July 2009
To Catch a Dragonfly
by Karen Boehler
When most people think about a wildlife refuge, they probably think about deer and elk, or maybe bears and raccoons. In New Mexico, because of the Bosque Del Apache Wildlife Refuge, they might think of birds. Even fish might occasionally come to mind. But insects? That’s exactly what Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge, serviced by Central Valley Electric Cooperative in Artesia, is becoming known for. In this case, two specific varieties of insects: dragonflies and damselflies.
“Most refuges have what are called wetlands,” says Bitter Lake ranger Steve Alvarez. “Areas that are submerged by water and then they provide an aquatic habitat. So dragonflies in general are common. What makes us unique is we have more than 100 species of damselflies and dragonflies.”
Although the refuge just northeast of Roswell was established in 1937 to provide wintering habitat for migratory birds, it wasn’t until 2001 that then refuge manager Bill Radke, who had a keen interest in biology, started noticing the wide variety of dragonflies. “Under his management, he ended up contacting a professional insect person (an entomologist), and they hired him for a year,” Alvarez says.
A Flying Idea
That was the start of what’s become ongoing studies of the dragonflies at the refuge, as well as the Dragonfly Festival, a yearly event that focuses on the brightly-colored fliers. “We came up with the idea we ought to do something to put Bitter Lake on the map,” says Bill Briney, a past president of “Friends of Bitter Lake.” Thus, the festival was born.
The idea was not only to promote the refuge but to help raise money for ongoing projects. A nonprofit organization, the “Friends” mission is to increase public awareness and promote a better understanding of the refuge’s goals and appreciation of the uniqueness of the area.
The festival began modestly but has grown ever since, drawing almost 2,000 visitors in 2008.
Year 2008 “has probably been the most successful Dragonfly Festival yet, as far as the tours go,” Alvarez says. “We had several hundred people come through and everybody’s been real pleased.”
And even more are expected this year on September 12-13.
Visitors will find dozens of activities to keep them busy, ranging from exhibits to lectures to a free hot dog lunch on Saturday.
The Joseph R. Skeen Visitor Center, which opened in 2006, has permanent exhibits detailing the grassland, desert and marsh areas of the refuge. There are hanging displays, murals and a fish tank with a recorded voice telling the natural and human history of the refuge.
During the festival, the main room and outside deck area are filled with displays from organizations across the state, including the Lincoln National Forest, Dexter National Fish Hatchery, Sevilleta and Bosque Del Apache Wildlife Refuges, Carlsbad Caverns and Guadalupe Mountains National Parks, Living Desert and Bottomless Lakes State Parks, the Roswell Garden Club, the Albuquerque Rio Grande Zoo, and other organizations.
“We do the festival almost every year,” says Jerry Ethridge, with Albuquerque’s Zoo-to-You program. “It’s pretty good. We’re there all day.”
Experts on dragonflies (odonates) and other refuge features, offer lectures throughout the day. There is fun for youngsters too from art projects and face painting to visits by Smokey Bear and the Blue Goose (a mascot for the country’s national wildlife refuges). There are guided tours of remote refuge areas, and birders have the opportunity to search for more than 347 species that are documented on the refuge.
Endangered species tours—which are regularly scheduled from October through May, the first Saturday of each month—take visitors into areas normally closed to the public to see the sinkholes and springs protected by the refuge.
But of course, the most popular tours are the dragonfly tours, with experts taking groups to places such as Lake St. Francis and sinkholes that are teeming with dragonflies.
Nets and Wings
Last year, Bill Lindermann of Fredricksburg, TX, was one of the dragonfly tour leaders. A retired geologist who calls himself “a recycled birder,” first came to Bitter Lake four years ago. “I was still learning about dragonflies then but since that time I’ve learned a lot more, and they’re very fascinating creatures,” he says.
During the festival, small groups in vans leave every few hours from the visitor center. The guides point out the natural history of the refuge, identify birds, plant life and wildlife, and make numerous stops to check out the countless dragonflies and damselflies.
Nets are supplied on the tours but visitors are welcomed to bring nets of their own also. Dragonflies are surprisingly easy to catch. As they flit over visitors’ heads, perch on snags sticking out of the desert floor or swoop down to the sinkhole waters, a quick flash of the net will most likely catch one of the colorful creatures.
Dragons versus Damsels
Once a dragonfly or damselfly is caught, it is carefully removed from the net and held gently at the base of the wings, for close-up viewing by all.
The experts point out the differences between dragonflies and damselflies—the easily seen differences are in the eyes, body shape, wing shape and wing position at rest—and identify the insect by gender and type.
Some of the more prevalent at Bitter Lakes are Manatee Skimmers, Familiar Bluets, Four-Spotted Pennants, Variegated Meadow Hawks, Marl Pennants, Bleached Skimmers, and Blue Eyed Darners. Even the novice dragonfly watchers are quickly able to identify some of the prominent species.
Once everyone’s had a look or taken a picture, the insect is carefully put down, and after a few seconds of recovery, it flies off.
Experts will point out the dragonfly larva in the sinkhole waters and the type of fish that cohabitate with the dragonflies. Odonates are considered aquatic insects because they live near fresh water and their larvae actually live in water.
Doctors, Cubs and Falcons
At last year’s festival, the visitors couldn’t get enough of the dragonflies. “I saw more dragonfly species in the first stop than I’ve ever seen in my life. So it was wonderful,” says Priscilla Andrews of Floyd. “I’m enjoying the heck out of it. It’s great. I just wish the big blue ones would slow down enough so you could get a good picture.”
“I like doing this. This is fun,” agrees 11-year-old Cameron Pruitt of Roswell, who was on his second tour, and caught a damselfly himself. “I was amazed because I’d never done that before.”
Dr. Nancy McIntyre, an associate professor and curator of birds at Texas Tech University, was just as enchanted as the neophytes. “My graduate student and I both study dragonflies, and we had never had the opportunity to come to the festival before, and so we thought, ‘Hey, this year we can go,’ and so here we are,” she says.
And it’s not only those who go on the tours who like the festival. Cub Scout Pack 149 of Roswell made a day of it, checking out the exhibits and doing outdoor activities, and nine-year-old Anthony Torrez says, “It’s cool.”
Full of enthusiasm, fellow scout Kevin Barron, age 7, likes the new things he learned. “They teach you stuff you don’t know about dragonflies, and they show you cool stuff about animals,” he says. “And a lot of people didn’t know what a hedgehog was. And they showed us hawks and eagles and falcons, and they really treated you well.”
A Community Effort
All that good treatment takes a lot of help from many members of the Roswell community. “A lot of the grunt work is done by volunteers, so if we have a big volunteer program, then we end up having a bigger program,” Alvarez says.
While the refuge staff and “Friends” put in a lot of time, volunteers from the New Mexico Military Institute, last year, helped direct traffic and served hot dogs; the Berrendo volunteer fire department was on hand to keep an eye out for safety as well as show off their truck; several local banks donated money for billboards around southern New Mexico advertising the festival; some local motels promoted the event on their billboards, and area supermarkets donated Saturday’s free lunch.
“They put their time in to help support the refuge,” Alvarez says.
“It takes a lot of people,” Briney says. “It would be much less without the community effort.”
This year there will be even more to do. Activities begin Friday night with a bat talk and stargazing activities. Saturday’s events include lectures and slide shows ranging from geology to Native American culture to hummingbirds.
And while almost everything is free, a photography workshop, limited to 24 people, at a slight cost per person, is scheduled. “We’ve got some photographers who are really good who are going to teach you to take wildlife pictures,” Alvarez says. Reservations are required.
And while the van tours are free, they’re so popular that reservations are required. Reservations will begin in August. For details on the festival or refuge, call 575-622-6755 or visit www.fws.gov/southwest/refuges/newmex/bitterlake.
So take flight—grab your sunglasses, cameras, sunscreen, water, and walking shoes for a day at the Dragonfly Festival!
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