Hannah Lyons-Galante in New Mexico

Hannah Lyons-Galante just returned from attending a field trip to central New Mexico with a group of 12 undergraduate students from Harvard University, Professor Richard Forman, and another teaching assistant. The students are all studying Environmental Science and Public Policy, which was Hannah’s major at Harvard, and the focus of the field trip was Ecology and Land-use Planning.

Staying at the field station at Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, the first three days of the trip were spent outside absorbing the ecology of the Great Plains grassland, Chihuahuan desert, and flood plain of the Rio Grande. This included a visit to Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge to see thousands of Sandhill Cranes and Snow Geese, as well as Northern Pintails, roadrunners, kestrels, Northern Harriers, American Coots, and more! The next three days were spent learning about the people living in central New Mexico and their needs.

These activities culminated in the students working together in small groups to create a land-use plan for the region. Presenting their plans to a panel of local experts, the students gained first-hand experience of the challenges faced by communities to create effective land-use plans; plans that take into account every citizen’s needs, and those of the plants and animals they share the landscape with. This is especially difficult in a desert climate where water is so scarce. Hannah certainly enjoyed this wonderful opportunity to mentor undergraduates, many of whom are interested in conservation. She highly recommends taking a trip down to New Mexico in the winter time: a land of sun, wide-open vistas, and excellent birding.