Pollinators At Work
An eco-friendly initiative spreads the love to help restore native habitats
The annual Pollinator Week celebration to raise awareness and support for pollinator health (y’know, like, bugs and stuff) kicked off Monday and runs through Sunday, June 22. This means it’s time to give a bit of extra love to all the cute little insects out there who are working hard while helping to keep ecosystems and biodiversity alive and well around here.
And though there are a variety of ways to help the cause, one Santa Fe resident has developed a particularly accessible way to get involved for those with the proper determination. Local wildlife ecologist and pollinator conservation specialist Kaitlin Haase is a part of The Xerces Society, an international nonprofit environmental organization on a mission to help conserve and protect invertebrates while working to ensure there is plenty of habitat in which pollinators can thrive. This marks the fifth year of the Santa Fe Pollinator Trail Habitat Kit Program, an initiative spearheaded by the Xerces Society to connect climate resilient habitats throughout Santa Fe.
“This one in Santa Fe is pretty unique in that we’re targeting more residential spaces to create habitat patches throughout the developed part of the city,” Haase tells SFR.
The concept behind the program is rather straight forward. Those interested in participating simply fill out an online form by June 30—a process put in place to make sure those inquiring are serious about a long-term commitment to developing native flowering plant habitats. Each kit contains eight native flowering species grown pesticide-free by Santa Ana Native Plant Nursery. Then, in August, the lucky selected will meet at the Santa Fe Fairground to receive their pollinator kits, put together by the local nonprofit champs at the Santa Fe Extension Master Gardeners organization.
According to Haase, residents of densely developed neighborhoods will receive the highest priority, as she believes urban areas are in desperate need when it comes to restoring destroyed habitats.
“There’s a lot of development going on in Santa Fe right now,” she says. “We’re removing a lot of natural open space that used to be habitat, and with that loss, we’re trying to mitigate that by offering free plants to residences and public spaces throughout the city to bring back that natural habitat for all of our incredible diversity of pollinators.” (Adam Ferguson)
The Santa Fe Pollinator Trail Habitat Kit Program:
June 10-June 30. Free
xerces.org/pollinator-conservation/
habitat-kits/new-mexico
Book is Book
Courtesy the Artist
“Read Between The Lines”
We’ve all George Costanza’d a book club at some point or another by watching the movie then showing up for the wine and conversation only to learn that we should’ve just read the thing. It’s a tale as old as time born of pressure and lit snobs and that summertime rosé lust that can never ever be quenched. At this week’s Silent Book Club event at El Rey Court’s La Reina Bar, however, that pressure flies out the window and is replaced by a quiet place to read whatever the heck you wish for an hour, then you can talk turkey with the other word-o-philes afterward if that strikes your fancy. The bar even offers a so-called library card through which one can earn a drink after attending five Silent Book Club meetings. We recommend picking up something trashy for summer. But never Dan Brown. Ever. (ADV)
Silent Book Club: 7-9 pm Thursday, June 19. Free
La Reina, 1862 Cerrillos Road, (505) 982-1931
Mucho Mucha
Photo Provided
Everyone you know from the tattoo fanatic to the
theater dork to the passionate art-lover is likely in some level of love with the work of Czech painter Alphone Mucha. In fact, Mucha’s work pretty much defined (and continues to define) our general understanding of the Art Nouveau movement—and it’s coming to Santa Fe. Beginning this week at the Vladem Contemporary satellite wing of the New Mexico Museum of Art, Timeless Mucha: The Magic of Line showcases Mucha’s illustrative prowess and influence through an exhibit organized by the Mucha Foundation itself. It would be quicker to list the things the man didn’t influence, but suffice it to say that if you’ve ever enjoyed comic books, album covers, film and theater posters or album art as we know them, you’ll like this. (ADV)
Timeless Mucha: The Magic of Line Opening Day:
10 am-5 pm Friday, June 20. Vladem Contemporary
404 Montezuma Ave., (505) 476-5072
Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand…You Know the Rest
IMDB
With Tony fervor still buzzing in our ears (shout-out to Cole Escola!)—not to mention the forthcoming season of the opera, the Santa Fe Opera and the Center for Contemporary Arts get into the music-on-stae spirit with Film Series: A Prelude to Our 2025 Season events. This week, SFO’s La bohème director James Robinson and psychiatrist Don Finberg pop by the arthouse cinema to screen the film version of the musical Rent while offering a pre-film look into shared themes between the enduring Broadway smash and Puccini’s iconic show. Oh, and you can totally do a mini-tailgate thing with wine from Highgarden Entertainment and some nice cheese pairings from Picnic New Mexico Cheese & Charcuterie for an additional cost. (ADV)
Film Series: A Prelude to our 2025 Season: Rent: 6 pm Tuesday, June 24. $20 ($13 extra for wine and cheese). Center for Contemporary Arts
1050 Old Pecos Trail, (505) 982-1338
