Two young explorers take part in the Pajarito Environment Education Center’s Take It Outside program. Photo by Siobhan Niklasson
You are never too young to explore the great outdoors! Photo by Denise Matthews
By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
kirsten@ladailypost.com
Los Alamos, like most municipalities, is practicing social distancing and staying home.
But Los Alamos stands apart from many other cities in that it has a key characteristic: a multitude of open spaces and a beautiful natural environment. Even better, the great outdoors is still accessible to the public.
Despite having the Los Alamos Nature Center closed, the Pajarito Environment Education Center (PEEC) is still busy getting people outdoors and exploring the natural world.
Take It Outside, PEEC Marketing Manager Rachel Landman said, is an online series that is updated every weekday. The program features blog posts, craft activities and outdoor challenges. The online series can be found at https://peecnature.org/take-it-outside/
Every week a different topic is featured, she said. For instance, this week the topic is outdoor adventures. Past themes were birds, signs of spring and four-footed friends.
In order to generate content for the program, Landman said she has been working with Education Program Director Siobhan Niklasson, Play-Based Education Specialist Denise Matthews, Educator Elizabeth Watts and Field Science Specialist Mariana Rivera Freeman. The staff also has pulled in volunteers and regional experts to share their knowledge in the blog posts. Landman added that they try to highlight different parts of nature to keep things diverse and help people learn something new every week.
People can read a blog post by volunteer and local birder Bob Walker, record floral discoveries by fashioning a bracelet made of tape and sticking different flowers and leaves to it, act like a lizard to find warm and cool places outside and maybe do some lizard-inspired exercises.
Landman said on each daily post, there is an opportunity to give feedback on the program and so far the comments have been really positive. She added that March’s Take It Outside content has generated more than 4,000 views on PEEC’s website.
“That’s been really awesome to see,” Landman said. “The level of enthusiasm from the community has been great and I think people are definitely looking for things to do.”
The idea to develop an online program originated when Los Alamos Public Schools announced their initial closure and the nature center closed down as well.
Landman said PEEC staff started brainstorming different ideas and formats that the PEEC could use to continue serving the community.
“We just want to keep connecting people to our natural environment and keep providing services to the community, even though we can’t offer them a physical location at this time,” she said.
While PEEC works to get people outside, Landman said the organization emphasizes the importance of social distancing.
“I think getting outside and continuing to learn about nature is good for everybody’s physical and mental health … we definitely recommend that people social distance, don’t mingle with other families and stay home if they’re sick,” Landman said. “I think the trails are one of the things we can continue to enjoy right now while following the recommended precautions. Especially now with the warmer days, it is definitely a good time to spend some quality time outdoors.”
In addition to Take It Outside, PEEC is hosting livestreamed talks at 7 p.m. on most Tuesdays and Fridays. The livestreams can be accessed at https://peecnature.org/events/
The livestreams cover everything from astronomy to forest restoration after the Cerro Grande Fire. Landman said PEEC also has livestreamed from the wildlife observation room and hosted a behind-the-scenes look at critter feeding.
There are several ways the community can support these programs, she said. People can encourage friends to participate in Take It Outside and the livestreams and share their photos and experiences with PEEC. If locals are experts in a subject, they can reach out about the possibility of writing a blog post. She added that while all the programs are free, donations are accepted.
“Our community of members, volunteers, donors and program participants is really at the heart of everything PEEC does,” Landman said. “It has been great to still bring our community together through these programs, even if we have to do it at a distance.”