Founded at UNM in 1996, BEMP initially focused on teaching and research that examined the relationship between the bosque鈥檚 health and hydrologic connectivity to the Rio Grande. Now, using BEMP monitoring procedures, K-12 students apply hands-on science to this greatly altered ecosystem. The results of their efforts are made available to their community and resource managers through online and pri
nt publications. During the 2014-2015 school year, more than 9,000 people participated in BEMP activities. Nearly 1,000 students from about 20 different schools conducted monthly collections at our sites, obtaining abiotic data (groundwater levels, levels of adjacent ditches and precipitation) and biotic data (litterfall reflecting tree and shrub diversity and health). Activity of surface arthropods was also recorded three times during the year. In addition, contracted biologists monitored air and soil temperatures and plant cover at all sites. BEMP staff and UNM interns (undergraduate students enrolled in a UNM biology class) monitored site fuel loads (potential for fire) and groundwater, ditch and river chemistry. Analyses of this data are designed to show how long-term and seasonal water availability, together with shorter-term human activity, influence the diversity and abundance of native cottonwood and willow as well as invasive species such as saltcedar and Russian olive.
