On May 29, 2026, the Jornada LTER held the second annual Field Season Kickoff with great success. The event included many students and investigators from across the NMSU and UTEP campuses, as well as many others who attended through Zoom.
The day started with an orientation of the Jornada by Greg Maurer. Students were introduced not only to the Jornada site but also to important contacts and resources to make the field season easier and safer. Following the orientation, the attendees participated in a Stakeholder Communication workshop led by JRN-LTER Student Representative, Samuel Jurado. In this workshop, participants were able to learn about different types of stakeholders and how to communicate with them. Through breakout groups and interactive polls, they were able to apply the knowledge they gained in real-world scenarios.
After a much-needed lunch break, the participants returned to listen to JRN-LTER students present their research. Maegan Breckage and Jeremiah Fierro presented on their research regarding pulse-driven patterns in ecosystem C fluxes in drylands and the timing of insect emergence/effects on avian insectivores in the Chihuahuan Desert, respectively. After a brief discussion between the presenters and the rest of the group, they moved on to the field safety workshop.
Gabriela Franco from the Asombro Institute and Marguerite Mauritz from UTEP led the group in safety scenarios to help prepare them for the upcoming field season. Scenarios included both physical safety (like what to do in a thunderstorm or extreme heat) and mental safety (like Title IX and discrimination issues).
At the end of the long but informative day where the participants were able to get to know each other on a professional level, they were now able to get to know each other on a personal level over frozen custard at the Caliches social hour.
If you were unable to make it this year, the community slide deck is available for you to look at the presentations and workshop slides. Additionally, here are links to the orientation packet and the field safety one pager if you want or need them.
If you have any questions about this year’s Field Season Kickoff or want to participate in next year’s event, please reach out to either Greg Maurer at gmaurer@nmsu.edu or Kayleigh Getkin at kamber2@nmsu.edu.