The Santa Fe Girls’ School owns nine acres on the lower Santa Fe River, called the PRESERVE. For nearly 20 years, our students have restored and maintained a riparian habitat which serves as a field laboratory for our science program. Girls become experienced scientists as they monitor the site and collect and analyze data relating to biodiversity, the health of the river, and its ecology. Our school has one of the longest running water quality datasets in northern New Mexico, and it is used by other land agencies as they explore riparian issues of their own. At the end of the year, students present their data and analyses at a public forum.
Fast Facts:
PRESERVE stands for:
Protecting the River Environment, Stopping Erosion, and Restoring the Vital Ecology
Both the seventh and eighth grades visit the PRESERVE once a week throughout the school year to implement restoration plans, learn about riparian ecology, and collect and analyze data on ground water quality and flora/fauna.
Major achievements over the years include: removal of over 14,000 invasive Russian Olive trees, planting hundreds of willows and cottonwoods, student-discovered data included in the book, “Going Blue: A Kid’s Guide to Saving Our Oceans, Lakes, Rivers, and Wetlands,” the return of native beavers and other rare species due to the restored wetland.
The PRESERVE is open for tours. Contact us for more information.
