Explore Pollinators And Islamic Astronomy This Week With PEEC

IMG953349 (2)Join PEEC the week of Aug. 10 for a variety of live-streamed programs. On Tuesday, Aug. 11, Kaitlin Haase of the Xerces Society will discuss Southwest pollinators. Then, on Friday, Aug. 14, Galen Gisler will talk about medieval Islamic astronomy. Both events will begin at 7 p.m. and registration is required at peecnature.org/events. Photo Courtesy PEEC

Join the Pajarito Environmental Education Center (PEEC) on Tuesday, Aug. 11 and Friday, Aug. 14 at 7 p.m. for live-streamed programs. On Aug. 11, Kaitlin Haase, the Southwest Pollinator Conservation Specialist with the Xerces Society, will discuss what is happening in the world of pollinators in the Southwest. Then, on Aug. 14, astronomer Galen Gisler will give a talk on medieval Islamic astronomy.

In Tuesday’s pollinator program, Haase will give an update on pollinators in the Southwest and discuss what we can do in our backyards and communities to help these important animals. In her position Haase works to create climate-resilient, connected pollinator habitat in the Santa Fe and Albuquerque areas. She collaborates with and educates public and private urban land managers in New Mexico and the desert Southwest on pollinator-friendly practices for landscaping, gardening and open space restoration.

During Friday’s astronomy talk, Gisler will talk about the dozens of profound thinkers in physics, mathematics, philosophy and astronomy in places from Samarkand to Spain that prepared the groundwork for the rebirth of science in Renaissance Europe. He will introduce al-Kwarizmi (from whose name we derive “algorithm”), al-Tusi (whose “Tusi couple” is fundamental to Copernicus’s model) and the precision astrometry of Ulugh Beg. The audience will also see where our names for most named stars have come from during this talk.

In addition to these two programs, join PEEC’s weekly virtual vinyasa flow yoga class on Sunday, Aug. 16 with Christa Tyson. This class is held every Sunday from 10 – 11 a.m. Tyson is the Visitor Services Manager at PEEC and has been teaching yoga since 2003.

All events will be hosted via the live-streaming platform Zoom. Registration is required at peecnature.org/events to receive the meeting link and password. The pollinator and astronomy programs each have a suggested donation of $5 to attend. The yoga class is free for PEEC volunteers, $5 for PEEC members and $7 for non-members. Event registration donations and fees help PEEC continue to be able to offer live-streamed programming while the Los Alamos Nature Center is closed due to COVID-19.

For more information about this and other PEEC programs, visit www.peecnature.org, email publicity@peecnature.org or call (505) 662-0460.

PEEC was founded in 2000 to serve the community of Los Alamos. It offers people of all ages a way to enrich their lives by strengthening their connections to our canyons, mesas, mountains and skies. PEEC operates the Los Alamos Nature Center at 2600 Canyon Road, holds regular programs and events and hosts a number of interest groups from birding to hiking to butterfly watching. The Los Alamos Nature Center is currently closed due to COVID-19, but there are many ways to learn about nature and interact with PEEC online. PEEC activities are open to everyone; however, members receive exclusive benefits such as discounts on programs and merchandise. Annual memberships start at $35. To learn more, visit www.peecnature.org.