Wednesday, November 1, 2006

November 2006

FRANKLIN MOUNTAINS NOTES
Newsletter of the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition
November, 2006

Next Meeting: November 15, 2006

The next meeting of the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition is Wednesday, November 15th at 7 p.m. It takes place in Room 411, Burgess Hall on the UTEP campus. Burgess Hall is at the intersection of Sun Bowl Drive and University Ave. on the west side of the campus. Please be prompt. The building entrance locks automatically in the evenings. If you arrive late and no one is at the door, call 861-4361 and someone will come to let you in. For more information contact Scott Cutler (581-6071).

CASTNER RANGE PETITION UPDATE

“We respectfully urge you and your staff to work actively with Congress and the Department of the Army to achieve the preservation of all of Castner Range in its natural state for the benefit and enjoyment of all Americans forever.” These words close the heading of our petition to Congressman Silvestre Reyes, a petition which has been signed by over 3,300 people since we began our petition drive in the spring.

The enthusiasm of the public for protecting Castner Range has been inspirational! Nearly everyone we approach wants to sign the petition: active duty military, veterans, concert fans, moms, dads, kids, business owners and workers, local celebrities, and everyday people. Now the day (tentatively in December) is swiftly approaching when we will present the petitions to Congressman Reyes at the El Paso Museum of Archaeology on Castner Range. Stay tuned for the date and time. We plan to have extensive media coverage and a big turnout of supporters who want to see Castner Range preserved.

So, folks, that gives us more time to gather more signatures -- let’s try for 10,000! Enlist your friends and family, classmates and office mates, to continue this drive for the next few weeks - any place where people gather is a great place to get signatures: meetings, sports events, school, work, grocery stores, malls, etc. We can do this - if only 50 of us gathered 5 signatures a day for the next 30 days we would pass the 10,000 mark. It’s a good community project for families, scouts, classes, clubs and neighborhood associations.

Blank petitions can be downloaded from our website or call one of our officers and we will get some to you. Anyone who has signed petitions, please bring them to the November 15 meeting or call Kathy McConaghie at 915-227-5330 to arrange pickup. And, please, come to the meeting -- bring your ideas and input for media contacts and increasing turnout for the day of presentation.

EL PASO OPEN SPACE PLANNING

The open-space plan for El Paso continues to take shape. The City's Development Services Department and its planning consultant, Halff Associates, are putting the finishing touches on a draft plan for public review and comment. We'll send an e-mail alert as soon as it is available. In the meantime, visit the City's Open Space Plan website at

http://www.elpasotexas.gov/green_infrastructure/default.asp

to view some of the recommendations from the Open Space Advisory Group and other supporting information. For more information, you can also contact Chuck Kooshian, Lead Planner, 915-541-4632.

FRANKLIN MOUNTAINS STATE PARK UPDATE

Greetings, from the staff of The Franklin Mountains State Park. On September 23, 2006 the Second Annual Desert Fiesta was held at the Tom Mays Unit; it was a great success. Visitation was up from last year. We at The Franklin Mountains State Park would like to thank everyone involved including the Chihuahuan Desert Education Coalition and its member organizations who worked hard to make it a success. We also thank the Serna Ranch (Youth Mentorship Program) and The El Paso Police Department West Side Command Center Explorers Group for their active support. This is a program that we hope will continue to evolve and to become a regular yearly event. This is a perfect example of what can be done when organizations pool their resources for a common goal.

Work continues on the trails, unfortunately this will be an ongoing project for some time. Lead Ranger Robert Pichardo and Park Volunteer Robert Newman are in the planning stages for the repair of the Mountain Bike Trails, once repaired the Trails will be more sustainable. The Aztec Caves Trail is also in the process of being repaired and again to be more sustainable, the Fort Bliss Sergeant Majors Academy Volunteers are helping with this project. It won’t happen overnight but the work is in its beginning stages. Our UTEP Fraternity Volunteers dismantled and removed the remains of the bridge leading to Mundy’s Gap. Whether it will be rebuilt or rerouted is still in the planning stages.

The West Cottonwood Mine Shaft was originally cleared from debris from the heavy rains. However, the rains we had this month again made it inaccessible but with help from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Work Crews it has been cleared again and is accessible.

On a different note, four Porcupines have been released over the last couple of months into the Franklin Mountains State Park by The Chihuahuan Desert Wildlife Rescue.

We would like to thank our wonderful staff of Volunteers at the Franklin Mountains State Park and the Franklin Mountain Wilderness Coalition for their continuous and added support.

Respectfully Submitted,
Danny Contreras, Ranger II, ADSO


Coalition Officers ---- 2006

Acting President: open
Vice-Pres: open
Secretary: Nora Butler 915-755-0671
Treasurer Scott Cutler 915-581-6071
Newsletter: Kathy McConaghie 915-227-5330




The Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition
Borderland Mountain Bike Association - - Celebration of Our Mountains - - Chihuahuan Desert Wildlife Rescue - - El Paso Archeological Society - - El Paso Cactus and Rock Club - - El Paso Native Plant Society - - El Paso Regional Group of the Sierra Club - - El Paso/Trans-Pecos Audubon Society - - El Paso Wilderness Preservation Committee - - El Paso Women’s Political Caucus - - Friends of the Franklins - - League of Women Voters of El Paso - - Mesilla Valley Audubon Society - - Mountain Park Community Association - - Photography Enthusiasts of El Paso - - Southern New Mexico Group of the Sierra Club

VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT http://iloveparks.com/fmwc/

Saturday, July 1, 2006

July 2006

FRANKLIN MOUNTAINS NOTES
Newsletter of the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition
July, 2006

Next Meeting: July 19, 2006

The next meeting of the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition is Wednesday, July 19th at 7 p.m. It takes place in Room 411, Burgess Hall on the UTEP campus. Burgess Hall is at the intersection of Sun Bowl Drive and University Ave. on the west side of the campus. Please be prompt. The building entrance locks automatically in the evenings. If you arrive late and no one is at the door, call 861-4361 and someone will come to let you in. For more information contact Scott Cutler (581-6071).

MARK YOUR CALENDARS…
Thanks to Maria Trunk
“Save Our Arroyos” opens Thursday, July 27th, 7 to 9 PM. The Hal Marcus Gallery and The Frontera Land Alliance are partnering to host a grassroots exhibit which will be on display through Friday, September 1st. A Gallery Talk will be given on Thursday, August 24th from 7 to 9 PM.

The Frontera Land Alliance is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the special places and wide-open spaces of West Texas and Southern New Mexico forever. Arroyos are distinctive natural features in El Paso, carved into the slopes of our beloved Franklin Mountains by the flowing water of many years. Many stretch and wind like ribbons through established neighborhoods, offering havens of peace and beauty in the urban setting. Residents often assume these areas will remain in their natural state forever, so they’re surprised when a plan is put forth for a new development in an arroyo. Overwhelmingly, the citizen response has been: Save Our Arroyos!

Artists in the exhibit include Bill Rakocy, Barbara Howe, Candy Mayer, Jeniffer Stapher-Thomas, Jim Andrew, Margaret Tumey, Bob Adams, Kristina Freeman, Dee Olga Min-Young Phillips, Krystyna Robbins, Natalie Baca, Jane Friedman, Gerie Muchinkoff, Jim Quinnan, Lelaroy Williams, Barbara Armijo, Ramie McIntosh-Scully, Ann Mitchell, Jean McGee, John Ryno, Roxanne Shroeder, Susan Frary, Pat Olchefski-Winston and many others. For more information, please call the gallery at 533-9090.

Public Meetings - The New El Paso Open Space Plan: The City of El Paso is taking the first steps in creating a “Green Infrastructure Plan”, the first of its kind in our area. The idea is to consider all open spaces, parks, trails and greenways and integrate them into an organized, interconnected system to be assembled over the next 30 years. Just as a network of roadways, utilities and buildings forms the urban or “gray” infrastructure of a city, the “green” infrastructure network will weave a web of recreational and undeveloped areas to harmonize with the natural landscape, enhance neighborhoods and make El Paso an even better place to live.

The City’s Development Services Department is inviting every interested citizen to contribute input to the plan. Several public meetings will be held to gather input on open space and trail needs, opportunities and desires. Franklin Mountains State Park is sure to play a pivotal role in the layout of surrounding trails, pocket parks and access points, so members of FMWC are especially welcome to attend. If you have a favorite place or route that you’d like to see included in the plan, try to make it to one of the meetings, each of which is scheduled from 6 to 8 PM.

Tues., July 25 at City Council Chambers, City Hall
Wed., July 26 at El Paso Community College, Northwest Campus, 6701 South Desert
Thurs., July 27 at Father Martinez Senior Center, 9311 Alameda
Tues., Aug. 1 at Auxiliary Gym, Eastwood Recreation Center, 3001 Parkwood
Wed., Aug. 2 at El Paso Community College, Transmountain Campus, 9570 Gateway North

For more info contact Chuck Kooshian, Lead Planner, 915-541-4632


Notes from John Sproul

As El Paso continues to grow, the need to conserve significant open space is becoming ever more apparent and urgent. The City of El Paso has recognized this need and is starting work on a comprehensive open-space plan. The first step: five public meetings aimed at getting your input on where significant areas of open space are and how they should be conserved. The plan will address open space throughout the City. Needless to say, it will have important implications for the Franklin Mountains, including Castner Range. Is this the birth of a new era of meaningful open-space protection in El Paso? Your active participation in the planning process can help make it happen.

Castner Range petitions continue to circulate. Fort Bliss’s decision to suspend indefinitely its land-use planning for Castner Range doesn’t change our focus on educating the public about the importance of protecting the range. Until we can meet with U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes to discuss Castner, we are continuing to circulate our petition urging that he work with Congress and the Army to preserve all of Castner Range in its natural state. For downloadable copies of the petition, an accompanying fact sheet, and a sign-up sheet for people interested in doing more to help protect Castner Range, go to the Conservation Issues page on our website: http://www.iloveparks.com/fmwc/issues.htm

Hitt Canyon Arroyo: Proposed Quarry Impact
By Joel Bay, President
North Hills Neighborhood Pride Association

The Hitt Canyon Arroyo, on the northeastern slope of the Franklin Mountains, is in danger of irreparable damage from a proposed rock quarry being planned for the area. The proposed quarry is part of a lease agreement between the El Paso Water Utilities PSB and Jobe Materials orchestrated in relative secrecy and signed in December, 2005. The area of quarry operation - originally 300 acres, but reduced to 223 acres due to the efforts of Charlie Wakeem and Dr. Rick Bonart - lies directly in the path of the run-off from Hitt Canyon.

It also lies in an area of the Northeast that has been designated for future development as low-density residential housing, a school, a park and a nature walk trail head - all specified in detail in the Master Plan for Northeast El Paso that became part of the Comprehensive Plan for future City development in October, 2005. Initially, PSB officials advised interested groups that the quarry, which according to the lease can operate for 20 years (with a 20 year extension option), would be a “surface mining operation” just taking surface materials for use in road beds and home construction projects. Then, at one of many meetings with city officials, NHNPA learned that the quarry was planned to be a 100-foot-deep excavation operation.

The PSB presented the 100-foot-deep hole as a future flood prevention ponding area planned as part of the area’s development. However, the drainage plans for this Master Plan area, of which 3 options are posted on the PSB website, show no plan nor indicated need for a ponding area anywhere in the vicinity of the quarry site. The “story” got more interesting when we discovered that an “executive session” meeting of the PSB held in late June of this year addressed the need for an earthen dam to be constructed across Hitt Canyon to collect run-off and “prevent potential flooding” of the area.

The effect of a dam blocking the natural run-off from Hitt Canyon (identified by City engineers as a “shadow rainfall area”) could be disastrous to the natural environment in and around the canyon and would permanently alter the nature-scape of the area. Why is there now a need for a dam? The dam isn’t necessary, nor identified in the Master Plan drainage options, to protect future development and home sites, but it sure makes sense when you consider that a 100-foot-deep quarry will be located directly in the path of water run-off from the canyon. It would be very difficult to quarry rock from a flooded hole!

First we went from a Master Planned up-scale residential development to a quarry site; then we went from a surface scraping operation to a 100-foot-hole (said to be “needed” but not included in any existing planning assessments); then we need a dam to protect the future development area…which cannot be developed, as planned, because there is a 100-foot- deep hole where a school and homes were to be! Does it make sense to you? Does it sound like a proper use of public land and a key mountain canyon?

If your answer is NO, join the effort on July 25th to convince City Council to deny the rezoning required to permit the quarry to proceed. Concerns about a shortage of rock and other materials for new construction in the area - used as justification for the quarry - are easily nullified when you learn that Jobe Materials alone has more than 10 other quarry operations in the City, not even counting the resources of other rock and cement companies.

Please visit the North Hills Neighborhood Pride Association’s website at http://www.northhillselpaso.org/ for more information, a pre-worded e-mail, printable letter and petition forms. Send the e-mail to the Mayor, City Reps and planning division personnel. Call your District Representative and voice your opposition. This is not just a Northeast issue. Please join us in voicing opposition at City Council on July 25th!



The Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition
Borderland Mountain Bike Association - - Celebration of Our Mountains - - Chihuahuan Desert Wildlife Rescue - - El Paso Archeological Society - - El Paso Cactus and Rock Club - - El Paso Native Plant Society - - El Paso Regional Group of the Sierra Club - - El Paso/Trans-Pecos Audubon Society - - El Paso Wilderness Preservation Committee - - El Paso Women’s Political Caucus - - Friends of the Franklins - - League of Women Voters of El Paso - - Mesilla Valley Audubon Society - - Mountain Park Community Association - - Photography Enthusiasts of El Paso - - Southern New Mexico Group of the Sierra Club

VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT http://iloveparks.com/fmwc/

Monday, May 1, 2006

May 2006

FRANKLIN MOUNTAINS NOTES
Newsletter of the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition
May, 2006

Next Meeting: May 17, 2006

The next meeting of the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition is Wednesday, May 17th at 7 p.m. It takes place in Room 411, Burgess Hall on the UTEP campus. Burgess Hall is at the intersection of Sun Bowl Drive and University Ave. on the west side of the campus. Please be prompt. The building entrance locks automatically in the evenings. If you arrive late and no one is at the door, call 861-4361 and someone will come to let you in. For more information contact Scott Cutler (581-6071).

CASTNER RANGE UPDATE
by John Sproul

El Paso City Council Acts

On March 14, El Paso’s City Council made an important statement on behalf of protecting Castner Range when it approved, by a 7-0 vote (Lozano not present), a resolution authorizing City Manager Joyce Wilson to send a letter to the Army expressing “the City of El Paso’s desire to protect Castner Range in its entirety in its current state, and that it be preserved for future generations and that it not be developed in whole or in part.”

Thanks go to the Council for taking this action. Special thanks are due Reps. Susie Byrd, Melina Castro, Beto O’Rourke and Steve Ortega, members of the ad hoc committee that studied the Castner Range issue and recommended the action taken. The clear support of the City of El Paso for protecting all of Castner Range will be an important factor in the Army’s eventual decision about future disposition of the range.

Fort Bliss Suspends Castner Range Planning

Much of the recent activity regarding Castner Range was stimulated by the Army’s plans to prepare a comprehensive land-use plan for the range. Public meetings to gather initial community input were expected to take place early this year. First, we heard they would be in February. The April. Now it appears they won’t take place at all. Here’s the full text of Fort Bliss’s statement on the current status of Castner Range:

The U.S. Army Air Defense Artillery Center and Fort Bliss has determined that due to increased training requirements and budgetary constraints, all planning efforts involving future land uses of Castner Range will be indefinitely suspended. No unsolicited proposals suggesting land use schemes will be accepted or reviewed at this time. If and when Fort Bliss determines that it is practicable to resume evaluating and planning for Castner Range, the Directorate of the Environment’s NEPA office will generate a formal public announcement. Only then will proposals be accepted from interested parties.
The public’s active interest in land use designations and planning efforts for Castner Range has been fully acknowledged and well received. The Fort Bliss NEPA coordinator will ensure that NEPA mandates are fully complied with, and therefore, El Pasoans can rest assured that nothing will occur at Castner Range without first undergoing appropriate public review.
Until that time, we cannot stress enough the dangers of trespassing on Castner Range. The majority of Castner Range continues to remain “off-limits” to unauthorized persons as it is littered with unexploded ordnance and any contact with UXO could result in very serious injury. Because trespassing on Castner Range is a violation of federal law and the safety concern, we ask the public to heed the warnings and observe posted prohibitions.

Jean Offutt
Public Affairs Officer
Fort Bliss, Texas

Fort Bliss’s decision to suspend its planning efforts for Castner Range does not mean we will suspend our efforts to educate the public about the importance of protecting the range. Our petition to Rep. Silvestre
Reyes urging that he work with Congress and the Army to preserve all of Castner Range in its natural state remains in circulation. We look forward to presenting Rep. Reyes a thick stack of these petitions soon and beginning a dialogue with him about potential mechanisms for achieving lasting protection of Castner Range.

THANK YOU TO ALL PETITION BEARERS AND SIGNERS - SO FAR WE HAVE OVER 1,600 SIGNATURES AND MORE COMING IN EACH DAY.

Franklin Mountains State Park Update
By Danny Contreras, PRII, ADSO

Greetings from the State Park. May is upon us and already it has been very hot. The staff and volunteers at the Park have been very busy with school tours along with our regular tour groups, Outreach Programs and Career Day Programs. We also have been working on the final stages of repair and changes to The Nature Walk, including the wooden bridge.

We would like to thank all the Volunteers for their help with tours and day-to-day Park operations. Thanks, also, to the students from the Sergeant Majors Academy at Fort Bliss, who will be leaving us later this month, for all their help with Park patrols.

Coming up on June 3, 2006, the Serna Ranch Youth Leadership Program, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, and Franklin Mountains State Park will be hosting a workshop from 7:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. This workshop is for community and outdoor groups interested in learning new skills, sharpening old skills and networking.

Program sessions will cover outdoor trip planning, basic mountain biking, plant identification, hiking, outdoor cooking, fishing, camping and resources. The registration fee is $25.00 and space is limited to 60 participants. Registrants will receive a confirmation packet by mail or e-mail before the workshop. We are excited to be hosting this program and hope to see you there. For more information please contact Jaime (Slim) Serna at 915-858-2281; Terry Zambrano at zambrano@bmcwest.com ; or Tim Spice at tim.spice@tpwd.state.tx.us .

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

Artists, art-lovers and nature-lovers, The Hal Marcus Gallery is opening a “Save the Arroyos” exhibit which will benefit The Frontera Land Alliance, our local land trust. The exhibit opens July 27th with a reception from 7 to 9 p.m. and will run until September 1st, with a gallery talk on August 24th at 7 p.m. The gallery has issued an open call for art in all media depicting arroyos in the El Paso area (submission deadline is June 17th). An entry fee of $10.00 will be matched by The Hal Marcus Gallery and donated to The Frontera Land Alliance to sponsor the artist’s membership in the trust. The Gallery is located at 800 N. Mesa, open Tues. - Sat. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. and by appointment. For more information call 915-533-9090 or visit www.halmarcus.com.

PROPOSED QUARRIES UPDATE
By Kathy McConaghie

Two new quarry operations are planned by Jobe Materials - a 200+ acre site on Public Service Board land in Northeast El Paso (about 3 miles north of the North Hills neighborhood and about ½ mile east of the Franklin Mountains State Park’s eastern boundary) and another site in Northwest El Paso owned by the Texas General Land Office, crossed by FEMA arroyos #42 and #41A and close to the State Park. Mining leases have already been signed, apparently with no input from the public or the City of El Paso.

It appears that the Northeast quarry is blatantly inconsistent with the PSB’s Master Plan for its land in N.E. El Paso. This plan shows the area where the quarry is placed as Light Residential and Natural Transition Buffer (open space buffering the State Park).

Jobe has applied for re-zoning from the City and permits from TCEQ and spins the quarry locations as necessary to progress and cost-efficiency as the Northeast Parkway and other projects get underway. He has been interviewed in Newspaper Tree (newspapertree.com), has met with concerned parties., and seemingly addressed some environmental concerns.

The North Hills Neighborhood Pride Association is very concerned about the proposed quarry operation’s dust pollution, damage to local roadways and danger to residents caused by increased heavy truck traffic, and the non-adherence to the Master Plan which provides for no industrial activities in the area. These citizens have excellent reporting and upcoming events on their website - check it out (www.northhillselpaso.org).

This complex issue cannot be fully addressed here. But FMWC is very concerned about new quarry operations so close to the State Park’s boundaries. We intend to follow the story, develop a position and keep you informed. In the meantime, there is an important City Planning Commission Meeting on May 18th at 4 p.m. in which the PSB’s request to change the zoning of the proposed quarry lease site will be considered.

TxDOT Northeast Parkway
TxDOT is currently working on a project called the Northeast Parkway which would ease the congestion on I-10. Plans call for the Parkway to branch off I-10 at Anthony, follow NM 404 across “Anthony Gap” , turn southeast and meet Loop 375 close to Railroad Dr. FMWC is following this project since it affects the Franklins and we will, again, keep you informed. There is plenty of information available at http://www.dot.state.tx.us/ELP/mis/NEParkway/project.htm .


VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT http://iloveparks.com/fmwc/

Wednesday, March 1, 2006

March 2006

FRANKLIN MOUNTAINS NOTES
Newsletter of the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition
March, 2006

Next Meeting: March 15, 2006

The next meeting of the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition is Wednesday, March 15th at 7 p.m. It takes place in Room 411, Burgess Hall on the UTEP campus. Burgess Hall is at the intersection of Sun Bowl Drive and University Ave. on the west side of the campus. Please be prompt. The building entrance locks automatically in the evenings. If you arrive late and no one is at the door, call 861-4361 and someone will come to let you in. For more information contact Scott Cutler (581-6071).

CASTNER RANGE FORUM

On February 22, over 100 people attended the Castner Range Forum put on by the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition. Fort Bliss provided a short presentation about cleanup efforts to date and found archeological sites. Fort Bliss personnel were unable to attend so a coalition member read their prepared statement. This was followed by Mr. Bob Cook, who presented REDCO’s (El Paso Regional Economic Development Corporation, part of the El Paso Chamber of Commerce) proposed vision for Castner Range. The concept presented included parts of the range going to the Park, a swath of poppy fields set aside, and a technology park along the eastern boundary with Hwy. 54. The third and final presenter was John Sproul, who gave an enlightening historical review of Castner Range since the Army labeled it as surplus to their needs. The review showed how many proposals have been put forth over the years and how completely viable alternatives have been found to allow the development to take place somewhere other than Castner Range.

The question and answer period followed with many impassioned pleas to leave Castner as it is and add it to the State Park. The Coalition will continue working to have Castner Range saved in its entirety. Your support, through your financial support and your time, will be most helpful as we move forward to protect Castner Range. Please try to attend the FMWC bimonthly meetings.

Many thanks to all who volunteered their time to make this event happen.

Scott Cutler
FMWC Interim President

CASTNER RANGE UPDATE
by John Sproul

Castner Range remains a hot topic. Here’s what’s happened in the past two months:

To keep the public informed about the issue of future use of the range, the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition decided to hold a community educational forum. We invited a representative from Fort Bliss to speak about the status of clean-up of unexploded ordnance and Bob Cook, president of the El Paso Regional Economic Development Corporation (REDCO), to present REDCO’s concept for an office park for high-tech defense contractors on Castner Range.

The forum took place February 22 at Chapin High School. Nick Miller of KTSM-TV moderated. Fort Bliss declined to participate but did provide information on ordnance clean-up and archaeological-survey work that we shared with the audience. Bob Cook presented REDCO’s technology-park concept, and John Sproul gave an overview of the different recommendations put forward over the past 35 years for future use of Castner Range. Following these presentations, the audience had an opportunity to offer comments or questions for the speakers.

The forum was well attended, and the audience took full advantage of the time allotted for comments and questions. Most questions concerned REDCO and its
proposal. Thanks go to Nick Miller for keeping the evening running smoothly, Bob Cook for giving us a better understanding of REDCO’s proposal, and Chapin High School for providing the venue and logistical support.

A week later, on March 1, the City Council’s ad hoc committee on Castner Range met. This is the committee City Council asked on January 10 to develop a conservation alternative for Castner Range to present to Fort Bliss. The committee (Reps. Susie Byrd, Melina Castro, Beto O’Rourke and Steve Ortega) decided to recommend that the City:

1 Lobby Congress for funding for Fort Bliss to continue clean-up of unexploded ordnance on the range.
2 Ask the Department of the Army to initiate the process for having the range declared surplus property.
3 Ask the Army to consider either a conservation conveyance or public-benefit conveyance of all of Castner Range to ensure its permanent protection.

These recommendations are scheduled to go before the City Council for action on Tuesday, March 14. Needless to say, we fully support them and hope the Council will approve them.

Back on September 26, we submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to Fort Bliss in an effort to learn more about its land-use planning for Castner Range. On October 21, Fort Bliss provided us a summary of documents within the scope of our request. We then narrowed our request to just documents related to “enhanced-use leasing” (the mechanism REDCO proposes using to secure land for the technology park) and to preparation of a land-use plan.

Fort Bliss’s summary indicated there were 731 pages of material on enhanced-use leasing of Castner Range and 240 pages on land-use-plan preparation. Evidently a lot has been done in both areas. On February 7, Fort Bliss provided us the documents it found to be “releasable”. We received no enhanced-use-lease documents and just 10 pages related to land-use planning (with the most substantive information “redacted”, i.e. whited out). The rest? “Exempt from disclosure.” The work Fort Bliss has been doing in these areas remains hidden from public view.

Fort Bliss has not yet announced a date for the public meeting to gather initial community input for its Castner Range land-use plan but has indicated it will be in early April. Stay tuned.


The obvious versus the inconspicuous
By Gertrud D. Konings

While hiking through the Franklins we focus often too much on the most obvious plants and easily forget to take a closer look at what is hidden amongst the lechugillas, sotols, yuccas, agaves, ocotillos, and creosote bushes. And when thinking about cacti we visualize the big Barrel cactus that we are familiar with as desert landscape decoration for front yards and also those unloved green or purple shrubs with the spiny pads, the opuntias that despite our dislike for them sometimes greet us with a heart.
The most common opuntias in our area are the Engelmann’s Prickly Pear (Opuntia engelmannii) and the Long-Spined Purplish Prickly Pear (Opuntia macrocentra) which during the winter acquires a purple color of the pads that give the landscape a nice tint.

Once we take our time to stop and take a closer look at what grows around us, we will detect a different set of plants that are more inconspicuous and too easily overlooked but very worthy to study more carefully; among them are the smaller cacti of our region. The bees and butterflies will guide us to their site! They are grateful for the generous supply of nectar in the very early spring days. Now is the time of the Early Bloomer (Echinomastus intertextus), a small cactus with an intricately twisted spination and a grayish-green to brown earth color that helps hide it from the view of the passer-by. It deserves its name, since it already flowers when everything else is still looking pretty dry and in winter-sleep. With its crown of white flowers it is now a little easier to spot.

Take the West Cottonwood trail that passes along Cory’s Cove up to a little hill overlooking the area. On your way up you will find several specimens of this little cactus that will be in bloom now, and you will come across several of our indigenous small cacti. The most common among them are whitish clumps of the Corn Cob Cactus (Coryphantha tuberculosa) that looks like a Corn Cob when it loses its spines on the stem and flowers end of May to beginning of June.
The Eagle Claw (Echinocactus horizonthalonius) and the Cat Claw Cactus (Glandulicactus uncinatus var. wrightii) are also to see. Especially the Eagle Claw cactus is easy to spot and sometimes even grows on the path, and you have to be careful to not step on it.
When it flowers in the summer, starting in June, it produces 1-3 large purple flowers and all members of the species in the area will bloom at the same day. The flowers only last for one day and open around noon. You will have to be lucky to catch this cactus flowering, but they do so several times during the summer, usually three to four days after a rain. In bloom this cactus is a special treat for the eyes.

The Eagle Claw is easily recognized by its very long, extending upper central spines that bend into a threatening claw. Its spines are usually yellow and the cactus resembles dry grass bushels, but on this trail I found some specimens with a dark red spination. They were sitting on rocks, and the sun lit them up to give them a beautiful red glare. Their dark brown-red flowers appear in April at the tip of the plant, and when the fruits ripen they will be bright red and easy to spot.
The yellow flowering Texas Rainbow (Echinocereus dasyacanthus) is less common on this trail and often replaced by the New Mexico Rainbow (Echinocereus viridiflorus var. chloranthus) with its beautiful red and white spines. They will catch your eye when the sun is shining on them. Its flowers appear at the side of the stem in April and are relatively small and brown to brown-green in color.

Once you reach the top of the hill you will find a seat to rest and enjoy the great view over the desert around you. When you continue walking a little further to the southeast on the plateau, you will spot many specimens of the little Early Bloomer that just started to bloom in the beginning of this month and will continue flowering all through March and into early April. The petals of the flowers often have a pinkish mid-vein and the color of the stigma varies from a soft pink to an obvious dark red.
While you are watching the plants you will experience the busy search for nectar of the bees and how much they enjoy minding their business. They dive all the way into the flower, roll over in between the stamens and cover themselves completely with the yellow pollen. They often do not mind the company of another bee, but sometimes they sit in the flower and defend “their” plant. They will make you forget the time.

Here on the top of the hill I was surprised to find a big clump of the Long Mamma cactus (Coryphantha macromeris) which is usually restricted to arroyos and loves the shade of the mesquites and creosote bushes. But here it stood completely in the open, fully exposed to the sun and seemed happy with it. This cactus flowers several times in the summer, for the first time usually in June, and its fine, pink flowers are plentiful and last over several days.

Descending the trail, take a stroll over the rocks of Cory’s Cove where the climbers have a place to practice their hobby. There you will find some beautiful ferns, lichens, and mosses and occasionally a small specimen of the Tree Cholla (Opuntia imbricate var. arborescens), a slender-stemmed Opuntia that will decorate itself with big purple flowers in April. Its yellow fruits look like dried parts of the stem and often last all through the winter into spring. On the red boulders you will spot some lizards bathing in the sun and after a rain some butterflies coming to drink from the water that got trapped in between the rocks. Happy hiking!

Franklin Mountains State Park Update
by Danny Contreras, PRII, ADSO

Greetings, from the Franklin Mountains State Park. The great weather we have been having lately has increased our visitation and is keeping us very busy we hope you’ll take advantage of the weather and come out to visit the Park.

We also would like to welcome Michael Hill as our new Regional Director for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

We are looking forward to “The Coyote Classic Mountain Bike Race” coming up on Sunday April 2, 2006, which will be held at The Franklin Mountains State Park. Mike Rosson along with the Borderland Mountain Bike Association, Robert Newman and the Texas Youth Commission (Schaffer House) and other Volunteer’s have been doing trail work in preparation for the race.

Also coming up on Saturday April 8, 2006 at the Tom May’s Unit will be “The Canutillo School District Walk-A-Thon”. We look forward to seeing you all for these exciting events.

On Saturday, February 18, 2006 the “5th Annual Far West Texas Jack Rabbit Rally”, was held at The Franklin Mountains State Park. Mark Dorian worked very hard to make this race a success, rarely does a week go by that Mark is not out working on trails along with his wife Helen. We would like to thank Mark and Helen for their support and hard work.

On March 4, 2006, I was given the opportunity to participate in an outreach program held at the Botanical Gardens. The response from the community was great. On the same day Rick LoBello of the El Paso Zoo was kind enough to allow me to speak during one of his programs to students from Hornedo Middle School. I encouraged them to plan and develop a garden using native plants to attract butterflies and hummingbirds by adopting an area next to the Franklin Mountains States Park Headquarters.

Robert Pichardo, Lead Ranger of The Franklin Mountains State Park was interviewed by Channel 7 regarding current drought conditions.

We have been incredibly busy with the different programs, our regular tours, and the day-to-day operations of the Park none of which would be possible if it wasn’t for the great staff of Volunteers who are always willing to go above and beyond. Thank you all from the Park’s staff.

Mountain Memories
Thank you, Steve Vinson, for the following essay :

I won’t be shy; the Franklin Mountains are epochly beautiful, ecologically important and self-supporting, and a continuing resource for the El Paso region. Conversely, the aspirations and struggles of men and women, including both those who scheme for personal profit and those who cry to protect the land, are minuscule and plain, an insignificant blip in the earth’s timeline, a dust into dust reality. I study the geologic folds along the Transmountain Road cuts, each a million- of- years wrinkle; from atop North Franklin Mountain, I take in the expanse of the basin and range, splayed out eastward in my tiny field of view; I note the change in complex plant communities on either side of the ridgeline, ever following the sun; my blood accelerates in my slow completion of a hundred, priceless hikes along and throughout the range. I am told that the United States military establishment from far away Washington district, or various government functionaries, elected and appointed by a small fraction of citizens, determine the future of the Franklins. The thought angers me—until I laugh softly—because even mighty Rome continues to crumble, until nothing is left but the atoms collected randomly in its assemblage. As a former pragmatist, I empathize with the pain of temporal loss; as a natural idealist and mortal man, I hike less these days, but I gaze at the fathomless stars, extending like an endless crown above my beloved Franklins.

The Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition
Borderland Mountain Bike Association - - Celebration of Our Mountains - - Chihuahuan Desert Wildlife Rescue - - El Paso Archeological Society - - El Paso Cactus and Rock Club - - El Paso Native Plant Society - - El Paso Regional Group of the Sierra Club - - El Paso/Trans-Pecos Audubon Society - - El Paso Wilderness Preservation Committee - - El Paso Women’s Political Caucus - - Friends of the Franklins - - League of Women Voters of El Paso - - Mesilla Valley Audubon Society - - Mountain Park Community Association - - Photography Enthusiasts of El Paso - - Southern New Mexico Group of the Sierra Club

VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT http://iloveparks.com/fmwc/

Sunday, January 1, 2006

January 2006

FRANKLIN MOUNTAINS NOTES
Newsletter of the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition
January, 2006

Next Meeting: Jan. 18, 2005

The next meeting of the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition is Wednesday, Jan. 18 at 7 p.m. It takes place in Room 411, Burgess Hall on the UTEP campus. Burgess Hall is at the intersection of Sun Bowl Drive and University Ave. on the west side of the campus. Please be prompt. The building entrance locks automatically in the evenings. If you arrive late and no one is at the door, call 861-4361 and someone will come to let you in. For more information contact Scott Cutler (581-6071).

Events of Interest

The Frontera Land Alliance Annual Meeting of the Board is Wednesday, January 25, 2006 at Ardovino’s Desert Crossing in Sunland Park, N.M. There will be a casual reception (hors d’oeuvres buffet and cash bar) at 6:00 p.m. The Board meeting will begin at 7:00 p.m. Join us and help celebrate our first land acquisition: The Charlie Wakeem/Richard Teschner Nature Preserve of Resler Canyon. (Maria Trunk, President)

State of the State Parks: On February 15, 2006, Mr. Walt Dabney, Division Director for State Parks with Texas Parks and Wildlife, will give a “State of the State Parks” address. He will be informing us about what will be happening with the state parks in the coming years. Following his presentation he will answer questions. This will be a great opportunity to find out how our local state parks are doing and get answers to your questions.
TIME: 7:00 P.M.
PLACE: Memorial Park Senior Center, 1800 Byron Street
If you need more information, contact Scott Cutler at 581-6071.
Annual Dues

Annual dues for the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition are due in January each year. Even if you normally get our newsletter only via e-mail, in January you also get this hard copy, along with an annual renewal form and return envelope. If you are a Coalition member, please use these materials to renew your membership. If you are not a member, now would be an excellent time to join. The issues surrounding Castner Range promise to make this a pivotal year for the Franklin Mountains.

Castner Range Planning Begins
John Sproul

What is the future of Castner Range? That question may be answered in the year ahead.

Castner Range is the old military firing range on the east side of the Franklin Mountains. Today, it consists of 11 sections (square miles) of land west of the Patriot Freeway that have remained undeveloped due to the presence of unexploded ordnance. Over the past decade, some of this land has been cleared of old ordnance, but much has not.

Due to its outstanding ecological, scenic, recreational and cultural resources, we have long recommended most of the range be added to Franklin Mountains State Park. The 7 westernmost sections are rugged, upper-elevation land for which addition to the Park presents no controversy. The 4 easternmost sections are largely lower-elevation alluvial fans that are equally valuable as open space -- they include the heart of the poppy fields -- but are coveted by development interests.

Last summer, rumors about Castner Range began to swirl: Fort Bliss was investigating an “enhanced-use-lease” of the range. A land-use plan had been drafted. A high-tech office park for defense contractors was contemplated for the lower elevations. On September 26, we submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to Fort Bliss as part of efforts to find out what, in fact, was happening.

Since then, the picture has gotten clearer but is still somewhat murky. According to Fort Bliss, the decision of the Department of Homeland Security to place a new Border Patrol headquarters on Castner Range made it realize a comprehensive land-use plan for the range was needed. Fort Bliss secured funding for preliminary biological and cultural-resource studies that are now underway. As noted below, the public will soon be asked to participate in this planning process.

On November 22, the Regional Economic Development Corporation (REDCO) approached Fort Bliss with a proposal for development on Castner Range. The proposal envisions the upper-elevation lands being added to the Franklin Mountains State Park and almost all of the lower-elevation lands being developed as an office park for high-tech defense contractors. The lone exception would be a narrow sliver north of Trans-Mountain Road that would protect a small portion of the poppy fields.

In a letter dated December 6, Col. Robert Burns, the Fort Bliss Garrison Commander, advised REDCO that it should pursue its interests through the land-use-planning process now underway. Col. Burns stated:
My environmental staff currently plans to hold initial public meetings on the Castner Range Land Use Plan in early 2006. The goal of the meetings will be to encourage a free exchange of community views regarding the future use of Castner Range and allow Fort Bliss to identify reasonable alternate approaches to the plan. Should options develop during the planning process that identify alternate beneficial uses of portions of Castner Range they will be fully considered during the planning process.
The information gathered in that meeting or meetings will be used as a basis for development of a Programmatic Land Use Plan that will serve as the basis for the development of environmental documentation required under the National Environmental Policy Act and the Army’s decision regarding future use of the range. Fort Bliss and the Army will fully comply with NEPA. As we discussed, that process will include additional opportunities for public participation.

On January 9, Newspapertree.com published a comprehensive article by Sito Negron on the recent developments involving Castner Range. In it, Keith Landreth, director of the Fort Bliss Directorate of Environment, is quoted as saying, “We’re trying to schedule a whole day public meeting some time in February. If there’s anything I want to get across it’s that this is complete public participation process; there aren’t any deals being made in smoke-filled rooms.”

The wheels are now in motion. If we want to see Castner Range protected, vigorous participation in this planning process will be critical. We’ll keep you posted as soon as we know details of the upcoming meeting(s).

More on Castner Range
Scott Cutler

On Tuesday, January 10, the City Council met to consider making a policy statement on Castner Range. Two agenda items were discussed, one from Rep. Susie Byrd and one from Rep. Melina Castro, both of whose districts border the range. The City Council voted to have a committee write a letter advising the Army that the City is interested in preserving Castner Range as part of Franklin Mountains State Park. The Mayor said the letter would include a proposal for Castner Range that differs from the one presented by REDCO development.

Additionally, an article appeared in the e-newspaper, “Newspaper Tree”, that gives a fairly good overview of current Castner Range events. You can view the whole piece online at http://newspapertree.com/view_article.sstg?c=9bcb57d56124498a and a few excerpts follow.

Rep. Susie Byrd: “I feel like there has to be in the long term a recognition of how important and how valuable that kind of open space on the mountain is and we really need to preserve some of that for perpetuity and I think Castner is one of those pieces of land we should talk about preserving,” Byrd said. “A visual landscape defines your home. Right in the middle of the city to have a really incredibly scenic and untouched desert landscape is really remarkable. I don’t know that it’s possible but I think we shouldn’t shy away from the conversation.”

Carl Robinson, a Northeast resident who is active in several civic groups, said the prevailing sentiment is, leave Castner alone. He points to thousands of acres of Public Service Board land that already has been master planned in anticipation of growth in Northeast El Paso, which is poised to absorb thousands of new troops at Fort Bliss. “There is and will be a movement to oppose development on Castner. We want to preserve that area. There’s plenty of land to build,” Robinson said.

Bob Cook, interim president of REDCO (a private development group): “There’s no specific proposal or plan, but we have a concept we want to discuss with Northeast neighborhood groups and environmental groups. We started communicating with a select group of people and probably will initiate a more public process in the next couple of weeks. I want to be clear, this is just a concept with no relationship with developers, planners, architects or engineers,” Cook said. The concept was developed by his staff, Cook said.

State Senator Elliot Shapleigh said his preference would be to create a master plan that preserves the poppy fields, places most of Castner into the Franklin Mountains State Park, and sets standards for “good development” on the section along the Patriot Freeway.

Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition’s main goal, as stated on its web site, is to secure Castner for the Park. “Castner Range extends from the Patriot Freeway almost to the mountain ridgeline and includes some of the most scenic and ecologically significant parts of the mountains. Hidden springs, complex geological features, unique plant associations, diverse landforms and noteworthy archaeological sites are among the elements that make it, in many ways, the heart and soul of the Franklin Mountains,” the site states.


LONE STAR LEGACY
You can make a lasting contribution to the future of Franklin Mountains State Park with your tax-deductible donation to the Lone Star Legacy Endowment Fund. Checks, payable to “Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation” can be sent to: Lone Star Legacy Endowment Fund, c/o Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation, P.O. Box 191207, Dallas, TX, 75219. Mark your donation to the endowment fund for Franklin Mountains State Park.



Franklin Mountains State Park Update
Danny Contreras, PRII,ADSO

Greetings, from the Franklin Mountains State Park. Everyone here at the Park would like to take the opportunity to wish everyone a Prosperous New Year! Due to the unseasonable weather, we have been keeping busy with visitors at the Park.

All of us at the Park have been involved with “Keep El Paso Beautiful” in conjunction with the El Paso Police Department’s West Side Command Center and the Texas Youth Commission, Schaffer House.

On Saturday, February 18, 2006 you all are invited to the “5th Annual Far West Texas Jack Rabbit Rally”, which will be held at the Franklin Mountains State Park. Events will include a 43K Trail Run, 30K Trail Run, 12K Trail Run, and an Off-Road Duathlon with a 15K Bike Ride and 5K Run. For information, please contact Mark Dorian at 915-581-9541 or markd@utep.edu or myself, Danny Contreras. We look forward to seeing you all there!

I hope you all have had a chance to meet Mr. Mitch Pickens, our new and first Park Host. Also please join us in recognizing the tremendous help Mitch has been to us here at the Franklins. He has been helping with tours and trail work and doing a great job.

We would also like to thank Major Joe Cancellary and the Bowie High School R.O.T.C. for the continuous work they have put in on the Eastside Multiuse Trails.

We also would like to recognize Erika Rubio, Franklin Mountains State Park Clerk, who has taken on the extra workload of the Administrative Technician. Erika is doing a wonderful job and all her efforts are greatly appreciated.



Newsletter Contributions
Come on now, folks, don’t be shy, we’d still like to see your special memories of the Franklins or your questions/concerns. Please feel free to submit your contributions to Kathy McConaghie at kmcconaghie@elp.rr.com or 272 Shadow Mountain, #12, El Paso, Texas 79912. The deadline for our March, 2006 newsletter will be March 9, 2006, but submissions will be accepted any time between now and the deadline.


The Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition
Borderland Mountain Bike Association - - Celebration of Our Mountains - - Chihuahuan Desert Wildlife Rescue - - El Paso Archeological Society - - El Paso Cactus and Rock Club - - El Paso Native Plant Society - - El Paso Regional Group of the Sierra Club - - El Paso/Trans-Pecos Audubon Society - - El Paso Wilderness Preservation Committee - - El Paso Women’s Political Caucus - - Friends of the Franklins - - League of Women Voters of El Paso - - Mesilla Valley Audubon Society - - Mountain Park Community Association - - Photography Enthusiasts of El Paso - - Southern New Mexico Group of the Sierra Club

VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT http://iloveparks.com/fmwc/