NM Curriculum NM Field Trips NM Classroom Visits NM Water NM Gardens NM Artists NM Nature Centers
Land Witness Project and Beata Tsosie-Peña
In February 2021, Nancy Weeks Singham a member of the Land Witness Project and Beata Tsosie-Peña from Tewa Women United discussed their climate justice work. The Land Witness Project highlights stories about the impact of climate change on New Mexicans lives and livelihoods. This video would be great for use in a discussion of climate justice and indigenous rights in a middle or high school classroom.
Sacred Land Sacred Water Documentary
Sacred Land Sacred Water tells the story of scientists and citizens working together to resist the oil and gas lobby’s ongoing efforts to pass a fracking-friendly ordinance in Sandoval County, NM. It details the risks posed by fracking to the entire middle Rio Grande aquifer. Ideal for middle and high school students. This documentary is interdisciplinary and could be shown in science, social studies, and civics classes. Free streaming of the documentary
NYTimes lesson plan on Fracking: This is a 7-12 grade lesson plan that can complement Sacred Land Sacred Water documentary. In this lesson students will learn about hydrofracking, identify how the demand for natural gas is changing, then research and map how natural gas development may impact community. The lesson includes videos, background vocabulary, discussion and reading. It is set up so teams of students to can work on different parts of the research and present to the class.
PBS Video Clean Water in Las Cruces
This PBS lesson plan for grades 7-12 explores how climate change is affecting New Mexicans’ access to clean water. The video focuses on how rural communities are particularly impacted and how people do not have the resources to continue to dig deeper wells. The demands of agriculture on the water supply are also explored. The site includes many links for students to investigate water issues in the southwest.
Our Land, PBS New Mexico
Our Land has weekly episodes on climate issues in New Mexico. There are interviews with leading climate scientists, Rio Grande Water issues, and community gardens. All shows are archived.
Agroforestry in New Mexico
Agroforestry blends agriculture and trees; the term has become popular in certain parts of the country, however, it is not as commonly used in New Mexico, despite the fact that agroforestry is more woven into the culture here than many of us realize. Watch these videos to learn more about three different Indigenous-led agroforestry projects in New Mexico. And check out these additional resources from the Southwest Tribal Agroforestry Outreach Project.