Ricketts, a Marine biologist whose works are still used today for marine biology students. The aquarium brings in about 2 million visitors per year. They help to educate the public about marine life and conservation. They also help to nurse wounded marine animals back to life, or to help find them permanent homes if they cannot be returned to the wild. They continue to conduct research on a number of marine animals as well to help conserve the marine wild life.