NMFWRI homepage
Contact

Conservation Science Center

The Conservation Science Center (CSC) focuses on building equitable and accessible pathways in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) because sustained landscape conservation needs to be led from within local communities.   We build capacity through place-based immersive programming, opportunities to cultivate STEM identities and the empowerment of local voices. We cultivate future managers and decision-makers from within local communities who are committed to long-term resiliency of New Mexico’s rich natural and cultural heritage, in fire-adapted and post-wildfire landscapes.

Signature K-12 programming

STEM Showdown: annual day-long science immersion for high school and middle school aged students, and in partnership with NM MESA. Students engage with federal, state, academic and non-profit employers in natural resources for hands-on activities and insights into career pathways.   

North Regional Envirothon: annual mini-competition in preparation for statewide event. Open to any school with a team of 4 students (minimum); also appropriate for MESA, FFA, 4H students.  

Mora Outdoor School: Place-based programming serving northeast NM students in partnership with Collins Lake Ranch. Regular programming with 5th graders from Mora Independent Outdoor School, homeschool students (K-12) and Rio Gallinas School for Ecology and the Arts. 

Contact: Shantini Ramakrishnan, CSC manager
shantinir@nmhu.edu

Donate to the Conservation Science Center

Donations to the Conservation Science Center are used to support K-12 programming in New Mexico, leadership and life skills development among undergraduate and graduate STEM students, community partnerships, and CSC-related initiatives.

Center, Clay Goetsch of NMFWRI's Ecological Monitoring team, leads an activity with high school students participating in the 2025 NNM Envirothon. at Collins Lake Ranch Photo by Faith Purvey/NMFWRI
High school students gather aquatic macroinvertebrate samples from the Gallinas River near Las Vegas, NM during the Summer Bridge Academy coordinated by CSC in 2025. Photo by Shantini Ramakrishnan/NMFWRI
Students from several Northern New Mexico high schools participated in the 2025 Northern NM Envirothon held at Collings Lake Ranch. Here at a table hosted by NMFWRI, students identify trees and use tools to take tree measurements. Photo by Faith Purvey/NMFWRI
Taryn Schlosser of NMFWRI's Ecological Monitoring team, talks to 4-H members during the 2025 New Mexico 4-H Leadership Retreat. Photo by Shantini Ramakrishnan/NMFWRI
High school students participate in the 2025 Summer Field Experience at Collins Lake Ranch. SFE is coordinated by NMFWRI's Conservation Science Center (CSC). Photo by Carmella Scorcia Pacheco/NMFWRI
Students at United World College near Las Vegas, NM learn how to use a Simtable to learn about fires, forests and watersheds. The workshop was co-taught by the Conservation Science Center at NMFWRI and the HU Department of Forestry. Photo by Faith Purvey/NMFWRI
New Mexico high school students took part in the 2024 Summer Field Experience held June 3-15 near Las Vegas, NM. Students learned hands on science research skills and collected data for their own projects to present to friends and family. The camp was organized by the Conservation Science Center of the New Mexico Forest and Watershed Restoration Institute at Highlands University. Photos by NMFWRI.
High school students take measurements at the Gallinas River near Las Vegas, NM during the 2025 Summer Bridge Academy coordinated by CSC at NMFWRI. Photo by Shantini Ramakrishnan/NMFWRI.
Victor Lucero of NM Forestry Division, shows bark beetles to students and families during a hands-on Earth Day event celebrating Seed to Tree, Mountain to River at New Mexico Highlands University on April 25, 2025. Co-hosted by the NMHU Forestry Dept and the NM Forest and Watershed Restoration Insitute. Photo by Staci Matlock/NMFWRI
Students try out archery during the annual STEM Showdown at Storrie Lake. The event is coordinated by the Conservation Science Center at NMFWRI. Photo by NMFWRI
AJ Lujan, range specialist with Tierra y Montes Soil and Water Conservation District in San Miguel County, talks about range plants to students during STEM Showdown in 2024.
New Mexico Deptartment of Game and Fish was one of several partners discussing their work as part of STEM Showdown at Storrie Lake State Park in 2024.
Blanca Cespedes, fire ecologist and assistant professor in the Highlands University Forestry Department, discusses fire behavior with students at the United World College in 2024. Photo by Faith Purvey/NMFWRI
New Mexico high school students took part in the 2024 Summer Field Experience held June 3-15 near Las Vegas, NM. Students learned hands on science research skills and collected data for their own projects to present to friends and family. The camp was organized by the Conservation Science Center of the New Mexico Forest and Watershed Restoration Institute at Highlands University. Photos by NMFWRI.
Students try making seed balls during a Mora Friday Outdoor School event at Collins Lake Ranch.