Bandelier Superintendent Jason Lott And Dr. Olivia Carril Share Science Project Data

Bandelier Superintendent Jason Lott. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com

BANDELIER News:

Find out what scientists are learning about the ecosystems in Bandelier.

At 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 18 Bandelier Superintendent Jason Lott and Dr. Olivia Carril will discuss findings in recent science projects conducted in our local national monument including the first-ever survey of native bees in Bandelier, and likely the first systematic survey ever conducted on the Pajarito Plateau.

Dr. Olivia Carril. Courtesy photo

It is estimated that there are between 1,000 and 1,400 bee species in New Mexico. A quarter of all bee species found in the U.S. reside in this state. Despite the incredible expected richness of New Mexico’s bees, collecting efforts here have been sporadic at best, and it is likely the least well-studied state for bees in the west.

Thanks to work by Dr. Olivia Carril and Bandelier, we are starting to understand and identify bees in our region. Dr. Carril, author and bee scientist, will share what she has learned about bees in Bandelier, what that means for our area, and some information about how she sees the project continuing in the future.

Jason Lott has served as the superintendent at Bandelier National Monument since 2009. Before Bandelier, he was the superintendent at Casa Grande Ruins National Monument in Arizona. In 2005 he won the National Park Service director’s award for natural resource management in a small park while program manager for resources management at Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park in Texas.

Dr. Olivia Carril has been studying bees for two decades. She received a B.S. and M.S. in Biology from Utah State University, where she studied the bee fauna of Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, in southern Utah. She holds a Ph.D. from Southern Illinois University Carbondale, in Plant Biology, where she studied a specialist bee, Diadasia, and its floral hosts. Most recently, she has coauthored a book entitled The Bees in Your Backyard: A Guide to North America’s Bees.

This talk will take place at the Los Alamos Nature Center at 2600 Canyon Road. It is free to attend, and no registration is required. For more information about this and other Pajarito Environmental Education Center (PEEC) programs, visit www.peecnature.org, email programs@peecnature.org or call (505) 662-0460.

PEEC was founded in 2000 to serve the community of Los Alamos. It offers people of all ages a way to enrich their lives by strengthening their connections to our canyons, mesas, mountains, and skies. PEEC operates the Los Alamos Nature Center at 2600 Canyon Road, holds regular programs and events, and hosts a number of interest groups from birding to hiking to butterfly watching. PEEC activities are open to everyone; however, members receive exclusive benefits such as discounts on programs and merchandise. Annual memberships start at $35. To learn more, visit www.peecnature.org.

Photo 1 caption: Jason Lott, Bandelier’s superintendent, will share information about recent sustainability research in the national monument at the nature center on April 18. Photo by Carol Clark.

Photo 2 caption: Dr. Oliva Carril, biologist and bee expert, is coming to Los Alamos to give a special talk at the nature center on April 18.

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