Last Wednesday, April 11th, and Monday, April 16th, BEMP and Bosque School hosted the 6th Otter Day celebration to honor the reintroduction of the river otter into New Mexico. The goal of this event was to teach kindergarten and first grade students about river otters and their habitat through different activities. River otters are an important indicator species of river health and so they are ideal animals to focus on when learning about how human activities impact New Mexico rivers.

Dan Shaw’s students from the Wildlife and Conservation Biology class (11th and 12th graders) were the main leaders of the event. During the first part of the event, the students alternated between a hike around the bosque and three learning circle stations to learn more about river otters and the challenges these animals are currently facing due to humans.

After lunch, the Treble Ensemble lead by Joanna Hart, Bosque School Choir Director, conducted a musical performance for the students where they sang a Bosque School favorite, “The Otterly Amazing Song,” which was accompanied by a ukulele.

Finally, as a closing ceremony, teachers were gifted with an otter story coloring book and an otter puzzle with a picture from each of the classes that participated in the celebration.  Otter Day is one of the broader outreach events that BEMP and Bosque School coordinate every year where students, teachers, and parents learn about the importance of protecting the Middle Rio Grande and the bosque ecosystem.

Blog post by Laura Pages