National Park offers free workshops.

The Carlsbad Caverns National Park preserves one of the few protected portions of the northern Chihuahuan Desert ecosystem. The desert reveals, upon close examination, complex natural processes that yield an astounding abundance and diversity of plant and animal life. The area is vital habitat for about 1,000 species of flowering vegetation.

For the second year, the Carlsbad Caverns/Guadalupe Mountains Association will sponsor free programs this April for the public, focusing on native plant conservation. With trailside workshops taking place each weekend, visitors, amateur and professional naturalists, artists and writers will converge at the park to participate in interactive work-shops-lead by professionals-to learn more about park flora, from wildflowers to desert cacti. From the upper reaches of Walnut Canyon Drive where the red, tri-lobed Woolly Paintbrush and White-Eyed Phlox thrive; along the extensive Visitor Center Nature Walk with its profusions of Claret-Cup Cacti; and deep into some of the most picturesque canyons in the Chihuahuan Desert Region, participants can look forward to hands-on activities suitable for most ability and fitness levels. All events are free, except the college credit field course. Space is limited, so advance registration is advised. For the latest updates and to register, please contact Paula Bauer at 505-785-3131 or via e-mail at [e-mail]. For schedule of events and background information, log on to the Web site www.ccgma.org/indexnew.htm.