This protected area never ceases to impress me. The nature here has fantastic colors- everywhere you look you will always see something interesting. Looking at the canyon structures is like a visual refreshment. You will always see animals using these structures, such as White-throated Swifts and Violet-green Swallow; as small as Golden-mantled ground squirrel and Colorado chipmunk, and as large as Elk, bears and Mountain lions 🤩.

It is impossible to generalize here regarding the type of ecosystem. There are very dry habitats here composed of shrubs, but also forested areas with very high elevation, and vital rivers that present a great diverse of aquatic life.

One of my new experiences is to participate in an interesting project about the Meadow Jumping Mouse species, specifically this study (in charge of my internship partners) aims to know the occupancy of this species within Bandelier, as it is known to inhabit the Caldera and its surroundings, but it is necessary to know if there are already habitat uses of jumping mice in this place, and that’s why this project is already working to find out. I forgot to tell you that this is an endangered species 👀. Isn’t this incredible? Personally I feel passion and a lot of commitment to contribute to the Earth since we humans have not been aware of our actions over the years.

Can you imagine what it is like to be at 7353.35 feet (2241.30 meters) with spectacular landscapes? Yes, it is possible, through a destressing hike along Frijoles Canyon; we went to install sound recorders for bats and owls, and it was necessary to go through these giant rocks. This is one of the most energetic and favorite activities for nature lovers.

Here there are rocks 360 degrees around you!

Once again we did the Peregrine Falcon survey, and at the end of this activity I ventured out to visit one of the most visually incredible areas for me. I believe that a photograph can explain more than text, so here it is:

Every week Bandelier is offering me new opportunities to learn, how I enjoy that!