Letter To The Editor: A Few Numbers For Rain Harvest
By RICHARD NEBELI have been harvesting rainwater for several years here in Los Alamos, and I know many other people have been doing the same.
Before investing in a system to do that, it’s worthwhile to run the numbers. First of all, we have about 18 inches of rainfall annually in Los Alamos. For a typical home, that translates into about 20,000 gallons of water that hits your roof every year.
A standard water sprinkler puts out about 5 gallons a minute. I water my garden for about half an hour every other day. That’s 150 gallons per watering. I would like to store enough water to Read More
PEEC Class Teaches How To Identify Wildflowers
Local wildflower, dusky penstemon. Courtesy/PEECPEEC News:
What a difference a little rain makes. The roadsides and hillsides are green, and yellow, red, pink and purple flowers dot the landscape.
“How to Identify Wildflowers” is the name of a five-week class offered 5:30-7:30 p.m. beginning Tuesday, July 14 at the Los Alamos Nature Center.
This is an opportunity to get outside, to be curious, and learn more about the area and the flora. Longtime residents and experts Craig Martin and Teralene (Terry) Foxx will teach the class.
Foxx is a plant ecologist, writer and artist. She taught plant Read More
Rattlesnake Museum Talk At Nature Center July 15
Rattlesnake. Photo by Bob MyersPEEC News:
Living in New Mexico means sharing the outdoors with many different kinds of reptiles.
To help explain how humans can cohabitate with these scaly neighbors, join Bob Myers, director of the International Rattlesnake Museum at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday July 15 at the Los Alamos Nature Center.
Discover what snakes and other reptiles live in New Mexico, how to identify them, what to do if you find a dangerous species in your backyard, some stories and legends about snakes, and snakebite prevention and treatment. Come to learn more about these fascinating creatures Read More
Global Synthesis Of Large Wildland Fires Shows Ecological Benefit
Natural fire mosaic, southwest Oregon, 10 years post-fire. Courtesy/Geos InstituteGovernor Announces KAFB Jet Fuel Spill Treatment
Gov. Susana Martinez“Protecting our precious water supply is non-negotiable,” Martinez said. “We have taken the necessary steps to begin addressing the Kirtland fuel
Amateur Naturalist: Looking And Caring For Ospreys
An osprey parent flying from its nest. Photo by Robert Dryja
By ROBERT DRYJAWe are fortunate in that Fenton Lake is not too distant from Los Alamos. It is the home of a nesting pair of Ospreys. Ospreys have been reported there regularly since 1989.
Ospreys are a fish eating species of eagle and Fenton Lake provides one source of fish. The nearby Seven Springs Fish Hatchery had been a second source. The fish hatchery has long narrow breeding tanks where trout are raised. An osprey simply had to swoop along the length of a tank to pick up a trout. This easy source of food lasted until fencing Read More
NMED Terminates Compliance Order For Chupadero
NMED News:PEEC Summer Family Evening Is All About Goats
Goats like this one will visit the Nature Center Wednesday, July 8. Courtesy/PEECPEEC News:
What is it like to raise goats on a small scale farm? What uses are there for goat milk?
At this week’s Summer Family Evening at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 8 at the Nature Center, Jessie Ross of Gypsy Mountain Ranch and Deb Wood of Second Bloom Farm will be around to answer these questions.
Learn how to make cheese, lotion, soap, and more. Even better, the presenters will bring some of their goats – both big and small – to demonstrate the different breeds that thrive on the Pajarito Plateau.
Summer Read More
NASA Grant To Help Control Mosquitoes
NASA News:Laser Light Shows Coming To Nature Center
‘Laser Beatles’ is one of 12 laser light shows offered at the Nature Center. Courtesy/PEEC
PEEC News:
PEEC will host 12 laser light shows in its new planetarium during July.
Thursday, July 9 through Wednesday, July 15, there will be at least two laser light shows daily. Experience a feast for the senses in these dazzling and captivating laser light programs. Classic music fans will see how laser light transforms favorite bands, with separate shows dedicated to the music of the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, U2, Pink Floyd: “Dark Side of the Moon” and Pink Floyd: “The Best of Echoes.”
Family friendly Read More
Take A Virtual Wildflower Walk Tuesday
An example of the specimens on display at the Jemez Mountain Herbarium. Photo by Chick KellerPEEC News:
Spring and summer are wonderful times to enjoy the abundant wildflowers.
Sometimes however, the weather does not cooperate, or a wildflower blooms at a time or location that is not convenient for viewing. But this shouldn’t stop local residents from knowing local wildflowers!
The Jemez Mountain Herbarium houses 950 species of local plants. Its curator, Chick Keller, is offering to take interested visitors on a virtual wildflower walk using specimens from this collection, allowing visitors Read More
Nature on Tap at UnQuarked Tonight
CREATIVE DISTRICT News:
Nature On Tap is 5:30 p.m. today at UnQuarked Wine Room, at 145 Central Park Square in downtown Los Alamos.
The speaker is Jessica Clayton, who will be discussing the science and beauty of the aurora borealis. Nature performs beautiful light shows that dance across the sky. The group will hear about the science behind this mysterious phenomenon, known as the aurora borealis. The group will discuss what causes aurora to display such striking colors and why we need scientists to study them.
Clayton is a physicist and educator. She earned a Ph.D. in physics from the University Read More
Macaw Skeletons Signal Hierarchy At Chaco
This skull of a scarlet macaw (Ara macao) was excavated from Pueblo Bonito in New Mexico by researchers from the American Museum of Natural History in 1897. Courtesy/@AMNH/D.Finnin
SCIENCE News:
New work on the skeletal remains of scarlet macaws found in an ancient Pueblo settlement indicates that social and political hierarchies may have emerged in the American Southwest earlier than previously thought.
Researchers determined that the macaws, whose brilliant red and blue feathers are highly prized in Pueblo culture, were persistently traded hundreds of miles north from Mesoamerica
Udall Hosts Deputy Interior Secretary At Chaco Site
U.S. Sen. Tom Udall hosts U.S. Department of the Interior Deputy Secretary Mike Connor on a tour today of Chaco Culture National Historical Park. Courtesy/Udall
U.S. Sen. Tom Udall, standing on rock, and Interior Deputy Secretary Mike Connor, in front, break out the binoculars during a tour today of Chaco Culture National Historical Park. Courtesy/Udall
STATE News:
- Connor’s visit is in response to Udall’s request that an Interior official visit Chaco site
ALBUQUERQUE – Today, U.S. Sen. Tom Udall thanked U.S. Department of the Interior Deputy Secretary Mike Connor for joining Read More
WIPP: Bryson Named Acting Manager For CBFO
New Acting Manager of DOE Carlsbad Field Office Dana BrysonMark Whitney, Acting Assistant Secretary for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environmental Management (EM), today named Dana Bryson the Acting Manager for the DOE Carlsbad Field Office (CBFO).
He is replacing Joe Franco, who recently returned to a position in DOE’s Richland Operations Office in Washington. Bryson has more than 30 years of experience in the nuclear industry and served as the CBFO Deputy Manager since December 2013.
Previously, Bryson was the
What’s Eating The Aspens?
Aspens at Big Tesuque Campground defoliated by western tent caterpillars. Courtesy/SFNF
Western tent caterpillars on the Santa Fe National Forest. Courtesy/SFNF
SFNF News:
Visitors to the Santa Fe National Forest’s popular aspen groves along N.M. 475 (the road to the Santa Fe Ski Basin) are wondering what’s happening to the trees.
Although the aspens may appear to be dying, the bare branches can be blamed on hungry western tent caterpillars that are stuffing themselves on one of their favorite foods. The tent caterpillar is a native defoliator whose larvae feed on a variety of hardwood trees Read More
Legal Agreement Reached To Reduce Power Plant Pollution Damaging Southwest’s National Parks
NPCA News:NMDOH: Tularemia Kills Cat In Los Alamos
American dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis). Courtesy/CDC
The New Mexico Department of Health reports there have been 20 cases of the severe infectious bacterial disease tularemia in animals since Jan. 1 in New Mexico.
Cases include two cats from Los Alamos County as well as dogs, cats and or rabbits in Taos County, Santa Fe County and Bernalillo County.
Confirmatory testing was conducted at the Department’s Scientific Laboratory Division, NMDOH officials said.
A White Rock resident residing near Pinon Elementary School reported finding two Read More
Star Party At Los Alamos Nature Center June 30
Stargazing at the former PEEC facility. Courtesy/PEECPEEC News:
The community is invited to a star party at 8 p.m. Tuesday, June 30 at the Los Alamos Nature Center, 2600 Canyon Road.
First, visitors will start the evening off in the planetarium to get oriented. Next, everyone will head outside to observe the night sky through telescopes. The summer sky shows off the Milky Way, which is the galaxy seen edge-on from its center way out into its spiral arms.
During the program, Chick Keller will talk about what is known of the galaxy’s spiral shape and show where dust clouds obscure much of it. Read More
PEEC Holds Downtown Bird Walk July 2
Lesser Goldfinch. Photo by David YeamansPEEC News:
Sometimes in the hustle and bustle of running errands we forget to stop and notice the natural world that surrounds us.
To give local residents a chance to pause and appreciate the birds that live in and around town, David Yeamans will lead a brown bag dinner and birdwatching evening. Follow Yeamans from Ashley Pond Park to the Rose Garden behind Fuller Lodge before continuing on to the soccer field and heading back to Ashley Pond Park for dinner. At each site everyone will stop to observe what birds can be identified, and have a chance to ask Yeamans Read More