Environmental Education of New Mexico

In September 2025, EENM recruited 8 professionals for its annual fellowship program and began to develop individual outdoor learning capstone projects throughout New Mexico in partnership with local nonprofits and schools. The Lineberry Foundation has funded fellowship recruitment and professional development in 2026. The fellowship will culminate with capstone projects in late spring and summer of 2026. EENM seeks support from the Outdoor Equity Fund to cover costs associated with youth participation in these capstone projects and the EENM coordinator's time in providing oversight and support for these projects. Thanks to a geographically diverse cohort, capstones will take place across New Mexico in rural and urban areas. Brief descriptions of each project are provided below (and more detailed summaries are attached as a supplemental material): Summer Garden Club facilitated by Anu Ogunleye, Assistant Professor of Agricultural Science at Eastern New Mexico University Who: Youth ages 3-12 (25 youth) Activities: STEM learning related to agriculture and botany Where: Portales Spanish-language Botany Workshops led by cultural worker and interdisciplinary artist Blanca Stacey Villalobos Who: Students enrolled at Sandoval Academy for Bilingual Education (SABE) (30 students) Activities: Bilingual Botany lessons and guided hike Where: Boca Negra Canyon in Albuquerque Indigenous Agriculture Workshops with indigenous educator Leanna McClure Who: Youth from Isleta Pueblo (20 students) Activities: Workshops teaching traditional ecological knowledge Where: Cotton Blossom Gardens at Isleta Pueblo Farm to School Lessons led by Anna Martin, Food Security Coordinator for the Early Childhood Education & Care Department Who: Children at daycare centers receiving NM Grown Food (50 youth) Activities: Lessons teaching the basics of farming and nutrition, outdoor play and learning time Where: Daycare Centers in NM receiving NM Grown Food Art and Nature Workshops led by the Audubon Center's Senior Education Coordinator, Meghan Baker Who: Youth under 14 (100 youth) Activities: Cyanotype printing, nature journal creation Where: Randall Davey Audubon Center and Sanctuary, Santa Fe Outdoor Learning Summer Camp led by Nikoma Henkels, former Community Outreach Coordinator for the Bernalillo Community Museum Who: Children ages 5-10 enrolled in the Bernalillo Recreation Center summer camp (120 youth) Activities: Lessons about the Bosque ecosystem and a guided hike in the Bernalillo Bosque Where: Bernalillo Community Museum, Town of Bernalillo Children's Water Festival led by Upper Gila Watershed Alliance's Education Director Mary Stone Who: Fifth graders in Grant County (200 youth) Activities: Searching for aquatic insects, water testing experiments, hiking, and bird watching Where: The Gila and Mimbres Rivers Gardening Lessons led by campus garden consultant Amara Szrom Who: Students ages 5-8 at Roots and Wings Community School (15 youth) Activities: Guest gardening lessons and a garden cleanup day Where: Lama, New Mexico Anticipated impacts for students participating in these projects are as follows: - Increased time outdoors in a culturally responsive learning environment - Increased interest and confidence in the outdoors - Increased understanding of environmental processes - Increased sense of responsibility to steward and protect nature For a full description of each project, please see the Capstone Proposal Document submitted as a supplemental material.