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Contact: Becky Burghart, 575-479-6124, ext. 230
Celebrate National Moth Week 2016 at the White Sands National Monument's MothaPalooza on Tuesday, July 26, 2016 from 7:00 pm to 11:00 pm. Enjoy this free family friendly event and learn more about the special animals, especially moths, that only live in the white gypsum dunes.
"White Sands National Monument is a special place for its natural beauty and its special geologic and biotic resources," stated Superintendent Marie Frías Sauter. "Come out to White Sands and see moths found no other place on Earth during the monument's own MothaPalooza 2016. You might even get to see an undescribed species!"
MothaPalooza starts at 7:00 pm in the visitor center courtyard where visitors, young and old alike will have a special opportunity to meet Riley Roadrunner, the monument's junior ranger program mascot. There will also be educational displays about the unique geology of the white dunes, the specially-adapted white lizards that live in the dunes, and the many species of moths, mostly white, that live no other place on Earth.
At 8:00 pm, Alamogordo's own world-class expert on moths, Eric Metzler, will give a presentation in the visitor center theater to describe his work in discovering more than 35 new species of moths in the monument.
After the presentation, Mr. Metzler will lead visitors to the dunes to view moths and other animals that are attracted to black light stations set up just for this occasion. The moths will start coming to the lights between 9:30 pm and 10:00 pm, and the moth viewing will end at 11 pm.
There is no admission fee for the events in the courtyard and Mr. Metzler's presentation. Monument fees of $5.00 per person for anyone 16 years and older apply to people entering the dunes to view the moths. Collecting any plants, moths, or another objects in the monument is not permitted. For more information call 575-479-6124 ext. 236.
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Last updated: September 10, 2016