a.  Jornada Advisory Committee.  This advisory committee represents a cross-section of primary clientele for our research information.  The committee consists of 10 people and includes representation from the New Mexico Cattle Growers’ Association, New Mexico Department of State Lands, Bureau of Land Management, Nature Conservancy, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Audubon Society, Animas Foundation and Sierra Club.

     b.  Jornada Symposium.  Each year, the Jornada Basin Long-Term Ecological Research Program joins with the Jornada Experimental Range to host a symposium.  The 2004 symposium was attended by approximately 150 scientists, Federal stewardship agency personnel, ranchers and environmentalists.  Sixteen papers were presented on research in the Chihuahuan Desert region.

     c.  Extension Activities.  Throughout the year we present summaries of our research to the New Mexico Cattle Growers, Ecological Society of America, Society of Animal Science, Society for Range Management and via miscellaneous symposia at other Federal laboratories and universities in North America and world-wide.

     d.  Local Education Programs.  The CDNP is a nonprofit organization devoted to hands-on, inquiry-based science education programs for K-12 students, teachers, and the general public. The CDNP coordinates and conducts these programs in collaboration with the ARS and, during the 2003-2004 school year, they reached over 11,000 students. This agreement involves technology transfer activities and includes a plan to develop a 1,000-acre field site for science education programs by the CDNP. A bill to transfer this land from ARS to the CDNP is supported by ARS and has been introduced in the U.S. Senate. In 2004, plans for development of a portion of this site for science education were completed.