Monday, July 11, 2011

July 2011

FRANKLIN MOUNTAINS WILDERNESS COALITION

http://www.franklinmountains.org/


NEWSLETTER


July 2011


CONTENTS:
Meeting Info
Message From Our President
Genevieve Coonly
Castner Range
     Retention Dam
     Photo Op, Aug 16th
NEWS
     Golden Eagle at the Zoo
     Eco-Tourism
     Franklin Mountains State Park
     Child Activist Stands Up to Orogrande Mine
Mark Your Calendars
     N.E. El Paso Civic Association Meeting
     El Paso Museum Of Archaeology
     Master Gardeners/Master Naturalist
Lone Star Legacy
FMWC Board
FMWC In Cyberspace


NO JULY MEETING
Next Meeting: WEDNESDAY, September 21, 2011
Meeting Place and Time To Be Announced in September Newsletter.


Message From Our President, Scott Cutler

Within this edition you will find a number of issues that the Coalition is working on, some of them of great concern such as the idea of a new retention dam and ponding area on Castner Range. Your input on these and participation in talking to officials about these is critical to protecting our mountains. Please consider becoming actively involved in one form or another.

As we are in the summer hiking season I thought I would pass on to all of you a website I came across that describes a number of great hikes in the Franklin Mountains as well as other locations. It was assembled by Mr. Michael Olbrisch and can be accessed on the web at the following address (all one line):

http://www.localhikes.com/getHikes.asp?Search=1&getreporter=Desert_Warrior&getHikebyReporter=Yes

I hope you will be able to enjoy some of these either this summer or in the cool of the fall and winter.

Have a great summer. And as always your interest and support of the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition is very much appreciated.


Genevieve Coonly

Genevieve Coonly was a long-time supporter of our organization and made many generous donations to FMWC through the years. She passed away on June 1, 2011. In remembrance of Mrs. Coonly's love of the Franklin Mountains, her family has asked that donations in her memory be made to the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition among other organizations.

Support for the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition comes in many forms, from volunteer hours to financial support. Genevieve Coonly's financial gifts have strengthened the Coalition's ability to support conservation efforts related to the Franklin Mountains, especially Castner Range. Some donations (including one that totaled $1,000) have already been made in her memory. Any amount you give will go towards protecting the Franklin Mountains which Mrs. Coonly cherished, and all of us strive to preserve. Your gift in Genevieve Coonly's name can be mailed to the Coalition's Treasurer: Pat White, 10525 Texwood, El Paso, Texas, 79925.


CASTNER RANGE

Proposed Sun Valley Water Retention Dam on Castner Range:

You have probably already heard about initial scoping efforts by the Corps of Engineers to investigate the feasibility of (and public concern about) a water impoundment structure on Castner Range just west of Sun Valley Drive and Highway 54. The Corps of Engineers is actively seeking input from the Coalition as well as any other interested individuals and organizations. The Coalition is getting ideas for alternatives from a number of different sources and will be providing input to the Corps by the end of July as well as at the meeting of the RAB (Restoration Advisory Board) in the BLM’s conference room, 1800 Marquess Street, Las Cruces, 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, July 13. We encourage you to attend the meeting.

If you can’t attend the meeting, please DO comment. Your participation demonstrates the importance of Castner Range to this community. Please emphasize the need to minimize impact on the native ecosystem and the scenic view shed of the Castner Range while ensuring public safety. Send your comments to Dana Price at dana.m.price@usace.army.mil.


Photo Op to Mark El Paso Delegation’s Support of Castner Range Resolutions:

The unanimous April 2011 vote by the Texas Senate and the Texas House of Representatives in favor of resolutions strongly supporting the conservation of Castner Range will be celebrated on Tuesday, August 16th at 9 a.m. in the parking lot of the Museum of Archaeology on East Transmountain Road with a rescheduled "photo op" in honor of El Paso's delegation to Austin--State Senator José Rodríguez and State Representative Marisa Márquez (who both sponsored the resolutions) along with Representatives Naomi González, Dee Margo, Joe Pickett and Chente Quintanilla, who spoke and voted in favor of it. Also invited to participate in the photo opportunity are Congressman Silvestre Reyes, Mayor John Cook, and District Four City Representative Carl Robinson, along with Dr. Julia Bussinger, director of the museum. Members of the Castner Conservation Conveyance Committee ("4-C's") Judy Ackerman, Scott Cutler, Doug Echlin, Mike Gaglio, John Moses, Richard Teschner, Kevin von Finger, Charlie Wakeem and Pat White will be present, along with other members of the boards of directors of the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition and the Frontera Land Alliance. All persons active in El Paso-area conservation are also invited to attend the photo op, at which the guests of honor will be asked to say a few words to the media. The event is being organized by the 4-C's and the offices of Senator Rodríguez and Representative Márquez. (Richard Teschner, For the 4-C's)


NEWS

EL PASO ZOO: Golden Eagle at the Zoo is an “Ambassador for Conservation”

In March 2010, Takota began visiting with guests during public programs and since then has made appearances at regularly scheduled El Paso Zoo programs as well as several off grounds programs. Some notable appearances have been at the Franklin Mountains Poppy Celebration, Music Under the Stars and at An Evening with Jack Hanna at the Plaza Theater where he was one of the featured animals on stage.

Takota is a nearly 6 year-old Golden Eagle who was found in the Organ Mountains near Las Cruces in November 2007. After examination by veterinarians, Takota was found to have West Nile Virus, as well as, gunshot wounds which had already healed. He was given housing at the El Paso Zoo during his long recovery. Unfortunately, Takota's eyesight was permanently damaged due to the virus and it was decided that he would never have the ability to see well enough to live on his own. Several people at the El Paso Zoo took an interest in the eagle, seeing his potential as an ambassador for his wild counterparts through educational programs. A raptor consultant came to the El Paso Zoo in November 2009 to evaluate the eagle and he was so positive of Takota's potential that training with the eagle began immediately. Just a few months later in March 2010, Takota made his public debut. Since then he has helped represent Chihuahuan Desert Wildlife by encountering thousands of El Paso area residents both at the El Paso Zoo and around the city at special events. To date, over 34,000 people have seen Takota.

Takota is at the El Paso Zoo under permit from US Fish and Wildlife. The zoo was also awarded a grant from Texas Parks and Wildlife to hire a raptor consultant, a raptor presenter to show Takota to the public and have a new aviary built in an area behind the scenes.

Takota can be seen at the El Paso Zoo at scheduled appearances. For more information on Takota programs at the El Paso Zoo, please visit www.elpasozoo.org. To follow Takota on Twitter got to twitter.com/takotagolden.

The El Paso Zoo opens daily at 9:30 am and the ticket booth closes at 4:00pm. For more information call (915) 521-1850. (Rick LoBello, Education Curator)


Eco-Tourism In El Paso:

One of the main goals for our Eco-tourism committee was to provide our community and eco-enthusiasts everywhere a website that would allow for a more comprehensive overview of outdoor activities in El Paso County. I’m happy to report back that after months of work with the CVB and a generous financial donation by Dr. Richard Teschner, our idea has become a reality. The website was recently unveiled at the Convention and Visitors Bureau Spirit of Amigo Travel Luncheon.

You can now view this website by going to www.outdoorelpaso.com. The page hosts an interactive map which provides the locations for various activities, attractions and businesses which sell/rent the equipment needed to partake in the wealth of outdoor activities. You can click on certain tabs to isolate your search of activities on the map or by utilizing the menu of activities on the left hand side of the site.

For example, if you wanted information on the 1953 B-36D Crash Site Hike, you can locate it on the interactive map and click “More info” or by clicking “Hiking, Walking & Running Trails” on the left hand column to have a list of the various hikes. Once there you can click on the “1953 B-36D Crash Site Hike” which will then take you to detailed information such as hike time, trail condition, difficulty, etc and a trail map.

This is an evolving website and can be made better with your input. Any suggestions you might have would be greatly appreciated. (Ruben John Vogt, Director of Public Policy)


Franklin Mountains State Park:

First, we would like to mention that Park Ranger II Alvaro Garcia has accepted a Park Police Officer position at Big Bend Ranch State Park. Alvaro began his work at Big Bend in June. We wish him well with his new job!

This summer has been a busy one here at Franklin Mountain State Park. Park staff and volunteers have been leading guided tours throughout the park. School groups, summer camps and military youth groups have been out to the park to take advantage of the many tours we have to offer. For many of our guests, it is their first time visiting the park. All of us here use this as a way to encourage first time visitors to come back and enjoy all that the park has to offer.

Park volunteer Robert Newman has been given the green light to begin work on the extension of the Sotol Forest Trail from Sotol Canyon north to Hitt Canyon. We appreciate all of Robert’s hard work since he has been out there almost every day since the beginning of June. Due to shortage of staff, we have not had much of an opportunity to work alongside with Robert.

Park staff have been busy with several work projects throughout the park involving the Texas Department of Criminal Justice trustees. Some of the projects include working on the interpretive panels located at the park headquarters and at the Ron Coleman Trailheads. Work was completed as of July 7, 2011. We have used the help of the TDCJ work crew in up-grading the grills at the group picnic site # 39. We will continue to use their help with re-painting all the picnic and camp sites as well as with all the other daily maintenance at the park.

TxDOT will begin working on painting the stripes on the park roadways this month. Work will begin within the next several days.

Park volunteers Richard Love and George Murray have been keeping up with the daily maintenance of our wildlife viewing area. Lately, Richard installed a stealth camera to photograph overnight activity at the viewing area. Park staff and volunteers have noticed that some of the wildlife have been rummaging through the vegetation and causing quite a mess. Through the use of the stealth camera, Richard determined that the culprit was a coyote, which he later spotted on the Nature Trail.

Hot, Hot, Hot! With the severe heat, all park staff continues to encourage all park visitors to hike safely and be as prepared as possible for hiking in this heat. We encourage at least a gallon of water per person and double that per dog. Unfortunately, some hikers have not followed our recommendations. Just a few weeks ago, a hiker on the Directissimo trail encountered some problems due to lack of preparedness. Unfortunately his dog did not survive the hike. All park staff can do is continue to encourage hikers to be prepared.
Speaking of heat, park volunteer George Murray was driving up Trans Mountain Road one Saturday afternoon when he noticed a brush fire alongside the roadway. Thankfully George stopped and did all he could to help put out the fire. Three motorists also stopped and assisted George with dousing the fire with whatever tools they had. George used his fire extinguisher and floor mats from his truck and the three motorists used their floor mats as well. Luckily, El Paso Fire Department Pumper 2 arrived on the scene and successfully finished putting out the fire. If it wasn’t for George and the three good Samaritans, that fire could have easily spread and could have been disastrous! Thank you George for your quick action! It is speculated that the fire was caused by some inconsiderate motorist who threw out a lit cigarette butt.

In summary, we encourage all visitors to be safe when out and about in the park during this dry, hot summer. Remember the basics, plenty of water, sun-screen, wide brimmed hat, long sleeves and pants, and sturdy shoes when out hiking in the summer. Also, it is advisable to take advantage of the park’s early hours of operation on the weekend and hike early to avoid the heat. (John Nunez, FMSP)


Child Activist Stands Up to Orogrande Mine:

When 10-year-old Caitlyn Larson and her family heard there was activity and large equipment moving near the old Cinco de Mayo mine in the Jarilla Mountains, they became concerned.

"(People) told us someone tore a big hole into the Cinco de Mayo," Caitlyn said.

As the family drove out to see it for themselves and take a hike in the area, the Larsons saw the landscape they knew had changed. Roads had been widened and pathways expanded, leaving many plants torn up and burms in the way of regular roadways.

Large-scale mine-related equipment sat at the bottom of the mountain containing the Cinco de Mayo, Iron Duke, Barbara and Virginia mining claims.

The Larsons found, according to a press release issued by the Iron Mining Group, the company is purchasing 180,000 metric tons of iron ore from OroGrande Iron Ore Co., LLC. The first delivery of 60,000 metric tons is to be made to IMG by July 31.

According to the press release, the group also plans to take 5.98 million metric tons of iron ore from the area over the next three years.

The release also says the low-grade iron ore, once extracted, will be taken by train to Sonora, Mexico, where it will then be shipped to China.

Caitlyn, seeing the machines and the changes in the landscape, became concerned for the plants, wildlife and history of the area. Not only have many varieties of plants, including rare cactus, been disturbed by the activity at the mine, but a couple of golden eagle nests are situated in the area.

"Eagles, owl, bighorn sheep and mountain lions have been seen in this area," said Guy Larson, Caitlyn's father. "It's amazing what's up here."

The Larsons are a mining family and want to make it clear they are not against mining, Guy said.

"We just want to see everything considered," Guy said. "What about the history? What are they going to do about the eagles?"

At the very least, Guy said, the mining company is required to have its permit posted at the site.

Orogrande was a bustling mining community in 1915 when the mines in question were active, Guy said. There were three bustling towns in the area at the time

Orogrande, Brice and Oyasi.

Caitlyn's concern about the wildlife and history turned her into an activist. She created a press release and sent letters to the Bureau of Land Management, President Barack Obama, Gov. Susana Martinez and others.

"If the destruction created in the last seven days is any indication of the work they plan to do in the next 90 days (and possibly the next three years, as reported by IMG), there will be no mountains left," Caitlyn wrote June 6 in her release. "They will have been completely destroyed, pulverized and sent to China." (Elva K. Osterreich, Alamogordo Daily News, 6/20/11)

Update: The mining company is under a "cease and desist" order from BLM. The company does not have a mining permit from the State of New Mexico and they have not conducted an environmental assessment. Most importantly they did not have permission from BLM to conduct mining operations on BLM land. Talk about arrogance! The mining company stated they were unaware they needed permits. Per BLM, it will take about a year to conduct an "evaluation".


MARK YOUR CALENDARS

JULY 14th: N.E. El Paso Civic Association Meeting with guest speakers, Texas State Representatives Dee Margo and Joe Pickett. 7 – 9 pm at Community Center, Transmountain Apartments, 5317 Transmountain Rd.


El Paso Museum Of Archaeology:

Enrollment Still Open for Archaeology Summer Day Camps
Spaces are still available in the following camps:

July 12 through 15, 2011, 9 am to Noon, for children ages 10 to 12 years, entering 5th through 7th grade

July 26 through 29, 2011, 9 am to Noon, for children 7 to 9 years, entering 2nd through 4th grade

August 9 through 12, 2011, 9 am to Noon, for children ages 10 to 12 years, entering 5th through 7th grade

The camp registration fee is $55 for El Paso Museum of Archaeology members and $70 for non-members. Registration is accepted on a first-come first-served basis as attendance is limited to twelve students per camp. For information and the camp registration form contact the museum at 915-755-4332 or guidamr@elpasotexas.gov.

Archaeology Summer Day Camp is an interactive, hands-on course held on the museum’s grounds and in the galleries with a field trip. The program is designed to educate participants about the science of archaeology, its tools, and American Indians of the El Paso-Juárez region from prehistory to today. Campers will learn respect and appreciation for prehistoric, historic and contemporary Indian people.

Continuing Exhibit extended through October 9, 2011: Settlement Legacy: Native Americans of the Pass of the North
Free Admission

Guest Curator Nicholas P. Houser, local anthropologist and historian, tells the dramatic story of the Manso, Suma, Piro, and Tigua Indians who, over four centuries ago, founded the missions and pueblos that evolved into today’s sister cities, El Paso-Ciudad Juárez.

War, Women, and Religion: The Spread of Salado Polychrome in the North American Southwest by Todd VanPool, Ph.D.
July 23, 2011, 2:00 to 3:30 pm
Free Admission

During the 13th and 14th centuries, the Salado religion spread across the US Southwest. It was associated with distinctive pottery, also found in El Paso, that was part of a new religious system developed during massive migration into the area. Many of the immigrants were female war refugees and their children fleeing intense violence to the north. The influx of refugees into pre-existing communities created intense competition among females for economic resources and mates. In this presentation, Dr VanPool suggests that the Salado religion reflects religious innovation by females aimed at mitigating this conflict.

Todd L. VanPool is an Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Missouri--Columbia. He earned his BA at Eastern New Mexico University and his Ph.D. from the University of New Mexico. He has conducted archaeological field work throughout New Mexico and northern Chihuahua, and is currently leading the excavation of the 76 Draw site near Deming with his colleagues, Christine S. VanPool and Gordon F.M. Rakita.

Exploring the Music of the Americas: A Family Workshop by the musical group Ceiba
August 13, 2011, 2:00 to 4:00 pm,
Free Admission

Families with children age six years and up are invited to participate in a creative, interactive exploration of music and art inspired by ancient and modern Latin America from México to the Andes led by the El Paso musical group Ceiba.

Adults and children will listen and respond to music and create together, speaking and writing in small groups and making art in response to the music they hear. Ceiba will play a variety of musical pieces and ask participants to respond to questions such as what did you hear, where did you go in your mind while listening, what did you feel, and how would you draw that music. Children will take home the art they make. Both English and Spanish will be spoken during this workshop.

Ceiba musicians perform on a variety of instruments from indigenous cultures of Latin America such as the charango, rain stick, various flutes of wood, ceramic, and bamboo, percussion instruments made of turtle shell and gourd, as well as well as a variety of other percussion and stringed instruments such as the jarana, guitarra de golpe, vihuela, tiple, cuatro, and guitar. Information: Marilyn Guida, 915-755-4332, guidamr@elpasotexas.gov


AUGUST 13, 10:00 AM:
Master Gardeners/Master Naturalist Speaker Dr. Corral, Fort Bliss Plant Biologist
Free Admission

AUGUST 21, 2:00 PM: Sue Sitton, Fort Bliss Archaeologist
Free Admission


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.



FMWC In Cyberspace

This is the electronic version of the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition newsletter. To be added to or removed from the distribution list, contact: j.p.ackerman@sbcglobal.net.

Many of you also receive the paper version of this newsletter. If you wish to help us save paper and postage by receiving the e-newsletter only, contact: j.p.ackerman@sbcglobal.net.


FMWC Board

President: Scott Cutler

Vice President: Jane Fowler

Secretary: Judy Ackerman

Treasurer: Pat White

At Large Members:

Raul Amaya and Nick Havelick