outdoor
happenings
RIO GRANDE BOTANIC POLLINATOR WEEK
June 2007 14
GARDEN
EVENTS
W
hat do bees, bats, and beetles have in common? They are all plant pollinators and essential to many of the foods we love to eat and flowers we love to see. The Rio Grande Botanic Garden will celebrate pollinators during National Pollinator Week, Monday, June 25-Saturday, June 30 from 10am-2pm daily. Activities are included with regular admission, unless otherwise noted.
The birds, the bees, the bats and more... at the RIO GRANDE BOTANIC GARDEN
Visit hands-on discovery stations to meet a variety of pollinators, learn why flies are important to vanilla ice cream, and see how bees make honey and help make apple pie. Create pollinator arts and crafts, listen to stories about these incredible animals, learn about plants you can grow for pollinators. Guided tours of the PNM Butterfly Pavilion will be offered each day. Visitors can hear about their amazing life cycles and learn to identify many of the common species found in the pavilion.
Garden docents will also lead tours of the Pollinators’ Garden, pointing out plants that provide pollinator habitat. Spend time in the Pollinators’ Garden to see hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees at work gathering nectar and moving pollen. Gather information about how you can create a pollinator garden at home.
A variety of hands-on activities for children and adults will be offered in the courtyard of the Children’s Fantasy Garden each day. Build flowers and pollinator partners with recycled materials. Make a newspaper pot and plant a seed to take home and grow. Create a garden bracelet out of colorful beads representing a variety of flowers and pollinators. And help make bee and bat houses that will be hung in the BioPark to create habitat for pollinators. On Wednesday, June 27, join a guided tour from 7:00-8:30 all about nocturnal pollinators. Watch as bats dip and dart over the garden pond and listen for the buzz of hawk moths. The Pollinator Night Walk is $6 for adults and $4 for youth and seniors; pre-registration is suggested. Please call 848-7180 to register. Other speakers on gardening for pollinators and local beekeepers on general bee biology and colony collapse disorder will also be scheduled. For a full schedule of events or more information, please go to www.cabq.gov/biopark or call Amy at 848-7180.
New Mexico’s Herbal
EXPO Rediscover your innate capacity to move, think and feel. Karen Swift, MSPT, CFP
Wholistic Physical Therapy Integrating Feldenkrais®, Qi Gong, Yoga & hands on techniques.
505.401.8206
www.karenswift.com
T
he New Mexico Herb Growers Association will host the 2nd Herbal Expo on Sunday, June 24th at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque. The format will be a combination educational conference and vendors’ exhibit. Local herb and specialty crop growers, especially organic growers, will be on hand in the main plaza offering a wide variety of herbs and herbal products. These will include culinary herbs, ornamental and flowering plants, dye plants and dye plant products, honey and honey products, and of course medicinal herbs and herb products. Anyone providing a service that involves herbs, such as massage therapy, aromatherapy, or body and skin care using herbal products are also encouraged to have booths at the Expo. Made possible by a grant from the NMDA Specialty Crops Program, the Herbal Expo is an excellent way for health-conscious consumers and the general public to learn more about the importance and value of herbs, natural health products, and alternative health care. This year’s educational conference features both local and national expertise coming together to help growers learn more about how to grow and market these specialty crops, as well as explaining and discussing the various aspects of herbal regulations that may develop in the coming months and years. Two con-
current tracks will be held, one focusing on herb production and marketing, the other dealing with the clinical and regulatory aspects of herbalism and the herb industry. The growth of the herb industry over the last ten years, coupled with things like the recent ephedra scare, have brought herbs and herbalism increasingly under the scrutiny of the FDA. The possibility of medicinal herb standardization, greater regulatory measures, and restriction of the availability of herbs, could have negative consequences for small-scale herb growers and limit the availability of certain herbs to consumers. Growers, herbalists, and the general public all need to be kept informed of these issues and their potential impact on the herb industry and alternative health care. Our first Herbal Expo held last summer was a great success, thanks to the volunteer efforts of the Expo committee and support from sponsors like La Montanita Co-op. We hope to build on that success and continue to offer the Expo as an opportunity to promote locally-grown, smallscale, organic herbs, specialty crops, and herb products. For more information about the conference or to register, contact Charles Martin at cmartin@nmsu.edu or call 505-852-9071. If you wish to be a vendor, please contact Monique Ortega, vendor coordinator, at 852-0555 or email jmak2415@valornet.com.
The Herb Industry IS GROWING
Albuquerque Open Space
Summer Series Join the City of Albuquerque’s Open Space Division for a summer of family fun during our 2007 Open Space Summer Series. All programs are free with a $2.00 parking fee. The Elena Gallegos Picnic Area is located at the end of Simms Park Road, east of Tramway Boulevard, just north of Academy. For more information, call Bill Pentler at 452-5222 or go to www.cabq.gov/openspace. Saturday SUNSET SERIES at Elena Gallegos Picnic Area The Saturday Sunset Series will feature talks, demonstrations and concerts by some of Albuquerque's best speakers, teachers and performers at the Elena Gallegos Picnic Area Amphitheater on Saturdays at 7pm. June 2: Two Roses: Flute and Harp – Performance by Bonnie Schmader and Donese Mayfield
June 9: Talking Talons – Animal demonstration and talk by Talking Talons Staff June 16 : Wildlife West – Animal demonstration and talk by Wildlife West Staff June 23: Flint Knapping – Talk by Luther Rivera June 30: NM Ghost Hunters – Facts and stories by Ghost Hunter Staff July 7: Ancient Weapons – Talk by Ron Fields SUNDAY HIKES at Elena Gallegos Picnic Area, Pino Trailhead Starting at 9am on selected Sundays from the Pino Trailhead, knowledgeable guides will lead Sunday Hike explorations of the geology, flora and fauna of the Sandia Mountain Foothills. June 10: Introduction to GPS – Erik Zsemlye June 17: Bike Maintenance 101 – REI Staff June 24: Map and Compass for Families – Paul Daily July 1: Tracking – Casey McFarland July 15: A Hike Through Time; Archeology of the Foothills – Dr. Matt Schmader, Open Space Division
SO CLOSE, YET A WORLD AWAY