Albuquerque Biological Park Calendar of Events
September 2009 |
Featured Events
- Heritage Farm Guide Training - September 2
- International Vulture Awareness Day - September 5
- Brown Bag Lecture about Coral - September 10 and 12
- Rose Celebration - September 12-13
- Free Fishing Clinic - September 12
- Horticulture Volunteer Orientation - September 16
- Aquarium Overnight - September 18/19
- Ogata Kai Create a "Garden within a Garden" - September 18
- Japanese Garden Celebration - September 19
- Tingley Beach Fishing Guide Training - September 19
- Aquarium and Botanic Garden Greeter Training - September 22
- Zoo Greeter Training - September 23
- Fantastic World of Bugs - September 25-26
- Nature Cafe: Spider Hunter at the Botanic Garden - September 26
- National Free Fishing Day at Tingley Beach - September 26
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Notice to the public: |
The Mediterranean Conservatory at the Botanic Garden will be closed September 14 - 24, 2009, for exhibit preparation. The Fantastic World of Insects exhibit preview will open to the public in the Mediterranean Conservatory on September 25 at 10:00am. |
Heritage Farm Guide Training
Wednesday, September 2, 9:30am-3:30pm
Heritage Farm Guides are volunteers at the Botanic Garden's 1920-1930s era farm. This training will prepare you to interact with visitors to the farm and teach them about the connections we all have to the land. Open to volunteers 18 and over. Please call (505) 848-7180 for more information. The training will take place the Aquarium/Garden Education, 2601 Central Ave. NW.
International Vulture Awareness Day
Saturday, September 5, 10:00am-2:00pm
Bald is beautiful, especially when it allows an animal to be covered in blood and guts. Underappreciated and often vilified, vultures are not only fascinating birds, they also play an important role as janitors of the environment.
Vulture populations around the world are shrinking and some species are close to extinction. Visit the aviaries in the Zoo's Africa area to learn more about these bald birds, how biologists study them and why they need your help. Included with regular admission.
Coral Brown Bag Lecture at Aquarium
Thursday, September 10 and Saturday, September 12, 12:45-1:30pm
Topic: Coral on the Reef and at Home
Speaker: Bryce Risley, coral grower and photographer
Bryce Risley will discuss the anatomy of hard and soft corals and the importance that coral reefs play in protecting land masses and the abundant biodiversity they support.
He will go on to discuss how severely coral harvesting impacts reefs and explain modern techniques of coral propagation and husbandry that now allow even home hobbyists to raise corals in home aquaria. The ability to grow corals for the aquarium trade has created a thriving business in home raised corals that goes a long way towards negating the need for collecting wild corals and causing damage to a rapidly diminishing natural resource.
Bryce is an accomplished coral grower and photographer, and his talk is illustrated with many beautiful images of the corals he has propagated or seen in the wild. Bryce's photo above includes several different coral species.
This series of informal, lunchtime lectures presents the science of conservation. Topics include plant and animal themes relevant to the BioPark, and presenters may be BioPark staff or field experts.
Brown Bag lectures take place twice a month (on a Thursday and a Saturday), alternating between the Aquarium/Garden and the Zoo locations. Lectures at the Zoo are included with regular admission. There is no fee to attend the lectures at the Aquarium/Garden. Call (505) 848-7180 for more information.
Rose Celebration at the Garden
Saturday and Sunday, September 12-13, 9:00am - 5:00pm
Rose Celebration, a rose exhibit presented by the Albuquerque Rose Society, 
will be held in the Botanic Garden Showroom on September 12 and 13. Plans include workshops and displays.
Enjoy the colors and smells of beautiful roses in this special show. Included with regular admission.
Free Fishing Clinic
Saturday, September 12, 10:00am-12:00pm
Visit the event tent at Tingley Beach to learn more about fly-fishing and fly-tying, fishing etiquette, catch & release practices, and how to “catch the big one”. Tingley Beach Fishing Guides will be on-hand to teach and share fishing tips. Equipment and supplies are available for use during the clinic free of charge on a first-come, first-served basis.
Participants are welcome to bring their own gear as well. In addition, Tingley Outfitters provides basic equipment for purchase inside the Tingley Train Station.
Download a flyer about the 2009 Free Fishing Clinics 
Horticulture Volunteer Orientation
Wednesday, September 16, 9:30-12:00pm
Horticulture volunteers assist the BioPark horticulture staff with routine garden maintenance and special plant projects. Open to volunteers ages 16 and older. Please call (505) 848-7180 for more information. The training will take place the Aquarium/Garden Education, 2601 Central Ave. NW.
Aquarium Overnight
Friday-Saturday, September 18-19, 7:00pm-8:00am
Sleep next to the sharks at this family-friendly event. Participants will learn about interesting facts about ocean species and their nighttime behavior during this special Aquarium sleepover. Includes games and crafts, Touchpool visit and ocean film fest in the theater. Children under age 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
Cost: $25/person. Group size is limited. Pre-registration is required and and participation is reserved only after payment is received. Call (505) 848-7180 for more information and to register.
Ogata Kai Create a "Garden within a Garden"
Monday-Friday, September 14-18
A group of garden designers from Japan will create a new garden within the Sasebo Japanese Garden in just a few short days.
These highly experienced landscape architects all trained under the late Kenzo Ogata, one of the most renowned landscape architects in Japan. Toru Tanaka , the designer of the Sasebo Japanese Garden, is a member of this elite group of students.
Come watch them work in their traditional dress Monday-Thursday, September 14-17 during regular hours (9:00am-5:00pm).
Please join us for the dedication of this unique space on Friday, September 18 at 1:30pm! Included with admission.
Japanese Garden Celebration
Saturday, September 19, 10:00am-2:00pm
Visit the Sasebo Japanese Garden for this special Education event. The event will include Taiko drumming, tours of the Japanese Garden, and other special demonstrations. Please check back for a schedule of events. Included with admission.
Tingley Beach Fishing Guide Training
Saturday, September 19, 9:30am-3:30pm
Fishing Guides interact with anglers and other visitors at Tingley Beach, sharing information about the natural history of fish and proper fishing techniques. Fishing Guides may also assist with fishing clinics offered throughout the year. The training will start at Tingley Beach in the morning and reconvene after lunch at Aquarium-Garden Education. Must be at least 18 years old. For more information, please call (505) 764-6214.
Aquarium and Garden Greeter Training
Tuesday, September 22, 9:30am-3:30pm
Greeters act as hosts and hostesses for the BioPark, welcoming visitors and school groups. If you enjoy talking with people, this is the job for you! Open to ages 18 and up. For more information, please call (505) 764-6214.
Zoo Greeter Training
Wednesday, September 23, 9:30am-3:30pm
Greeters act as hosts and hostesses for the BioPark, welcoming visitors and school groups. If you enjoy talking with people, this is the job for you! Open to ages 18 and up. For more information, please call (505) 764-6214.
Fantastic World of Bugs Opens at the Garden (Temporary Exhibit)
Friday, September 25 at 1:30pm and Saturday, September 26, 10:00am-2:00pm
This temporary exhibit in the canyon of the Mediterranean Conservatory will preview some of the insects of the BioPark’s Insectarium (currently in design).
The exhibit opens on Friday at 1:30pm and will then be open during regular Biopark hours. A special educational celebration on Saturday from 10:00am-2:00pm will give visitors a chance to learn even more about these hopping, crawling and flying insects and arthropods from the Botanic Garden's Curator of Invertebrates and from our Insect Docents!
Included with regular admission.
Fantastic World of Bugs Events & Activities Schedule
Friday, Sept. 25, 1:30pm
- Dedication of the Temporary Exhibit “Fantastic World of Bugs”
- Featuring a Preview of the Future “Bugarium”
- Location: Mediterranean Conservatory
Saturday, Sept. 26, 10:00 – 2:00
- Celebration of Bugs Educational Activities
- 10:00 – 12:00 KNME Nature Café “Spider Hunter” video
- Q & A with Dr. Ralph Charlton, Curator of Invertebrates
- Location: AQ/BG Education Building
Saturday, Sept., 26, 10:00 – 2:00
- Up Close with Insects and their Relatives
- Volunteers will showcase a variety of live arthropods.
- Location: Garden Conservatories
- 10:00 Focus on Scorpions
- 11:00 Focus on Centipedes and Millipedes
- 12:00 Focus on Tarantulas
- 1:00 Focus on Tarantula Hawk Wasps, the NM State Insect
NATURE Cafe: Spider Hunter at the Botanic Garden
Saturday, September 26, 10:00am-12noon
Enjoy coffee and refreshments, and watch a short segment from the NATURE program The True Adventures of the Ultimate Spider-Hunter. From blond tarantulas to jumping spiders, to orb-weavers and the world’s biggest spider, find out about the most amazing arachnids!
Then, participate in an interactive discussion with arthropod expert, Dr. Ralph Charlton. Dr. Charlton is the Curator of Invertebrates at the Albuquerque BioPark where he is designing an entirely new kind of Insect Zoo, where insects can roam freely and mingle with visitors.
Join us as we celebrate the opening weekend of the Fantastic World of Insects exhibit in the Rio Grande Botanic Garden’s Mediterranean Conservatory!
Admission to the NATURE Café is free. Event takes place in the Aquarium/Botanic Garden Education Building. Advance reservations are required. To RSVP, please call (505) 848-7180.
National Free Fishing Day
Saturday, September 26, dawn to dusk
NO LICENSE REQUIRED FOR THIS DAY ONLY! All fishing-folks are invited to come out to Tingley Beach for National Free Fishing Day on Saturday, September 26.
Call (505) 248-8514 for more information.