Develop and print a guidebook which can be used to easily replicate the program at a large number of schools in the region in the future. Increase coordination with other education efforts and increase involvement of NMSU graduate and advanced undergraduate students through internships and of other volunteers. Increase involvement of NMSU graduate and advanced undergraduate students through internships, and of other volunteers through a local non-profit. Background and Justification Human pressures on arid lands are increasing throughout the world. Population growth rates in the U.S.-Mexico border region are among the highest in North America, yet opportunities for residents to develop an understanding of their new environment are declining.
Urbanization increasingly isolates the human population from native ecosystems.
This problem is exacerbated in the U.S. Mexico border region because poverty further limits opportunities to learn about the natural environment on which we depend. Children who grow up in poverty in southern New Mexico and West Texas generally have less access to explore nature and learn about their own backyards than children in other parts of the United States. The first step to understanding how to live sustainably in arid environments is to understand basic concepts of desert ecology and agriculture. By providing exposure to these concepts through scientific discovery, we have found that we can spark their desire to learn more and, in the process, acquire valuable academic skills in mathematics and science. The Jornada Experimental Range has worked informally to provide environmental and agricultural education for several years.