The Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge comprises some 100,000 ha of land located in the Chihuahuan desert 20 miles north of Socorro, New Mexico. The Fish and Wildlife Service aquired the property from the Campbell Family Foundation in 1973 with the understanding that the land would be sustained in its natural state, and that portions would be made available for scientific research and education. In 1988, the refuge became host to the Sevilleta  LTER, which conducts a variety of research projects centering on abiotic drivers and constraints that affect the dynamics and stability of aridland ecosystems. In addition to providing wildlife habitat and extensive research opportunities, the refuge has a well-developed environmental education program for both students and teachers. The student program serves a diverse population primarily of middle school students from local rural towns, but is adaptable to fit the needs of younger or older students from more distant high schools, charter schools, and private institutions.  

Results/Conclusions

The curriculum provides a series of hands-on activities centered around the Desert Biome, with a focus on the following major concepts: 1) the desert environment, 2) animal adaptations, 3) plant adaptations, and 4) preservation of the desert.  Educational activities are divided into previsit, on-site, and postvisit sections.  Previsit classroom activities introduce the water cycle, plant adaptations to hot, arid conditions, and research on a chosen desert animal. On-site field activities begin with visits to several LTER research sites and meteorological stations to help students relate their subsequent activities to on-going research. Students conduct jackrabbit and grasshopped surveys closely modeled after current monitoring done by LTER biologists.  Student set up quadrats at both grassland and desert shrubland sites where they collect data on soils, weather, plant numbers and percentage by life form, and signs of animal/insect life that are recorded on standard data sheets.  Postvisit activities consist of written reports such as writing a diary of a day in the life of their chosen desert animal, and/or creating works of art such as pictures, pottery, or sand paintings influenced by Native American desert dwellers. The refuge educational program meets established benchmarks set by the Department of Education for the State of New Mexico in Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Art.