July 2012
Next Meeting: WEDNESDAY, July 25, 2012
Location: Our meeting will be held at The Garden Center, Memorial Park, 3105 Grant St. from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. Map:
http://www.cichlidpress.com/elpasocactusclub/graphics/gardencenter.jpg
ON THE LOOKOUT!
FMWC is looking for a newsletter editor for the September and November editions. Please contact kmcconaghie@gmail.com if you’re interested. Thank you!
TRANSMOUNTAIN SCENIC CORRIDOR
Congratulations and heartfelt thanks to all who participated in efforts to preserve city owned land along Transmountain Road in NW El Paso! Actions that began in Aug 2010 concluded on July 17, with City Council’s vote to preserve some land by transferring it to Franklin Mountains State Park. Deed restrictions will make it clear that Council’s intent is ensuring NO development there.
We look forward to the expert stewardship of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and still need your eternal vigilance because “Every conservation victory is temporary.”
You can find many more details and links to related issues here and here.
A Word from Jim Tolbert
As the author of the petition and the coordinator of the petition drive, I hope we all see the tremendous achievement which came from our dedicated work. On July 17, 2012 City Council voted unanimously to preserve land in the NW Master Plan in perpetuity by deeding and donating the land to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to become part of the Franklin Mountains State Park. Language in the deed will contain very strict covenants that will forbid the property from ever being used other than as recreational natural open space. If for any reason the land comes back to the City, a conservation easement will be created and the land will be dedicated as Parkland. The conservation of this land in perpetuity is just one of many benefits created by our successful petition drive. The NW Master Plan was redone as Smart Growth/Smart Code. Moreover, City Planners are now seeking to incorporate Green Infrastructure/Low Impact Development into the engineering tools and building codes of the City. Also, conservation and smart growth have become the goals of the City of El Paso rather than conventional growth and sprawl. The City’s Planning Department is now led by progressive, Smart Growth, New Urban, conservation advocates. Finally, a better working relationship between the conservation and environmental community and the PSB/EPWU has begun and needs nurturing.
The way is clear for all of us to begin wrestling with the bigger issue of scarcity of water as we face more years of drought and global warming/climate change. As El Pasoans we need to realize that we have more land than water and no land without water is or will be of any value. Therefore, preserving land as natural open space maximizes the economic value of the remaining land. Much of City-owned land managed by the PSB should be declared inexpedient not to sell to developers but to preserve as natural open space. May we as El Pasoans be as prudent, judicious, deliberate and conservative with our land and water management as City Council was with its conservation strategy to preserve land in the NW Master Plan. May we be faithful stewards of our land for our grandchildren’s grandchildren and may we not ever be lured by any need for instant profit and gratification.
Letter to the Editor, Judy Ackerman
Right here in El Paso, we have the LARGEST Park in the entire lower 48 states that is inside city limits – the Franklin Mountains State Park (FMSP). Our Park is a huge asset to El Paso that brings visitors from far and wide. We should enhance access to FMSP at every opportunity. Instead, PSB and City Council recommend a backdoor approach - the worst of TXDOT’s six alternative entrance options to the Tom Mays section of FMSP (other than the current death trap requiring at-grade crossing high-speed traffic lanes).
Public Service Board staff articulated the difficulty to move forward with the backdoor approach which requires extending Paseo Del Norte north of Transmountain Rd. Currently, that road is only a figment of PSB’s imagination and building it mandates selling city owned land to developers who would benefit from such a road. The next section of the backdoor approach requires a farm road (possibly gravel) built from Paseo Del Norte, east to the Park. Does that look like an entrance to a world class Park? Will visitors with low clearance vehicles or RVs decide to go elsewhere when they see they must go off pavement to get into Our Park?
The worst part of the TXDOT’s backdoor is NO mention of hike and bike trails or wildlife crossings to connect the north and south sections of the Park fragmented by Transmountain Rd – soon to be an even bigger highway with traffic speeds likely well in access of the posted limit. Fortunately, both PSB’s and City Council’s resolutions do include wildlife crossings near the current Park entrance.
There are better ways to get into FMSP! Two of TXDOT’s six alternatives include some form of an underpass near the current entrance that ensure safety of Park visitors, allow for easy direct access from Transmountain Road, and create a connection between the north and south for people and wildlife.
TX Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) have not yet analyzed entrance alternatives. TPWD andFMSP personnel are the experts on what is best for our Park. Decisions are in TXDOT’s hands. Let’s encourage TXDOT to do the right thing: Give TPWD personnel time to analyze the alternatives and then follow their recommendations to optimize our outstanding Franklin Mountains State Park. Visit Our Park and you will see for yourself why it is worth the effort to do the right thing.
PARK NEWS, Adrianna Weickhardt
Good Morning FMWC: The Franklin Mountains are still here and standing proud in El Paso, so this is great news. What (or who) is not still here at the Franklin Mountains State Park is a different story. As many of you know, this park is about 26,000 acres and requires a lot of love and attention to ensure its continued operation and its success. Two recent employees of the park gave 100% of that attention to these mountains and to this park; but with the changing times, demands and personal interests, we had to say good bye to two great employees: Robert Pichardo and John Nunez. Robert P. contributed countless years to the parks in and near El Paso, and left a huge void when he decided to take a change of pace at another park; he was an incredible employee, friend and a Mr. Fix-it of almost anything. John Nunez also gave many years to two state parks in El Paso, and was an avid “mountain man” that we miss dearly. Both men are pursuing the next adventures in new chapters in their lives, and the Franklin Mountains State Park is now actively seeking two new employees to start the park’s new chapter. The remaining employees are working double time to cover the duties of those empty positions as well as their own! The times are challenging for our staff, but the crew at this park is resilient and determined.
With many discussions swirling about regarding a new entrance to the park with the TXDOT construction on the West side of TransMountain Rd., and the discussions around the over 800 acres adjacent to the FMSP, people are abuzz about the changes occurring at the park. At this point in time, Cesar Mendez is handling the park’s needed participation in the planning phases and discussions surrounding these two major topics.
The northern boundaries of the park are getting some much needed attention. Park staff and volunteers are out GPS’ing safety markers to aid the folks at GeoBetty with the new and updated version of their fantastic maps of the park and trails. We have our dedicated volunteer out on the bike trail loops re-routing part of the track to make sure trails are completely within park boundaries; simultaneously, the work on the re-routes is giving sections of trail a much needed face lift while increasing their sustainability by preventing early erosion and trail damage.
The Monsoon Season is here again bringing new life and energy to the mountains. We’re seeing Ocotillos blooming again near the northern boundaries of the park, ant reproductives scurrying about the grounds, and many Horned Lizards throughout the mountains. The Facebook page has been an excellent media source for the park; the friends base is growing, people are using it to inquire about their park related questions, to post their photographs from all corners of the mountains, and to stay up to date on events and activities each month. Join us on Facebook to stay current on your FMSP.
Recently, the park staff had a meeting and signed up as a contributor to the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network (CoCoRaHS). The following is an excerpt from their website: “CoCoRaHS is a unique, non-profit, community-based network of volunteers of all ages and backgrounds working together to measure and map precipitation (rain, hail and snow). By using low-cost measurement tools, stressing training and education, and utilizing an interactive Web-site, our aim is to provide the highest quality data for natural resource, education and research applications. We are now in all fifty states.” The Franklin Mountains State Park is proud to be participating in this effort; the representative who brought the rain gauges and held an educational meeting with us explained that El Paso has one of the lowest numbers of reporters for our region. He is intent on drumming up more involvement; they provide the education and the gauges. If you are interested in participating in this community project, you can contact me or the park superintendent for information and we can supply you the contact name and number for our region: Headquarters: (915) 566-6441 or Adrianna.Weickhardt@tpwd.state.tx.us.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
El Paso Museum of Archaeology
4301 Transmountain Road, El Paso Texas 79924
915-755-4332;
guidamr@elpasotexs.gov; www.elpasotexas.gov/arch_museum/
Access Update: Due to TXDOT construction in process, from Hwy 54, use the Sun Valley exit to reach the museum via Transmountain Road westbound. Look for the right turn lane into the museum driveway.
July/August 2012 Programs
2012 Archaeology Summer Day Camps – Still Open for Registration: 9 am to Noon, Tuesdays through Fridays on the following dates: July 24 to 27 for ages 10 to 12, Grades 5 to 7. 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. Children must have completed first grade and be at least seven years old. For information and the camp registration form contact the museum at 915-755-4332 or guidamr@elpasotexas.gov.
New Exhibit: Look Close SEE FAR, A Cultural Portrait of the Maya - On View through September 9, 2012: Photographer Bruce T. Martin has been photographing the Maya and their surroundings for the past twenty years. His exhibit of 28 photographs and book of the same name gives his impressions of the lives and culture of Maya people today. He says “The Maya region is a place where the delicate balance between society and the environment dominates life and challenges one’s view of reality.” Look Close See Far by Bruce T. Martin Photography. Also on view are twelve contemporary Maya textiles borrowed from an anonymous lender, with handouts explaining the designs and symbolism.
Saturday, August 4, 1:00 to 3:00 pm, Free Admission
1:00 pm - Little Red Riding Hood Lied about Wolves
Facts and fiction about wolves. Presented by “The Wolf Lady” Nancy Bain, Former Wolf Exhibit Volunteer Host at the El Paso Zoo
2:00 pm – Venomous Creatures of the Chihuahuan Desert. Learn about venomous insects, spiders and reptiles & some poisonous plants. Bi-lingual Program – English & Spanish, Presented by Sal Quintanilla, West Texas Poison Control Center
Sunday, August 19, 2:00 pm, Free Admission
EPAS Speaker – To Be Announced
Sponsored by the El Paso Archaeological Society
Saturday, August 25, 2:00 pm, Free Admission
Pompeii: The Key to Roman Life
Film with introduction and follow up discussion
By Dr. Ronald Suciu, Professor of History, EPCC
Saturday, September 8, 2:00 pm, Free Admission
A 21st Century Maya Woman: One Life Story
Dr. Eber will read from her book with “Antonia” - The Journey of a Tzotzil-Maya Woman: Pass Well Over the Earth - and discuss the process of writing her life story and their experiences working together. By Dr. Christine Eber, Professor Emerita of Anthropology, New Mexico State University
EL PASO ZOO
4001 E. Paisano, El Paso, Texas 79905
http://www.elpasozoo.org/
(915) 521-1881
Sign up for the El Paso Zoo email list here.
TP Master Naturalists
SECOND CHANCE WILDLIFE RESCUE
4122 Emory Rd., El Paso, TX 79922
Carol Miller, Licensed Rehabilitator ,915-584-7088
Needed: Wildlife Rehabilitator Trainee, anytime between 6 am to 6 pm, 2 hours minimum. Lots of choices, lots of tasks at intake facility for Westside bird rescues. Feed and care for baby birds and injured birds, mostly songbirds, also ducks, geese, emus. Man the office for rescue facility and maintain release sites and ponds.
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: Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation, Attention: Lone Star Legacy, 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 blog version of the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition newsletter. To be added to or removed from the e-mail 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 & Nick Havlik
