Schoolyard Partnership: BEMP

The Bosque Ecosystem Monitoring Program (BEMP) is the Schoolyard Program partner for SEV LTER. BEMP’s mission is community science, education and stewardship: equitable and inclusive hands-on student research essential to the management of the Rio Grande ecosystem.

BEMP involves K12 and university students in the collection of long-term data at 34 riparian ecosystem sites along the Rio Grande. Data collected by students are used by federal and state agencies to make land management decisions and are publicly available. Students get experiential outdoor education while participating in research, deepening their understanding and appreciation of our local ecosystems, the value of outdoor spaces, and the process of doing science. BEMP supports ~10,000 participants per year (pre-COVID), including ~6000 K12 students from 50 schools (primarily Title I) across 350 miles of the Rio Grande.