September 2007

FRANKLIN MOUNTAINS WILDERNESS COALITION
http://www.iloveparks.com/fmwc/

NEXT MEETING: September 19, 2007
The next meeting of the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition is Wednesday, September 19 at 7 p.m. It takes place in Room 411 Burges Hall on the UTEP campus. Burges Hall is at the intersection of Sun Bowl Drive and University Ave. on the west side of campus. Please be prompt. The building entrance locks automatically in the evenings. If you arrive late and no one is at the door to let you in, call 861-4361 and someone will come to let you in. For more information, contact Scott Cutler (581-6071).

THIRD ANNUAL CHIHUAHUAN DESERT FIESTA

The Chihuahuan Desert Education Coalition (CDEC) and Texas Parks and Wildlife are sponsoring the third annual Chihuahuan Desert Fiesta on September 22, 2007 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Tom Mays Unit of Franklin Mountains State Park (west side of the Franklin Mountains, on Transmountain Rd.). For the full schedule of speakers, entertainers and other Fiesta activities, visit the CDEC website. The Fiesta is a Lone Star Legacy event, so entrance to the park will be free (donations may be made to Franklin Mountains State Park Endowment Fund). The Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition will be there with our new display and the Castner Range Meaning-Cards project. Please join us September 22 for fun and mountain beauty at this worthwhile educational event.


CELEBRATION OF OUR MOUNTAINS

The 14th annual Celebration of Our Mountains kicks off on September 22 with the Chihuahuan Desert Fiesta and lasts until November 4. This month-long festival of events is offered to the public to encourage appreciation of the El Paso region’s environment and includes dozens of hikes, field trips, driving tours, nature walks and other activities. Most events are free; some have costs for park entry fees, transportation or other nominal expenses.

The binational event highlights the natural and cultural history of the mountains – the Franklins in West Texas, the Sierra de Juarez in Northern Chihuahua, Cerro de Cristo Rey and the Organ Mountains in Southern New Mexico – and other natural resources and attractions. For more information, pick up a copy of El Paso Scene free monthly entertainment guide or visit the Celebration of Our Mountains website.


MUSEUM OF ARCHAEOLOGY STAYS OPEN
by John Sproul

The El Paso Museum of Archaeology at Wilderness Park is staying put…for now. The possible closure of the museum and transfer of its holdings to the new History Museum downtown was under discussion as the City prepared its budget for Fiscal Year 2008. Thanks to strong public opposition, led by the El Paso Archaeological Society (EPAS), the final budget approved by City Council on August 21 did not include such a closure.

But the City has advised the staff and supporters of the Museum that they will need to do expanded fundraising on an ongoing basis, or the Museum’s future will remain uncertain. For FY 2008, some $27,000 needs to be raised by May 31, 2008.

EPAS is working to help raise the needed funds (see below). If you would like to contribute directly to this worthwhile cause, send your donation check payable to El Paso Archaeological Society, P.O. Box 4345, El Paso, Texas, 79914-4345. Please indicate on your check that your donation is in support of the El Paso Museum of Archaeology. Your donation is tax-deductible.


EL PASO ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY AND THE MUSEUM OF ARCHAEOLOGY
by Bill Luther, President, EPAS

Upcoming fundraising events:

· Tequila Sundown, September 16, 2007 from 3 to 7 p.m. with live music by Bridge at the Museum of Archaeology on Transmountain Road. Tequila tasting and fun is the theme of the event - 5 tastes are $10 (non-members) or $5 (members). Join the EPAS as a family ($30) and you’ll automatically get two tickets or 10 tastes. There will also be raffle drawings during the festivities.

· Annual EPAS Hall of Honor Banquet, September 22nd at the Sunland Park Holiday Inn with featured speaker F. Joan Mathien, Ph.D., on Chaco Canyon, Turquoise Artifacts & Pueblo II-III Social Organizations. Fee is $23.00 per person. Call Berttye at 592-3651 or visit the EPAS website for your reservation form.

· Texas Archaeology Day, October 27th at the Museum. Fun for the whole family all day long and free of charge, the day will include Pueblo dancers, Navaho and Apache flute players at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. There will also be mock digs, face painting, atlatl throwing, pottery making, corn grinding, basket making, bead stringing, pictograph making and flintknapping.

The El Paso Archaeological Society (EPAS) was established in 1922. Our mission statement includes our support of the Museum which we have provided for the past 30 years. In the early part of June, 2007, we learned through a television interview of Mayor John Cook that plans to close the Museum on Transmountain Road had been made by the City Council. Citizens of El Paso called us to determine the truth. When we recognized the seriousness of the scheme, we posted our city representative’s email address on our website. Enough citizens utilized this strategy to gain a temporary reprieve from the city.

Our citizens recognize that the Museum is a 17-acre treasure, nestled in a perfect location where Indians once lived. The Museum tells the story of a land and a people in a setting relevant to the tale which certainly cannot be replicated in a cemented downtown hall. If the downtown move were to take place we would lose two miles of nature trails, free parking, poppy fields, free lectures and seminars held monthly by EPAS, the vast archaeological library, site files routinely referenced by professionals, wildlife viewing opportunities, dwellings in a natural setting and much more.

The reprieve granted by the Council is contingent upon EPAS raising $27,000 by May, 2008. We have never had to raise this kind of capital before but we are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and have the ability to raise funds for this purpose. The Museum is very important to our community and moving it would be a tragic educational loss.

Another way to help the Museum is to join EPAS for $25 per year. Benefits are free monthly seminars given by professionals every third Thursday of each month, one free “The Artifact” every year (an EPAS publication), monthly newsletters, numerous weekly projects, pottery making and flintknapping. Please show your support in whatever way you can to keep the Museum open in its present location.


FRANKLIN MOUNTAINS STATE PARK NEWS

All the latest news and information about upcoming events at the Park are available at the Park’s great website. Check it out!!


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 electronic version of the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition newsletter. To be added to or removed from the distribution list, contact: jsproul@utep.edu.
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: jsproul@utep.edu.

The Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition
Borderland Mountain Bike Association * Celebration of Our Mountains * Chihuahuan Desert Education Coalition * Chihuahuan Desert Wildlife Rescue * El Paso Archaeological 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 * Friends of the Rio Bosque * 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