Author Archives: chihuahuandeserteducation

One of the presentations at the Chihuahuan Desert Conference on November 7 will be entitled Borderland Jaguars – Why There Are Jaguars in Mexico, but Only a Few in the U. S. by Diana Hadley of the Northern Jaguar Project. Formed in 2003 by a small group of dedicated conservationists from the southwestern U.S. andContinueContinue reading “Borderland Jaguars”

Heather Rivera, senior Education Specialist at the El Paso Zoo will present Houdini the Harris Hawk and Buckbeak the Swainson’s Hawk on the Chihuahuan Desert Fiesta Stage on Saturday, September 28.   Nearly two dozen environmental groups will be on hand at the fiesta this year presenting family friendly interactive discovery opportunities about the Chihuahuan Desert.ContinueContinue reading “Fiesta will feature two native wildlife presentations by the El Paso Zoo”

Black Bears in Big Bend National Park especially relish the succulent base of Torrey yuccas and sotol plants.   Photo by Rick LoBello   The El Paso Sierra Club will kick off its 2019-2020 Kevin von Finger Speakers Series at the El Paso Zoo Wildlife Amphitheater on September 24 at 7:00 pm.  The illustrated lecture will be free andContinueContinue reading “Tuesday night at the Zoo – Sierra Club lecture on Mexican black bears”

An important goal of the Chihuahuan Desert Education Coalition is to facilitate integration of learning about our desert into the school curriculum from kindergarten on. The Chihuahuan desert offers a wide variety of habitats that all have their own animal and plant communities, which again are interacting with each other in often wondrous ways thatContinueContinue reading “Learning about the Chihuahuan Desert”

The Chihuahuan Desert Fiesta is the signature event of the Chihuahuan Desert Education Coalition and Franklin Mountains State Park.   Last year nearly 800 people attended and with the 15th Annual Fiesta just two months way,  we could break the 1000 mark. (See poster below) Behind the scenes, volunteers and park staff are making arrangements forContinueContinue reading “Countdown to the Fiesta – 9.28.19”

What will El Paso do when there is no more land to develop? by Rick LoBello All over El Paso and the surrounding area developers are on the move building new roads, shopping centers and housing areas.  These projects are making life a little easier for those of us who drive back and forth toContinueContinue reading “Local leaders must act”

Chisos Katydid, Big Bend National Park.       Photo copyright Rick LoBello We are working with educators at the El Paso Zoo on interactive educational materials about the Chihuahuan Desert.  So far we have come up with the following list of animals and plants that we believe live naturally only in the Chihuahuan Desert eco-region.ContinueContinue reading “Only in the Chihuahuan Desert?”

Every July, amateur and professional naturalists descend on the Chiricahua Desert Museum located on the border of New Mexico and Arizona. Their purpose: to observe and document as many living species in the area as possible over a 24-hour period. The annual Charlie W. Painter BioBlitz is an important tool to engage the public inContinueContinue reading “Teaching Citizen Science in the Chihuahuan Desert”

Texas alligator lizard climbing an alligator juniper in Big Bend National Park.  Photo By Rick LoBello by Rick LoBello Not everyone living in the northern Chihuahuan Desert is familiar with one of the coolest and least known lizards in our eco-region, the Texas alligator lizard.   More people in West Texas have seen alligator junipers thanContinueContinue reading “The elusive alligator lizard”