Environment

PEEC Laser Light Shows Are Canceled

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PEEC News:

The Pajarito Environmental Education Center (PEEC) is very sad to announce that the laser light show machine arrived damaged, and all shows are cancelled.

PEEC will be issuing refunds during normal open hours at the Los Alamos Nature Center. Prismatic Magic apologizes to the people of Los Alamos, and have promised to deliver to PEEC a fixed and working machine for the first few weeks of August, so check PEEC’s website at that time to find out the new schedule. www.peecnature.org. Read More

Explore Mesa De Cuba Badlands With PEEC

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Mesa de Cuba Badlands. Photo by Rod McCrady

PEEC News:

Traveling to Cuba along N.M. 550 is certainly a visual treat. This rugged, multi-colored landscape is home to the relatively new San Juan Basin Badlands Recreation Area.

Created in the last few years to offer protection to this sometimes haunting, but always breathtaking scenery, the Badlands have no real trail system, food or potable water. To help visitors navigate this exceptional terrain, join geologist Patrick Rowe Saturday, July 18 to explore one of the five badlands in the Recreation Area, the Mesa de Cuba Badlands.

This hike offers Read More

Spots Still Available For YMCA Earth Service Corps

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YESC busy at work and having fun. Courtesy photo
 
YESC getting it done. Courtesy photo
 
 
YMCA News:
 
YMCA Earth Service Corps is an innovative service-learning program that gives youth entering 7th through 9th grades the opportunity to develop job skills, practice leadership, and create a more sustainable future by doing volunteer service projects in our community.
 
The Family YMCA’s 2015 Earth Service Corps (YESC) is having a fun and busy summer. With three weeks remaining, the YESC has put in 734 volunteer hours of community service since June
Read More

‘Fantastic Fractals’ Screens At Nature Center July 18

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Fractal created by Wolfgang Beyer. Courtesy/Wikimedia Commons

PEEC News:

To get in the spirit of ScienceFest, PEEC is screening Fantastic Fractals.

Join host and Fractal Foundation Executive Director Jonathan Wolfe as he presents a full-dome planetarium show that explores infinitely complex mathematical fractals in nature. This award-winning program features original music, and is educational, entertaining, and amazing.

This planetarium show is $5, and will screen at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday, July 18 at the Los Alamos Nature Center. Seating is limited. It is suitable for ages three Read More

Family Night Campfire Fun At Nature Center Tuesday

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Enjoy campfire fun during Family Night at the Nature Center. Courtesy photo

PEEC News:

Tuesday, July 14 is Family Night at the Los Alamos Nature Center.

The center will be open for exploring the exhibits until 8 p.m., and there will be games, activities, experiments, crafts and more for families to enjoy. Family Nights at the Nature Center are sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Los Alamos. They are free to attend.

In July and August, there will be extra special family campfire fun! Join Melissa Mackey for songs, stories and a little science 5:30-6:30 p.m.

For more information about this and other PEEC Read More

Los Alamos Scientist Claudia Mora New President Elect Of Geological Society Of America

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Los Alamos Scientist Claudia Mora

LANL News:

The Geological Society of America (GSA) recently tapped Los Alamos National Laboratory scientist Claudia Mora as president elect.

Mora is a stable-isotope geochemist whose research spans the traditional fields of geology, soil science and climate science. At Los Alamos, she heads the Earth and Environmental Sciences Division’s (EES) largest group, Earth System Observations. This group’s research is broad and far-reaching, intersecting geology, ecology and atmospheric sciences.

“GSA welcomes Dr. Mora and we are confident that she will Read More

Letter To The Editor: A Few Numbers For Rain Harvest

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By RICHARD NEBEL
Los Alamos

I 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

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Local wildflower, dusky penstemon. Courtesy/PEEC

PEEC 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

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Rattlesnake. Photo by Bob Myers

PEEC 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

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Natural fire mosaic, southwest Oregon, 10 years post-fire. Courtesy/Geos Institute
 
SCIENCE News:
 
ASHLAND, Ore. ― Twenty-five leading fire scientists from around the world released a new synthesis “The Ecological Importance of Mixed-Severity Fires: Nature’s Phoenix” published by Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services. 
 
For the first time extensive documentation from around the world reveals that forests and other plant communities need a variety of
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