PEEC Launches Weekly Nature at Night Series for Families

On Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025 the Pajarito Environmental Education Center announced a weekly evening series titled Nature at Night that will begin on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026. The Los Alamos Nature Center will extend its hours on Wednesday evenings to 4 to 6 p.m. MST to host themed activities designed for families and learners of all ages. January programming will open with Week 1 focused on Winter Adaptations, followed by additional nature focused topics throughout the month.

The program is free to attend, and PEEC is marketing the series as an opportunity to experience the local natural world during quieter winter hours while providing family friendly educational engagement. Each session will combine indoor crafts and games with guided outdoor exploration on nearby trails and around the nature center grounds. By scheduling programming during late afternoon and early evening, PEEC aims to capture both after school participation and family routines that include work and other commitments.

For Los Alamos County residents the immediate impact is practical. Free, structured enrichment reduces the need for paid childcare or entertainment options on midweek evenings and creates predictable weekly programming for parents and caregivers. For local nonprofits and cultural institutions, extending hours into the evening can increase facility utilization during off peak seasonal months and raise public visibility for environmental education efforts.

From an economic perspective, community oriented free programming can support household budgets while strengthening demand for complementary local services such as eateries and small retailers near the nature center on event nights. Over the long term, consistent programming that engages youth and families in place based learning can feed into broader community goals of environmental literacy and civic involvement.

Nature at Night joins a wider pattern of municipalities and education centers offering more accessible, evening oriented outdoors programs in winter months. For Los Alamos families interested in the series, the first session begins Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026 at the Los Alamos Nature Center from 4 to 6 p.m. MST and will continue weekly through January with themes announced by PEEC.