Four individuals from the New Mexico Ecological Services Field Office participated in environmental training during the Minority Youth Environmental Training Institute, August 4 - 13, 2006 in Glorieta, New Mexico.  The National Hispanic Environmental Council conducts the workshop.  The students visit various National Parks and Forest Service lands in northern New Mexico and receive instruction on collection of natural resource information.  Role models participate and explain how minorities are successful in the workforce.

Classroom and field activities include earth system principles, recycling concepts, careers in natural resources, opportunities for minority students, energy flow, soil and water quality, biological assessments, natural resource measurements with state-of-the-art equipment, team work, natural resource issues at various sites throughout New Mexico, environmental justice, human culture, and final presentations by teams of students.  The presence of Fish and Wildlife Service employees informed the students of our work and demonstrated the commitment of the Service to employee diversity. 

The Institute is an intensive, science-based, hands-on and highly educational 10 day residential program.  Thirty five minority high school students were selected from across the nation to participate.  Using classroom and outdoor settings, the Institute is designed to help create the environmental leaders of tomorrow by introducing, educating, and inspiring youth, especially Latinos and other minorities, to a range of environmental and natural resource topics.

Sponsor Federal agencies that participate include the U.S. Geological Survey, Forest Service, National Park Service, Environmental Protection Agency, and the Edison Electric Institute.  The Service has taken an active role in this training.