*This guest blog was written by Fabiola Lopez, a biology major at Dalton State. She recently attended the National Hispanic Environmental Council’s STEM Institute that focuses on conservation education.
Over the course of 10 days, I enjoyed the scenery of New Mexico, the Land of Enchantment. I was accepted into the 16th annual National Hispanic Environmental Council’s STEM Institute, which is a federally funded program that focused on “opening the doors of opportunity” to students. While there I visited Pecos National Historical Park, the Bandelier National Monument, and Battleship Rock, all of which are enriched with culture and beautiful landscapes.
I had hands-on experience conducting field sampling at the Rio Jemez, Rio Chama, Rio Grande, and Rio Pecos to assess the river’s health. Data was collected to assess the diversity of birds and vegetation as well as quality of the water and soil to determine the health of the habitat. We presented our findings to our classmates and our sponsors, the United States Natural Resource Conservation Service and the Forest Service. I networked, gained hands-on experience, collected and interpreted data, danced alongside the native people of New Mexico, visited national parks and monuments, and developed friendships which I hope will last a lifetime.
posted 09/12/2018 in Roadrunner Nation
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