NMSU Stewardship Program

Local students participate in enrichment opportunity

By Leeann DeMouche

The Earth Science and Land Stewardship Academy sponsored by New Mexico State University Physical Science Laboratory (PSL) and the Suborbital Center of Excellence (SCE), which is funded by NASA’s 21st Century Aerospace program, graduated 20 elementary school students this summer in their week long stewardship program.

Part of the steward program included project investigator Dr. Jill Schroeder’s RGBI invasive weed program. During the week-long academy, students visited NMSU’s weed research farm, which provided hands-on activities to help them learn about different soils, water and how weeds grow and the problems they cause for local agriculture. Schroeder’s RGBI weed project focuses on how to manage vegetation more effectively and sustainably with the goal of saving water, maintaining water quality and reducing the spread of weeds along irrigation canals.

The academy program finished up the week helping students expand their knowledge of New Mexico and the importance of land stewardship. All students who attended the academy had the opportunity to see, touch and investigate what makes New Mexico a unique place.