Sandia Mountain Natural History Center
The Sandia Mountain Natural History Center is an environmental education center located in the Sandia Mountains just east of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Our beautiful 128-acre piece of pinon-juniper forest is owned by the Albuquerque Public School System, and is run by the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science. Since 1967 the center has been teaching the students of New Mexico about the environment and how to preserve it. The primary mission of the center and its staff is to educate the citizens of New Mexico about ecology, ecosystems, the environment and conservation. The Center was declared an Environmental Education Landmark by the National Park Service and was awarded the Environmental Excellence Award by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Site Overview
The Center, which is adjacent to the Cibola National Forest, consists of:
• Approximately 7 miles of trails
• 5 classrooms
• Multipurpose room
• Explorers' Center, hands-on Museum
• Eco-Casa, full-size model of an environmentally friendly house
• Teacher Resource Library
• Restrooms
• Office space
Rainwater harvesting barrels on the south end of Stubbe Center
The center serves more than 12,000 people a year in a variety of different programs for school groups, as well as the general public. Our school programs are an exciting part of the SMNHC experience. In the "Ecology Field Program" students visit the center for a 4-hour program. During that time they go for a 2-hour hike and participate in hands-on activities focusing on ecosystems.
While our Center is not open to the public during school hours, we do host several public events throughout the year to let people see this unique New Mexican treasure. From nature walks to bird watching and animal tracking the SMNHC has something for all nature lovers.
The center also hosts teacher workshops. The topics for these workshops typically reflect some aspect of ecology.
During the winter months the SMNHC staff provides an outreach program, traveling around the state teaching the "Ecology Road Show" and the "Traveling Ecology Field Program". The "Ecology Road Show" is a 2-hour program about the basic elements of an ecosystem. The "Traveling Ecology Field Program" features nature hikes near the student's schools.
