Education & Outreach

Classroom education activities and bosque study trips in the Middle Rio Grande valley!

Changing River Model Have a BEMP educator visit your classroom, after-school club or community group to learn more about the botany, entomology, history, hydrology and/or zoology of the Middle Rio Grande valley OR schedule a study trip to get field experience in our very own bosque (riparian forest). All study trips have a seasonal ecology focus and participants will collect data for a long term study that has been monitoring the health and ecology of our cottonwood forests since 1996. Data collected during BEMP experiences becomes part of UNM research projects and assists with bosque management activities.

Schedule a red-tail hawk educational session with Melanie Keithley.

BEMP Education Highlights

BEMP is consistent with national & state science education
reform efforts annual participation rates of over 6,000 students, teachers & community members
school involvement includes: public, traditional, alternative, charter, private, parochial & home schools groups
students involvement from: Rio Arriba, Sandoval, Bernalillo,Valencia, Socorro & McKinley counties
monitoring occurs at 27 BEMP sites located between Ohkay Owingeh pueblo & Mesilla Valley
peer teaching opportunities with older students mentoring younger students
participating BEMP students and teachers have received local, state and national recognition and awards for their BEMP science, community service outreach & educational activities
student BEMP projects have won local, state & national science fairs and competitions
BEMP has been featured as a community monitoring model program at local, regional & national conferences
BEMP has 2 annual Student Congress events to celebrate bosque activities and all program participants are welcome to attend and present their experiences
agency representative, teacher & student training workshops are provided by BEMP staff

To schedule a classroom activity and/or a Bosque BEMP Study Trip please contact:

BEMP Education Coordinator Kimi Scheerer
e-mail: kimi.scheerer@bosqueschool.org
phone: 505.898.6388 ext. 151

The scheduling calendar opens Tuesday, August 8th, 2012 and opportunities are scheduled on a first come, first serve basis. Bosque BEMP Study Trips have a participant limit of 35 students. BEMP has limited funding for transportation – please note if assistance is required when scheduling.

Citizen Schools Partnership: Check out our BEMP Bosque Botany Bonanza semester with Citizen School, based out of Van Buren Middle School in Albuquerque. The following YouTube video captures some of the adventure, wild animals and fun that our Fall 2013 students experienced!

HOW TO set & collect a BEMP pitfall trap video link: http://vimeo.com/29112111

Click on a link below for accessory BEMP activities (listed alphabetically):

1. BEMP Crossword Puzzle – a great way to introduce or quiz students on their bosque knowledge

2. Bosque Field Journal – used during our Bosque BEMP Study Trips, this journal is easy to print double sided and fold in half

3. Build your own Pitfall Trap – quick and easy directions to create your own pitfall trap at school or home

4. Create your own BEMP Site – based off of BEMP’s field research design, this handout helps students design their own BEMP field site; includes a teacher guide

5. Daily Field Log – great to print on the back of monthly monitoring forms and keep your student focus in the field

6. River of Change Worksheet – this worksheet highlights the Bosque Education Guide’s Changing River Model classroom activity