A former computer lab serves as home to six exhibits donated by the Monterey Bay Aquarium and dozens of new sea creatures taken care of by students at the Cabrillo High School Aquarium in Lompoc.
A former computer lab serves as home to six exhibits donated by the Monterey Bay Aquarium and dozens of new sea creatures taken care of by students at the Cabrillo High School Aquarium in Lompoc. Credit: Rebecca Caraway / Noozhawk photo

A new tropical gallery is making a big splash at the Cabrillo High School Aquarium in Lompoc. 

What used to be a computer lab now serves as home to six exhibits donated by the Monterey Bay Aquarium and dozens of new sea creatures taken care of by Cabrillo High School students. 

The aquarium first opened in 1986 and gives visitors a hands-on experience with ocean wildlife. More than 200 students are involved each year when they enroll in the Aquarium Science Career Technical Education program.

“Our students are the lifeblood of the aquarium, they truly are,” aquarium Director Greg Eisen said. “We get more compliments about our students than we do about our facilities and exhibits, because the students have such great pride and ownership in what they’re doing here, because they take care of everything.”

Students are in charge of feeding the animals, taking care of the water quality, and laundry — all under the guidance of aquarium advisers Eisen, Christopher Ladwig and Michelle Poquette.

After four years of work, Eisen said it’s a sigh of relief to have the new gallery open.

“It’s been a lot of work, a tremendous amount of work by a huge team of people, and we’re still kind of catching our breath,” Eisen said. “Honestly, we’re still learning. We have all these new animals to take care of.”

In order to turn the former lab into a new gallery, Eisen said district staff had to redo the floors, take down a dividing wall, work on the electrics for the tanks, as well as carpentry and painting.

“We couldn’t do any of it without the tremendous support of the Lompoc Unified School District,” Eisen said. “Especially those workers. When the workers came here, they didn’t want to just do the job; they were just all looking forward to making this as amazing as it is, and that’s why it looks so tremendous.”

A red and orange anglerfish gets fed.
A red and orange anglerfish gets fed. Credit: Rebecca Caraway / Noozhawk photo

The gallery was designed by Tenji Aquarium Design, which also built the aquarium’s wetlands exhibit and touch tank.

The new gallery has been in the works for four years, since the Monterey Bay Aquarium was changing its exhibits and donated about $250,000 worth of exhibits to the Cabrillo High School Aquarium, according to aquarium adviser Christopher Ladwig.

Besides the exhibits, the gallery cost $500,000 and was funded in part by grants from the Coastal Resource Mitigation Fund, the California Coastal Commission’s Whale Tail Grants Program, the Hutton Parker Foundation, the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians Foundation, the CTE Strong Workforce Program, and contributions from the Lompoc Unified School District and private donors, according to Ladwig. 

For Cabrillo High School senior Dilraj Nagra, his favorite part of the gallery is the lionfish, which he’s in charge of taking care of. Despite all the responsibility, Nagra said the pressure doesn’t get to him. 

“Out of anywhere in school, I feel most confident being in the aquarium and helping all these animals survive,” Nagra said.

Nagra said he joined the program to take advantage of the unique opportunity. After one year in the program, he was promoted to head curator and makes sure other students are getting their tasks done.

“I like working with a lot of people, and meeting a bunch of people, getting to make an impact on other students because after I leave here, those juniors and sophomores I’m teaching right now are going to be here for two more years, and they’re going to pass down my lessons that I taught them to other students,” Nagra said.

The aquarium first opened in 1986 and gives visitors a hands-on experience with ocean wildlife.
The aquarium first opened in 1986 and gives visitors a hands-on experience with ocean wildlife. Credit: Rebecca Caraway / Noozhawk photo

Another head curator and senior, Autumn Miller, said she spends about 12 hours a week working in the aquarium. She is in charge of habitats and husbandry, and creating curriculum for the elementary students who tour the aquarium. 

While the animals in the rest of the aquarium are primarily native to California, Miller said the creatures in the tropical gallery are from a variety of locations, which allows them to teach kids about different types of ecosystems.

“​​We get to address issues such as coral bleaching, ocean acidification. It just opens another level of education that we get to teach the kids,” Miller said. 

The new tropical gallery features a zebra eel named Joey, who has high cholesterol and is blind in one eye.
The new tropical gallery features a zebra eel named Joey, who has high cholesterol and is blind in one eye. Credit: Rebecca Caraway / Noozhawk photo

Miller said her goal is to teach the kids how each aspect of the coral reef is important.
Children get to build their own replica of a coral reef, learn about the different fish and the food off of which they survive. 

“I really love working with the young kids, because it’s their first time seeing it, and they’re so excited about everything,” Miller said.

The aquarium’s next public open house is set for 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday with free admission. 

— Noozhawk staff writer Rebecca Caraway can be reached at rcaraway@noozhawk.com.