Keith Bruno, who serves as the Southwest Colorado community naturalist for Audubon Rockies, will present a program on biodiversity at the June 27 monthly meeting of Creation Care Pagosa.
The meeting will run from 5:30 to 6:45 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall of Community United Methodist Church at 434 Lewis St. The meeting will dismiss in time for attendees to watch the presidential debate.
Biodiversity is the variety of all living things on earth and how they fit together in the web of life, bringing oxygen, water, food and countless other benefits.
According to a recent study by the World Wildlife Fund, biodiversity is declining faster than at any time in human history, with almost a 70 percent decline in the populations of mammals, birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians since 1970.
Some people believe that this decline doesn’t affect our pristine mountain wilderness or our human enjoyment of it.
Just as one example, a study released in 2023 by the National Academy of Sciences reported a 72 percent drop in the Western bumblebee here in southwestern Colorado — a vital pollinator for our region. The most probable culprit is agricultural pesticides. Besides harmful chemicals, our local flora and fauna are under constant threat from a warming climate, habitat loss, air and water pollution, and invasive species.
The good news is we can all help preserve and promote biodiversity here in Pagosa Springs. Bruno will have information and answer your questions on how local citizens can combat biodiversity loss.
One new program sponsored by Audubon Rockies is the Habitat Hero Certification Program. You can certify all or part of your acreage or yard through an easy, online enrollment program at www.rockies.audubon.org/habitat-hero.
Chuck and Sarah Riehm were the first Pagosans to receive this designation.
In 2020, local community groups came together to install a Habitat Hero demonstration garden on the grounds of the Geothermal Greenhouse Partnership downtown. This garden space is open to the public and can give you some great ideas on how to use native plants and natural gardening techniques to improve biodiversity.
“To be a Habitat Hero, you need to do such things as stop using chemical fertilizers and pesticides, plant only native species and provide welcoming infrastructure for native bugs and birds,” said Sarah Riehm.
Find out more about these and other programs and techniques to promote biodiversity at the meeting.
Creation Care Pagosa is a faith-based environmental stewardship and community education organization. If you would like to be on the mailing list for our Creation Care monthly meeting announcements or future events, contact sarah.riehm@gmail.com.
