Summer 2016

Newsletter

Volume 1 Issue 2

Whitfield Wildlife Conservation Area

Phase 2 Building Capital Outlay

The Dan Goodman Soil & Water Conservation

and Environmental Improvement Award is an

annual award that is presented to deserving

high school students residing within Valencia

County who have demonstrated a high regard

for conservation and the environment.

The Valencia Soil and Water Conservation

District received many excellent applications

and are pleased to announce the 2016 Dan

Goodman Award winners:

Winners were presented their award at the

VSWCD May 23rd, 2016 Regular Board

meeting.

First Place Winner:

Samantha Padilla - Belen High School

senior

Second Place Winners:

Casey Canon - Belen High School senior

Joseph Davis - Belen High School senior

Montana Hull - Belen High School senior

Third Place Winner:

Connor Chavez - Los Lunas High School

senior

Dan Goodman Soil and Water Conservation and Environmental Improvement Award

Pictured (left to right): Montana Hull, Joseph Davis, Samantha Padilla, and Casey Canon.

Not pictured: Connor Chavez

Valencia Soil & Water Conservation District was approved for capital outlay funding during the 2016 legislative session to make improvements to the maintenance building for the Whitfield Wildlife Conservation Area. The project was funded in part for a total appropriation of $34,500. The VSWCD will put in these improvements in the upcoming fiscal year. Improvements will include a domestic well and water pump, septic, inside water storage tank, electric tank less hot water heater, single bathroom, plumbing hardware inside and outside, and some interior framing. These additions listed will greatly improve the use of the maintenance building by staff, provided needed storage, demonstration of energy efficient utilities including a supplemental roof water harvesting system (see picture below) and secondarily for community workshops and trainings.

Thank you to New Mexico Representative Kelly Fajardo (District 7), Representative Matthew McQueen (District 50) and Representative Alonzo Baldonado (District 8) for their sponsorship of the project

during the session.

From July 1, 2015 to May 31, 2016, the Whitfield Wildlife Conservation Area had 1,750 visitors and an additional 6,421 contacts were made in the Valencia County public schools and Whitfield Outdoor Classroom.

Providing resource conservation for a quality environment demonstrated through active leadership, cooperation, and

partnership

Board of Supervisors

Abel Camarena, Chair

Teresa Smith de Cherif

MD, V-Chair

Andrew Hautzinger,

Treasurer

P. Joseph Moya,

Supervisor

& Parliamentarian

Jim Lane, Supervisor

Jeff Goebel, Supervisor

Richard Bonine Jr.,

Supervisor

~~~~~~~~~~

Staff

Madeline Miller,

District Manager

Ted Hodoba, Whitfield

Project Manager

Jasmine G. Martinez,

Administrative

Assistant

Congratulations!

The Whitfield Wildlife Conservation Area Outdoor Classroom Program, Sandia Mountain Natural History Center Program and younger elementary grade field trips had a very successful 2015-16 school year! The Whitfield educators made 6421contacts and visited 18 Valencia county elementary schools through our education programs. We look forward to seeing a new group of 4th graders next year!

The WWCA Outdoor Classroom is a program for 4th grade students in Valencia County and includes 4 classroom visits and a three hour field trip on what they learned in the “Birds of A Feather” program at

Whitfield.

The Whitfield educators partner with educators from Sandia Mountain Natural History Center to host a two visit program for Valencia County 5th graders in

January and February of each school year. This program includes a pre-trip classroom visit and a three and a half hour outdoor classroom on field ecology at

Whitfield.

Younger elementary school grades can schedule a pre-trip classroom visit and three hour field trip on habitats at Whitfield.

To schedule a program for the 2016-17 school year contact Jasmine Martinez

at (505)864-6460 or by email: whitfieldeducation@gmail.com

The New Mexico Envirothon teams participated in an outdoor competition at the Sacramento Camp in Sacramento, NM during which students first conducted a series of in-field

investigations followed by testing; multiple choice, true/false, and short answer questions in each of five subject areas: soils and land use, aquatic ecology, forestry, wildlife and invasive

species. Second, the oral presentation component presents students with a real-world resource problem. They must develop a management strategy to address the problem and present their

solution to a panel of judges. The 2016 New Mexico Envirothon held in the Sacramento Mountains this year included two local teams; the EcoEagles from Belen High School and Controlled Burn from Los Lunas High School (not pictured).

The Belen High School EcoEagles, lead by teacher Chelsey Servantes, took 1st place

in oral presentation and received high praise from the Envirothon judges. The Valencia Soil and Water Conservation District sponsored both local teams, covering costs of travel, lodging and entrance fees into the competition.

Congratulations TEAMS!!!

4th grade students at La Merced Elementary in Belen

New Mexico Olive, Forestiera neomexicana

New Mexico Olive goes by a variety of other common names including Desert Olive, New Mexico Privet, and Palo Blanco. New Mexico Olive is an attractive, bright green deciduous shrub or small tree that grows up to 15 feet tall and 10 feet wide. It has pretty gray to whitish bark. The flowers are small yellow to cream-colored and have no petals. They are borne on separate male and female plants. The flowers bloom from March into May. The purple to almost black berries that follow on the fe-

male plants mature over the summer months. As wildlife habitat, it provides cover and the berries are relished by birds and other wildlife. New Mexico Olive is a versatile landscape plant. Its bright green fo-liage is unusual among our native, desert vegetation that is usually gray-green or darker green in color. New Mexico Olive is also known as New Mexico Privet because it can be sheared into a mounded form or hedge. To maintain it as a tree, desert olive can be trained by pruning young trees into multi-trunked specimens.

Belen High School EcoEagles: Ashlee Valdez, Marisol Diaz, Mariah Shama, Lawrence Sanchez, Nallely Carmona and teacher, Chelsey Servantes

EcoEagles: Connor Coffey and Lawrence Sanchez

EcoEagles: Marisol , Mariah , Ashlee, and Nallely.

Visit Whitfield Wildlife Conservation Area this summer and discover the unique native plants and

animals of Valencia County.

Call (505) 864-8914 for open hours or to schedule a tour of the conservation area for your group or

organization!

The Rio Grande Cottonwood, a welcome sight to pioneers in the desert because it often signaled

water, typically reaches 50 to 60 feet in height, with a trunk of three feet in diameter. Some of

the grand old cottonwoods in the Rio Grande Valley have reached 90 feet in height, with trunks

five feet across. It flowers in the spring, before it leafs out. It releases its seeds, each carried by a

downy white tuft, or "parachute”.

Prairie dogs are herbivorous burrowing rodents native to the grasslands of North America. The

five species are: black-tailed, white-tailed, Gunnison's, Utah, and Mexican prairie dogs. They are a

type of ground squirrel, found in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Prairie dogs are named

for their habitat and warning call, which sounds similar to a dog's bark.

The Desert Willow is a shrub or tree native to the southwestern United States and Mexico. It is

cultivated for its large, showy flowers, and tolerance of hot, dry climates. Although the natural

growth is a very irregular shape, it can be readily pruned into a conventional tree shape. It’s

blossoms range from white, light pink and lavender to dark purple or magenta flowers.

Western painted turtles are brightly marked. The painted turtle has a smooth, relatively flat upper

shell with red and yellow markings on a black or greenish brown background. Due to their similar

size and coloration, they are often confused with the Red-eared slider. This turtle lives in ponds,

lakes, marshes, and in slow-moving rivers that have soft, muddy bottoms.

Wolfberry is easily identified from the other Lyciums by its glaucous (covered with a waxy bloom),

pale green, fleshy leaves which are larger than most, and by its large funnelform, waxy flowers.

The flowers are somewhat bell-shaped, blue to blue-green on the outside with purple veins. The

reddish berries are eaten by Arizona Native Americans , also by birds and other wildlife

The Western Kingbird, an eye-catching bird with ashy gray and lemon-yellow plumage. is a fa-

miliar summertime sight in open habitats across western North America. This large flycatcher

sallies out to capture flying insects from perches on trees or utility lines, flashing a black tail with

white edges. Western Kingbirds are aggressive and will scold and chase intruders with a snap-

ping bill and flared crimson feathers they normally keep hidden under their gray crowns

The Red-winged Blackbird is a familiar sight atop cattails, along soggy roadsides, and on

telephone wires. Glossy-black males have scarlet-and-yellow shoulder patches they can puff up

or hide depending on how confident they feel. Females are a subdued, streaky brown, almost

like a large, dark sparrow. In the North, their early arrival and tumbling song are happy

indications of the return of spring.

The soils of our arid and semiarid southwest are often organic matter poor. Soil organic matter which is often only 1-2% or less of soil composition in our region, is made up of plant and animal residues in different stages of decomposition, cells of soil microorganisms, and other substances so well-decomposed by microorganisms which live in the soil. Active management to preserve, enhance and increase this important soil component wherever

possible for agriculture, and really all lands whatever the use for also recharging our groundwater, is critical in protecting soil and water for our

use now and for our children.

Biological nitrogen fixation through cover cropping or a green manure cover crop rotation is a cost effective way to increase the organic matter of soil while improving soil fertility (available nutrients needed for vegetative growth). The added benefits of preventing soil erosion, improved soil

structure, and increased water infiltration are also achieved through the dynamic nutrient cycling of the organic layer of soil. Everyone can help

preserve, protect and enhance the organic matter of the ground we walk on whether in residential landscapes, home gardens, commercial crop fields,

pasturelands for horses, or rangelands.

Valencia Soil & Water Conservation District provides soils testing assistance for analysis of home garden, cropland, pasture grass fields and rangeland

soils. Call the office for more information.

VSWCD Financial

Assistance Programs

The guidelines

approved by the Board of

Supervisors at the May 23rd Regular

Meeting are available online at www.valenciaswcd

.org.

The application process is being

finalized and will be posted on the

website mid-June.

Feel free to contact the

Office for more information if

interested.

More information is available about these upcoming events at www.valenciaswcd.org

June 18 - Garden Talk: Water Harvesting June 18 - Master Naturalist Walk July 16 - Garden Talk: Gardening in Times of Drought

July 16 - Master Naturalist Walk August 13 - Desert Willow Festival August 20 - Nature Walk

(505)864-6460

(505)864-8914

2424 Hwy 47

Belen, NM 87002

P.O. Box 170

Belen, NM 87002

Make a Boat Out of Recycled Objects

Using a juice box, heavy paper, and a stick, kids can make and decorate their very own boat. Once it’s made, head outside and let them use their imagination.

Mud Brick Houses

In this activity, kids create their own bricks using what comes straight from the earth - soil and water. The beauty of mud bricks is that they can be made in any shape and size so in terms of design, the sky is the limit. Plus, when they are done, the bricks just become a part of the earth again.

Plant Seeds

Sadly, many kids don’t know much about where their food comes from. What better lesson than to let them grow their own? Whether you have a bright windowsill, or a full backyard and garden, seeds can be grown anywhere. Pick up a packet of your favorite vegetables at your local garden or grocery store.

Make a Birdfeeder

This wonderful craft will teach kids how to share their world with animals and allow them to get their creative juices flowing. Earth911.com has 7 different birdfeeders you can make in order to turn your home into a bird sanctuary. DIY Bluebird nesting boxes kits are also on sale in the WWCA Visitor & Education center.

Birdwatching

Once you’ve made your birdfeeder, why not grab a book on local birds so your child can learn about the many exciting varieties that live right in your backyard. Even without a birdfeeder, you can always take a hike at Whitfield Wildlife Conservation Area keeping your eyes pointed upwards in order to identify various species.

Visit the Farmer’s Market

During a time when American diets consist of 62% processed food, one could argue we need all the help we can get. Get kids excited about healthy local foods by to taking them to the farmer’s market so they can pick their own. Not only will they meet local farmers in their community and help the environment by buying local, but they will also enjoy nutritious treats you can feel good about. Farmer’s Markets are located in Belen, Los Lunas, and Bosque Farms from May-October.

Search for Wildflowers

Mother Nature, the ultimate gardener, spends her days growing wildflowers everywhere from meadows to forests and even in the cracks in concrete. Take a walk at Whitfield Wildlife Conservation Area with your child and see how many different wildflowers you can find. If you have a wildflower book (or browse our library in our Visitor Center), try to identify them and learn more about the native plants in New Mexico. Or, bring a camera and take pictures of all the different varieties to create a flower album.

Rio Grande Trail

I recently attended a meeting of the Rio Grande Trail Commission along with Whitfield volunteer and Master Naturalist Elisabeth (Liz) Dicharry. The Commission was created to establish the Rio Grande Trail to run the

length of the state from Colorado to Texas, approximately 500 miles long. The Rio Grande trail will be a recreation trail for New Mexico residents and visitors to enjoy the natural beauty of New Mexico and the Rio Grande and learn

about the culture and history of New Mexico.

The Trail is to be created with minimal environmental impacts and to preserve sensitive habitat. The Commission will define and recommend viable path routes of the Rio Grande Trail, mitigate challenges related to its establishment and define and recommend other features, facilities and enhancements needed on the trail. The Trail will support outdoor recreation, showcase the history of New Mexico, and support local economies. It will be planned and constructed with input from a variety of committees and stakeholders. Participation is voluntary and

the Rio Grande Trail will only cross land that is authorized by the landowner and eminent domain will not be used to establish the trail or its features. Through the Governor’s directive the first segments, over 20 miles, of the Rio Grande Trail have been established within the boundaries of six New Mexico State Parks. The parks are Rio Grande Nature Center State Park, Elephant Butte Lake State Park, Caballo Lake State Park, Leasburg Dam State Park, Mesilla Valley Bosque State Park, and Percha Dam State Park. A number of working groups have been established by the Commission including Alignment, User Groups, Resource, Design and Management, Communications, and Interagency Work Groups. Both Liz and I signed up initially to be on the Resource Working Group. One reason we signed up as members of this group is because they will be looking at tourism among other things. Liz is coordinating our phenology work with the Rio Grande Phenology Trail, a project of Nature’s Notebook which we hope will tie in with the work on this project, the Rio Grande Trail. The Rio Grande Trail is in its infancy. We hope to become more involved here at the Whitfield Wildlife Conservation Area as the Commission moves forward with development of the Trail.

- Ted Hodoba, Whitfield Project Manager