Environment

Western Tent Caterpillar, Western Spruce Budworm Active On Santa Fe National Forest

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Spruce budworm larvae on white fir. Courtesy/Dr. Andrew Graves, USDA Forest Service
 
SFNF News:
 
SANTA FE ― Forest Service entomologist Dr. Andrew Graves confirms that the western tent caterpillar that feasted on the Santa Fe National Forest’s aspen groves last year is back for more. And this year, the mixed conifer forests at lower elevations are feeling the effects of another defoliator, the western spruce budworm.
 
The damage is clear to visitors to areas along NM State Highway 475, the road to the Santa Fe ski area. For example, at Black Canyon
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Big Day Of Birding In Los Alamos County July 12

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Mouser Williams speaks at the Los Alamos Nature Center at 7 p.m., July 12. Photo by Minesh Bacrania

 

PEEC News:

Join local birder Mouser Williams as he shares the history and passion behind the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s “Global Big Day” program.

Los Alamos birders competed in the event in May, during which time Mouser set out to find and identify 100 bird species in Los Alamos County in a single day.

Tuesday, July 12 at 7 p.m. at the Los Alamos Nature Center, hear his story about his attempt to set a county record.

Williams has lived in Los Alamos for 14 years as a local birding enthusiast and wildlife Read More

Special Planetarium Show With Astrophysicist Galen Gisler Explores Origins Of Universe

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The night sky. Courtesy photo
 

PEEC News:

Using examples visible in the July night sky, astrophysicist Galen Gisler will discuss the beginning of the universe and when and how it began as part of a special planetarium show at the Los Alamos Nature Center at 7 p.m. today.

The show will explore two independent streams of evidence for the world’s beginning and conclude with a brief sketch of the physics of the Big Bang itself.

Gisler was born under the dark and starry skies of eastern New Mexico and eventually found his way back to his home state. With a Bachelor’s degree in physics and astronomy Read More

PEEC Amateur Naturalist: Mr. Holmes And The Geometry Of Dandelions

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By ROBERT DRYJA
Los Alamos
 
Holmes now was particularly restless as a result of two events. First, he had just deduced that a particular diamond was a copy due to the angles of its facets. The angles had not matched the angles of the genuine article. Second, it was summer and he wanted to conduct his weekly explorations of the Jemez Mountains. I anticipated he would make some connection between geometry of the diamonds and what he observed as we hiked along a trail.
 
The case of the Geometric Dandelion. Courtesy photo
 
“My interest this week is in the recovery
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Santa Fe Raptor Center Visits Nature Center July 13

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Learn about New Mexico’s feathered friends July 13 at the Los Alamos Nature Center. Courtesy/PEEC

PEEC News:

Watch the Pajarito Environmental Education Center (PEEC) take flight with an exciting visit from the Santa Fe Raptor Center at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 13 at the Los Alamos Nature Center.

Thanks to a sponsorship from Del Norte Credit Union, Dr. Kathleen Ramsay will present New Mexico’s most intriguing birds. Meet the raptors up close and learn about their lives and their work as education animals. Nature Center staff also will be available to answer questions. This event is part of PEEC’s Read More

Flipping Crystals Improves Solar-Cell Performance

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Three types of large-area solar cells made out of two-dimensional perovskites. At left, a room-temperature cast film; upper middle is a sample with the problematic band gap, and at right is the hot-cast sample with the best energy performance.  Image courtesy Los Alamos National Laboratory. Courtesy/LANL

LANL News:

  • Perovskite research team spin-casts crystals for efficient and resilient optoelectronic devices

In a step that could bring perovskite crystals closer to use in the burgeoning solar power industry, researchers from Los Alamos National Laboratory, Northwestern University Read More

WIPP: New Waste Acceptance Criteria Released

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WIPP News:
 

The Carlsbad Field Office (CBFO) issued the revised Waste Acceptance Criteria (WAC) June 27 for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) to transuranic (TRU) waste generator site programs across the DOE complex.

 
Changes in WAC criteria for WIPP are being made in response to findings of the Accident Investigation Board’s report on the radiological release at WIPP in February 2014.
 
The WAC Revision 8 goes into effect on July 5 and TRU waste generator site programs will temporarily suspend certification of TRU waste, pending a determination
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HD3, NMDA And NMSU Announce ‘Innovation And Discovery In Agriculture And Food’ Nov. 9-10

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HD3 News:
 
The High Desert Discovery District (HD3) – New Mexico’s first privately-led high technology start-up accelerator – the New Mexico Department of Agriculture (NMDA) and New Mexico State University (NMSU) announced that they will co-host the next HD3 Discovery Day™ – “Innovation and Discovery in Agriculture and Food” – November 9-10 in Las Cruces.
 
The event will focus on statewide innovation and commercialization opportunities within or that impact the agriculture, value-added food products and food industries.
 
“You can think of this
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Hands & Voices Event At Nature Center July 9

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HANDS & VOICES News:

Hands & Voices New Mexico Chapter (HVNM) is hosting an event in Los Alamos at the Pajarito Environmental Education Center.  Event is scheduled for Saturday, from 10:30 to 1:30 p.m. Saturday, July 9.

There are three components to the event, and they are all FREE!:

  • 10:30 a.m.: Participate in the PEEC program nature hike.
  • 11:45 a.m.:  Learn about the college transition as a deaf or hard of hearing (D/HH) student from Chloe Madsen Keilers, a sophomore at Stanford.
  • 12:15 p.m.: Meet, mingle and munch with other families with D/HH children, D/HH adults, and professionals
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Nature On Tap: Recent Astronomy Findings July 7

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PEEC News:
 
The community is invited to Nature on Tap to discuss the latest findings in astronomy 5:30-7 p.m., at UnQuarked in Central Park Square.
 
Local astronomers and astrophysicists Dr. Paul Arendt, Dr. Galen Gisler and Dr. Rick Wallace will provide an engaging discussion about black holes, NASA’s Juno probe, the moons of Jupiter and Saturn, the night sky, and upcoming planetarium shows.
 
Paul Arendt received his PhD in physics at Ohio State University and now works in commercial manufacturing and the Applied Research & Development of Materials department
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