Online Presentations We Enjoyed

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    Albuquerque Chapter Presentations

    Protecting New Mexico's Last Wild River

    Allyson Siwik, Executive Director of the Gila Resources Information Project, speaks on the ecological benefits of the Gila River’s free-flowing status in New Mexico, remaining connected with the floodplain, and as a refuge for rare plants and animals. Learn about the history and the defeat of several proposals to terminate this special quality through diversion and impoundment. https://youtu.be/b6xk44O1lxw

    The Making and Managing of an Urban Wildlife Refuge

    Charisa Bell, Fish & Wildlife Biological Technician at Albuquerque’s Valle del Oro National Wildlife Refuge, explains the creation of and latest developments in the refuge on the site of a retired dairy farm, now in a semi-industrial area of the Rio Grande Valley. https://youtu.be/_qvYjSEwFUo

    Monitoring Vegetation Changes in the Rio Grande Valley

    The monitoring of ecological trends in the Central New Mexico reach of the Rio Grande over several decades has yielded new insights into the dynamics of the bosque, the river, and realistic thinking about restoration. Presenter Estevan Muldavin is Director of New Mexico Natural Heritage. https://youtu.be/zFii9n0eixI

    A Journey Across the Southwest: Unveiling the relationships in a Spiny Group of Desert Shrubs Called Glossopetalon

    Botanist Maya Allen, PhD student at UNM, has combined her Southwest explorations with genetic analysis to unravel the evolutionary relationships of a little-known genus in a little-known family of desert plants that exhibit many regional variations. https://youtu.be/nZC1QqmjwMQ

    Creating Pollinator-Friendly Landscapes

    Author and experienced gardener George Miller explains the whys and hows of creating your own refuge for native plants, birds and beneficial insects — a natural habitat in the midst of urbanization. https://youtu.be/YcQLMLWdboQ

    The Ecology of Herbal Medicine

    Dara Saville, founder of Albuquerque Herbalism and the Yerba Mansa Project, introduces us to four regional medicinal plants as she explains ecological principles of herbal medicine. https://youtu.be/h2hiLEqoCUY

    New Mexico Cactus Travelog

    Ralph Peters of the New Mexico Cactus and Succulent Society enjoys growing cacti from seed, but has also traveled extensively to find and photograph cacti in habitat. Here he shares what he and colleagues have discovered in northwestern and south-central/southeastern New Mexico in the way of rare and less well-known species and their surroundings. To keep to a reasonable length, he does not include the fascinating Opuntia tribe (chollas and pricklypears) this time. https://youtu.be/oNs1it5cc4g

    City of Rocks

    Dr. Bill Norris, professor at Western New Mexico University, brings us along on his exploration of this unusual desert location as he assembles a floristic inventory. https://youtu.be/vwtQfK-O7FE

    Wildflower Adventuring

    With Christina Selby, storyteller, filmmaker, nature photographer and author of Best Wildflower Hikes New Mexico. https://youtu.be/R8u9SWcix6I

    A Floral Tour of New Mexico

    Ken Heil takes us on a tour of eight interesting botanical areas where he, Steve Kane, and collaborators did field work in creating a new guide to the flora of New Mexico, with art and photos of rare, threatened, and endemic species. https://youtu.be/qFY4UfLjlpw

    Promoting Native Plant Production for Restoration, Aided by the Carter Conservation Fund

    Land restoration is best achieved using native plants, but appropriate seed and plant starts are in short supply. The Institute for Applied Ecology/Southwest Seed Partnership successfully promoted three novel sources with help from the Carter Conservation Fund of NPSNM. https://youtu.be/5LuUmSb_q9g

    Build it and They Will Come: Creating Wildlife Habitat

    With decades of experience, Wes Brittenham talks about the requirements and the joys of gardening for wildlife. https://youtu.be/rxu_TN47Zt8

    Natural Heritage New Mexico

    Richard Norwood gives a tour of an ambitious and far-reaching database of all aspects of our state’s environment, from the Conservation Information System to the NM Rare Plants Website to Zoological monitoring — at our fingertips! https://youtu.be/qVc_C9uFq7Q

    Moths of the Gila (and Beyond)

    Ronald Perry, PhD. has been collecting moths in the Gila and Burro Mtn. areas of New Mexico for decades. After he briefly reviews the basics of entomology, he guides us through an array of moth families represented in the Southwest, along with their amazing adaptions. https://youtu.be/Cmw9DtFdyEY

    Wildflowers of the Florida Mountains

    presented by George Miller and Pam McBride, highlight wildflowers found in this isolated, southern mountain range, contrasting early spring with early fall seasons. By the way, in this case Florida is not pronounced like the southeastern state but rhymes with Dorita. Go to https://youtu.be/coFHR3KPob0

    New Mexico's Rare Plant Conservation Strategy

    Presented by NM State Botanist Daniela Roth who introduces us to designated rare plant areas and to the conservation score card that includes all NM plants of concern. See the recording at https://youtu.be/Lg7wRZmSbWU

    Yucca: Technology & Tradition

    with Mary Weahkee, Native American archeologist with the Museum of New Mexico. Mary illustrates and explains methods used for centuries to create useful and often beautiful items from yucca and other natural fibers. Some techniques have yet to be duplicated in modern times. https://youtu.be/GdDKTiA2a1k

    Withdrawals from Glyphosate

    with George Radnovich, a pioneer in regionally conscious landscape design and xeriscaping for the Southwest. He details the pains and promises of transitioning to public property management without glyphosate in a culture whose very design and expectations have considered herbicide dependence a given. https://youtu.be/cyDHbnDe8wA

    Insects in Decline

    with Anna Walker of the Albuquerque Biopark. Is it real? Why is it a problem? What can be done? https://youtu.be/_7pTQ6f6qaE

    Forest Changes in Northern New Mexico Mountains: Past, Present, & Climate-Driven Future

    with Craig Allen, USGS researcher. 40 years of research told in a way that will keep you fascinated as well as concerned. https://youtu.be/qi1EXYh_URw

    Tijeras Creek Remediation Project

      with Jim Brooks, founder and president of Soilutions, Inc. Short-sighted development deprived an important watershed of precious rainwater. Here, Jim describes the array of effective methods that are putting a wasted resource to good use, reconnecting a stream with the floodplain, and restoring the native vegetative community. https://youtu.be/KiQtTX5Vl_E

      Gila Chapter Presentations

      What in the World Was I Thinking? Or, the Making of Flora Neomexicana

      Presentation by Kelly Allred for the Gila Chapter in January, 2021. Allred, who co-authored the definitive guide to New Mexico's vascular plants, describes how he got caught up in such a monumental task. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnZ1N1wSl1w

      The 2020-2021 GNPS Holiday Video

      The Gila chapter offers lighthearted cheer and thoughtful tributes to our dear departed botanists, Jack Carter and Richard Felger. Take time out to enjoy this! https://youtu.be/uw0CI_7IAo0

      Lichens for Beginners

      Russ Kleinman gives a basic introduction to lichens - what they are, how they have been used, their biology and some of the most common lichens in our area. As Russ says, "we hope you will be as fascinated as we are by these compact little ecosystems that we call lichens!" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOXLrGAERxU&feature=youtu.be

      Telling Weeds from Native Wildflowers Around Silver City.

      Russ Kleinman's Virtual Urban Field trip shows us Spotted Knapweed (Centaurea stoebe), a noxious, non-native thistle. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8NbCZIufiY&list=PLOUh0ZlyGaM2ILzHW7tUBmUO33dXEMC_7

      Las Cruces Chapter Presentations

      Tall Tales about Small Plants

      Russ Kleinman, Karen Blisard and Kelly Allred reveal the world of the Bryophytes, mosses and liverworts, not only by description but with true life accounts of their plant hunting expeditions. https://youtu.be/D8Q6DdEbrTY

      Perceptions of Rangelands and Drylands as Wastelands (or Not?)

      Dr. Brandon Bestelmeyer, Research Leader at the USDA-ARS Jornada Experimental Range discusses how our labeling of dry areas as “wastelands” leads to a dismissive perception of worthlessness and to management decisions based on faulty, mental models of land health. But scientific findings are verifying valuable ecosystem services and a great capacity for carbon sequestration.

      https://youtu.be/luwXQiGsVao

      Soil Ecology and the Distribution of Native Plants

      Notes from the underground with Dr. Steve Loring, revealing the complex relationships between plants, soils and the many things that live in it. https://youtu.be/OP3K6M4K_7k

      Ethnobotany of the Organ Mountain Desert Peaks National Monument

      Garrett Leitermann shares a wealth of knowledge about the uses of desert plants by indigenous peoples, past and present.

      Grasses of New Mexico

      NMSU Herbarium Director, Sara Fuentes-Soriano, discusses grasses, their importance, and learning to identify them. https://youtu.be/0I6_-ejh5Pw

      NMSU Range Science Club Activities

      The New Mexico State University Range Science club students do a lot more than you could ever imagine! https://youtu.be/vzQJV9mee-c

      Organ Mountains Historical Ecology

      Marisa Mancillas, Masters candidate at New Mexico State University, took on a formidable challenge -- documenting the historical and evolving ecology of a biodiversity hot spot — the Organ Mountains. Her progress is inspirational. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tptaEmGIXs

      Botany for Gardeners

      Marisa Thompson, New Mexico Urban Horticulture Extension Agent, tells us some of the many ways that gardeners and others can benefit from learning Botany. https://youtu.be/Uvqj8IaMBc4

      Organ Mountains Desert Peaks National Monument — Behind the Scenes:

      Some history and current affairs at one of our newest and most scenic national monuments, surrounding Las Cruces, New Mexico, presented by Daniella Barraza, BLM Park Ranger. https://youtu.be/AzISSz-c1e0

      Spring and Summer Floristic Images From Around Las Cruces

      An extensive and varied compilation of wildflower photos from the many rich habitats in the area of Las Cruces in southern New Mexico. James Von Loh photographer and narrator. https://youtu.be/nvhegwZBkPg

      Favorite Books, Websites, and Places

      Las Cruces hosts a friendly online reunion, well-attended by New Mexico plant enthusiasts and botanists of mild renown, to share stories, favorite moments, and favorite plants. Joan Woodward opens the evening, NMSU Herbarium curator Sara Fuentes-Soriano moderates, and Zachary Rogers displays images as they are discussed. Opening remarks are by local botanists, horticulturalists, authors, naturalists, and others prior to members' and guests’ discussions. https://youtu.be/kfajgRhB4qI

      Milkweed Restaurants along the Rio Grande

      Naturalist/photographer/bicyclist Jim Von Loh brings us face to face with a menagerie that dwells in the milkweed habitat along the Rio in southern New Mexico. Astonishing photos! https://youtu.be/SNBg1KvFSUc

      Designing a Botanic Garden for Research and Aesthetics

      with Rachel Gioannini, Assistant Professor at NMSU, experienced in both design and horticulture.  https://youtu.be/-kqKlC10ICI

      Natives vs. Exotics: Reducing Non-Native Plant Species in Urban Landscapes of Southern New Mexico

        Trystan Harpold on invasive plant species, their impacts on native ecosystems, and his research being conducted by alongside Prof. Zachary Rogers, and Dr. Sara Fuentes-Soriano on the exotic and invasive species of the New Mexico State University campus and the wider Las Cruces community. https://youtu.be/SUAxW_i24Ug

        Santa Fe Chapter Presentations

        New Mexico Prehistoric Plants and Ecology

          Dr. Bill DiMichelle of the Smithsonian Natural History Museum has been collaborating with the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science to reveal the paleobotany and ecology of New Mexico during the Paleozoic Era, a very different world. Dr. DiMichele sets the stage with photos of ancient fossils to take us through the dramatic changes in the late Paleozoic, Pennsylvanian and Permian periods, as a cool Earth becomes an ice-free warm planet about 300 million years ago. https://youtu.be/qJXHAwyroiw

          Rediscovering the Spiritual and Ecological Underpinning that Helped Define Native People’s Relationship to Nature

            Hunter Wahpepah is an ethnobotany student at the Institute of American Indians Arts. He is Kickapoo and was raised by Cherokees in Oklahoma. Here, he will be shows images of winter and summer homes built using cattails. View the presentation on the IAIA website here.

            Taos Chapter Presentations

            Impacts of Climate Change across New Mexico and Beyond

            with Dave Dubois, climatologist at New Mexico State University presenting to the Taos Chapter. https://youtu.be/X8IlIzqiGaE

            Link to Taos Recordings

            Many more presentations for the Taos chapter are available on their You Tube channel:

            Taos Presentation on You Tube