Bobcat Stories

By, Jim Daly, 7th Grade Watershed Science Teacher, Wildlife and Conservation Biology Teacher

Surprisingly, few people in Albuquerque know that there is a perennial stream on the east side of the Sandias. One exception to this is all of the Bosque School students who have taken the 7th-grade watershed science class over the past 30 years. Every month, each section of 7th graders heads to either Las Huertas Creek, that lone perennial stream in the Sandias, or to Battleship Rock in the Jemez, where the San Antonio and the East Fork of the Jemez converge to form the main stem of the Jemez River. At these sites, the students collect a variety of data, including streamflow, water chemistry, and samples of the macroinvertebrate communities found in each stream.

 During those 30 years, our students have documented, among other things, the effect of the Jemez fires on the turbidity of the two streams in the Jemez and the decline in streamflow in Las Huertas Creek, especially during the past 20+ years of historic drought. Through these field experiences and classroom and lab work back at the Bosque School campus, our students explore the biological, physical, and chemical components of one of the most significant watersheds in the Southwest. Additionally, they are developing a sense of and appreciation for the place, which, for many students, fosters a life-long commitment to caring for our natural environments.