I recently joined BEMP Co-director, Dan Shaw, on a trip to Las Cruces where we met with a number of city and state officials to discuss how BEMP can better serve the Las Cruces community. We are extremely excited to be moving forward with a number of projects that will bolster BEMP’s presence in southern New Mexico and expose young, future community scientists to all things BEMP in the coming years. While in Las Cruces, we spoke to State Representative Angelica Rubio and Las Cruces City Councilor Gabe Vasquez. Their passion for fostering stronger bonds between New Mexico’s youth and our state’s incredible outdoor spaces resonated with us and with BEMP’s mission. Representative Rubio spoke strongly about New Mexico’s nascent Outdoor Recreation Division and how, with the right leadership, it can work to the benefit of both New Mexico’s public lands and those who stand to inherit them. BEMP’s own Jonathan Tyrrell recently had an op-ed published on the New Mexico Political Report where he spoke eloquently about this potentially critical turning point in how our public spaces are utilized. Make sure to check out his article here.

Alex Levine – BEMP Education Coordinator

New Mexico desert landscape, Photo Credit: Wikicommons