Native Plant Society of New Mexico Native Plant Society of New Mexico

Shannon Lencioni. An NAU graduate student, Shannon will expand on observations of the effect of browsers on plant health and robustness by studying phytochemistry and growth factors. Noting that the Arizona Willow is a sensitive species, these data can provide important information for land managers.

Patrick Nolan, Friends of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks. This project seeks to improve the esthetics and supporting infrastructure of the Dripping Springs Natural Area Garden. The group hopes to inspire garden visitors to include native species in their residential landscapes.

Bryana Olmeda. A UNM graduate student, Bryana notes that the Brokeoff Mountains "represent several habitats within the Chihuahuan desert ecoregion." And: "This collections-based project allows us to see shifts in phenology, changing vegetation definitions, and evolutionary processes by carefully preserving years' worth of specimens in natural history museums."

Katelyn Gobbie. A graduate student at John Carroll University, she wrote: "Gypsum soils support many endemic and endangered plant species, contributing to some of the most biodiverse terrestrial hotspots worldwide... My research will provide public and land management agencies with key ecological information regarding moss biocrusts necessary for educational and conservation purposes."

John Gorey. During the course of CCF-funded research on Graham's Thistle (Cirsium grahamii), Gorey "came across another strange thistle high in the Mogollon Mountains. After sending photos of the plants to NM plant experts there is speculation that it could be a new species of thistle endemic to the Mogollon Mountains." With this grant Gorey will find, count, collect, and map this thistle. He hopes also to continue mapping work for Graham's Thistle.

Christina Selby. The project brings to light the interdependence of life in the Piñon-Juniper Woodland ecosystem, highlights the intimate lives of Pinyon Jays as the guardians of this ecosystem, the challenges and threats they face in their habitat as well as solutions being implemented across the intermountain west. There will be an exhibit and educational events at the Santa Fe Botanical Gardens on Museum Hill.

Parikrama Sapkota. Sapkota, a PhD candidate at UTEP wrote that this research "focuses on the effect of global change on the interaction between plant microbes in dryland systems." Using five grass species in a greenhouse experiment, plants will be analyzed for biomass and microbial diversity and community structure. The results will support efforts to restore historical perennial grasslands.

Stephanie Bestelmeyer, Asombro Institute. The grant will support delivery of previously developed lesson plans on plant traits, structure, and function to a number of classrooms in Dona Ana County. A prior recipient of CCF grants, Asombro aligns all lessons with educational standards in science, language arts, and math as students learn about native plants of the Chihuahuan Desert.

Joseph Kleinkopf. A graduate student at UNM, Kleinkopf brings a year of fieldwork in alpine flora collection and strong mentorship to this project. He writes: "Increased sampling should help to generate knowledge and data that are necessary for testing hypotheses of alpine ecology and evolution, as well as for better understanding how alpine communities are being affected by continued climate change."

Molly Reichenborn, NMSU. This PhD research project proposes to study the effectiveness of connectivity modifiers (panels of hardware cloth) to help capture "soil, seeds, and plant litter" with the intention of "creating more habitable conditions for herbaceous species to re-establish" in areas where mesquite has encroached.

Harpo Faust, UNM. " The goal of this project is to publish an updated checklist of the fern and fern allies for New Mexico that is publicly accessible. This list will be primarily based on reviewing herbarium specimens and occurrence data, as well as focused collection effort for the group over the next 2 years."

Danielle Hensley, Save our Bosque Task Force. Native plants will be planted during the spring and maintained throughout this year. "The Task Force and its partners are performing trail and park maintenance over the coming year. Some of the areas we are focusing on have low quality plant diversity, either through disturbance or invasive vegetation removal. This project allows us to enhance the plant diversity, as well as habitat and recreational quality in areas where we are already working.

Maya L. Shamsid-Deen, Zeta Phi Beta. An organization "created to pursue social justice, preserve cultural traditions, and provide a network of Black professionals," the participants for this one-day event "will interface with our membership which is largely comprised of Black and Brown women, and we have intentionally asked women, LGBTQIA+, and Black USFWS and SEV LTER guides to participate. We aim to showcase not only floristic diversity but also the diversity of environment stewards.” In the morning, [h]alf of the students will SEV LTER experimental sites while the other half does on-site activities to learn about New Mexico’s flora with USFWS Rangers.” In the afternoon the students will exchange places.

Izzy Barr, Railyard Park Conservancy. Santa Fe's Railyard Park is "filled with drought-tolerant plants that are meant to grow naturally without much human intervention. Yet for those accustomed to the manicured turf grass typical of most public parks, the sight can be a little jarring." Free distribution of the plant identification booklet will increase public awareness of native plants, using a local artist's work.