Forestry News Archive

September 20, 2022
For information:
Staci Matlock, NMFWRI Communications Coordinator
505-470-9843
stacimatlock@nmhu.edu

More than 150 students from five Northern New Mexico high schools learned about archery, water quality and forest fires from natural resource professionals last week during a STEM Showdown at Storrie Lake.

Instructors used hands-on projects to engage students in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) concepts. The workshops were coordinated by Shantini Ramakrishnan, NMFWRI’s conservation and restoration education program manager. Partners included the National Wildlife Refuge Complex, NMHU Forestry Department, FORT-CREST, State Forestry, Azure Consulting and other Institute staff.

Scoring archery helped students learn math and shooting arrows at targets was a fun way to learn focus. Tree rings on trunk samples taught students about historic forest fires and drought. Pouring water through soil samples covered with straw versus bare, showed how ground cover helps slow down and soak up precipitation instead of letting it run off. Measuring the cloudiness and temperature of water samples helped students understand the impacts post-fire runoff can have on water quality. Building mini-forests out of tiny umbrellas, and burning them, was an engaging way for students to learn how tree density impacts wildfire behavior.

Students also met with natural resource professionals from State Forestry, New Mexico Acequia Association, USDA, New Mexico Department of Game and Fish and other agencies to discuss careers.

Students from Mora, West Las Vegas, Robertson, Española Walley and Mesa Vista high schools participated in the STEM Showdown, Sept. 12-15. Students from area middle schools will participate in the STEM Showdown next week.

NMFWRI is housed at New Mexico Highlands University. Find out more about our programs at nmfwri.org.

Forestry department gets major grant from National Science Foundation

The National Science Foundation has announced an award of $5 million to establish a Center of Research Excellence in Science and Technology for Forest Restoration at New Mexico Highlands University. This award, received jointly by NMHU Forestry, the New Mexico Forest and Watershed Restoration Institute, and NMSU’s John T. Harrington Forestry Research Center, heralds the beginning of an exciting new era for forestry in the Southwest. We look forward to engaging current and new students in the activities of this new Center of Research Excellence. More news will be forthcoming in early spring 2020 about our new NSF Center.

New Mexico Highlands University offers the only bachelor’s degree in forestry in New Mexico. Students majoring in forestry at the undergraduate level may choose a concentration in forest management or wildland fire. The program also offers a master of science degree in natural resource management. The program is continually changing to give students a real-world understanding of ecological functions and emerging modern technologies like global positioning systems, geographic information systems, and computerized data collection.