Friday, March 6, 2026
The CSC Eagle Newspaper – Chadron, NE
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The CSC Eagle Newspaper – Chadron, NE
Lifestyles

Chadron Public Library hosts Tapestry program

Guest Author

Steve and Susan Rolfsmeier presented people’s impact through citizen science in natural history preservation as guest presenters of the Tapestry program Saturday at the Chadron Public Library.
Citizen science is the contribution of information gathered by people of the community. A way to scientifically contribute is gathering plants and location information.
The Chadron area needs an increase of plant identification information contributed by locals. The 2006 Spotted Tail fire and 2012 wildfire resulted ecological changes of the Chadron area.
“Very few folks do this as a part of their job. Citizen Science is more critical now seeing lots of species are threatened by climate change,” Steve Rolfsmeier, CSC Physical & Life Sciences Museum Director said. “As biodiversity is a critical issue fewer people are trained to document species.”
A modern form of information collection uses the website or smart phone app iNaturalist. Laypeople and professional naturalists can record, upload pictures, and share information on iNaturalist. Adding information from any source increases the recorded knowledge which can be used to preserve natural history and conduct future scientific studies.
Students on campus can become active in natural history preservation through the Natural Science club on campus. CSC Campus Arboretum Volunteers is another way to contribute to natural history and the CSC campus.
Chadron State students and the Chadron community can access a wealth of natural history at the CSC Herbarium. About 60,000 plant specimens, 10,000 pharmaceutical plant specimens, 5,000 books on plants, and various pieces of art are all located at the CSC Herbarium in the Math and Science building. Tours of the CSC Herbarium and Natural Science Museum can be arranged through Steve Rolfsmeier.
The Chadron Public Library Tapestry program was created by Susan Rolfsmeier to connect the Chadron community with scientists. Tapestry has progressed to encompass interdisciplinary lectures. Presentations occur at 2 p.m. Saturdays in the basement of the Chadron Public Library. Upcoming presentations are Witchcraft on Oct. 29, Landscape and Art with Visual and Performing Arts Professor Mary Donahue on Nov. 5, and Straw Bale House Construction on Nov. 12.