November 2007

FRANKLIN MOUNTAINS WILDERNESS COALITION
http://www.franklinmountains.org/

NEXT MEETING: November 14, 2007
The next meeting of the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition is Wednesday, November 14 at 7 p.m. Note that we’re meeting a week early since this year the 3rd Wednesday of the month falls the day before Thanksgiving.
The meeting 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).

OUTREACH!
by judy Ackerman

We are actively reaching out to other organizations, inviting them to join the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition. At the same time, we are raising awareness of the need to preserve Castner Range and the concept of a conservation conveyance. Utilizing PowerPoint presentations, slide shows, displays, and handouts we spoke to the Rotary Club of West El Paso, the North Hills Neighborhood Pride Association, the Skyline Optimist Club of El Paso and the Trinity First Methodist Church’s Men’s Group.

Judy Ackerman recently joined Border Toasters of Toastmasters International. The club asked her to give her second speech on short notice, so she picked her favorite topic: Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition. Club members applauded her speech, but the real sign of success was when they voted to join! Border Toasters is the newest organizational member of FMWC.

Our Outreach project will build our network and increase our influence so we can rapidly orchestrate activity in support of the Franklin Mountains and Castner Range. If you know of a professional, civic, or service organization that might be interested in joining FMWC or would like to host a guest speaker from FMWC, please contact Scout Cutler (581-6071) or judy Ackerman (755-7371).


POPPIES 2008 PLANNING
by judy Ackerman

Planning for Franklin Mountains Poppies Celebration on Castner Range 2008, to be held Saturday, March 15th, is underway. Please start thinking of fundraising ideas. We are looking for key leaders in many areas from publicity to traffic control and volunteer coordination. If you would like to get in on the ground floor to help make 2008 an even bigger success than last year, please contact judy Ackerman (755-7371).

The main sponsors of this fun and educational gala are:

El Paso Museum of Archaeology
El Paso Archaeological Society
Chihuahuan Desert Education Coalition
Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition

Highlights of Franklin Mountains Poppies Celebration on Castner Range 2008 include a full program of nature talks, wildlife displays, educational exhibits, and demonstrations. This year we will invite Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison as well as local politicians. We have also added an afternoon program, 3 – 6 PM, featuring live music and refreshments. Everyone is welcome to come out and enjoy the beauty of the mountains during this free event.


TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE TO ACQUIRE PSB LANDS
by John Sproul

The master plans developed for Public Service Board (PSB)-administered lands in northeast and northwest El Paso both contain significant acreages of open space adjacent to Franklin Mountains State Park. El Paso Water Utilities (EPWU) has been working to convey these lands to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), and the conveyance now appears a step closer to happening. According to a news release on the EPWU website, the state’s fiscal year 2007-2008 budget includes $162,000 for TPWD to purchase 1,850 acres of PSB lands adjacent to the Park. Since the State Park boundary is defined by statute, it will require an act of the Texas Legislature to add these lands to the Park.

The news release refers to plans for a visitor center on the lands being conveyed in northeast El Paso, which appears to be inconsistent with efforts to plan for a Franklin Mountains State Park visitor center in conjunction with the Museum of Archaeology at Wilderness Park.

The full text of the EPWU news release:

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has agreed to purchase Public Service Board land adjoining Franklin Mountain State Park. Funding for the $162,000 acquisition is included in the state’s fiscal year 2007-2008 budget.

Parks and Wildlife is purchasing 1,850 acres of PSB land, comprising acreage on the northeast and northwest sides of the mountain. The land will provide access and facilities for people who visit the Franklin Mountain State Park.

The Board will convey the land to the agency in two phases.

The first phase will convey 1,640 acres of land on the northeast side of the mountain. Today’s visitors find it difficult to enter the park from the northeast, but the new land will house trail heads and other amenities that make it more inviting. Plans call for a visitors’ center to be built on the property, which is a key component of the Public Service Board’s Northeast Master Plan.

An additional 210 acres on the northwest side of the mountain will be conveyed in the second phase.


EL PASO ELECTRIC OFFERS LAND TO STATE PARK
by John Sproul

In 1981, the Texas Legislature passed into law a bill amending the boundaries of Franklin Mountains State Park, in part to exclude existing developed infrastructure such as roads, communications towers and utility lines that were within the original Park boundary. One provision of that bill excluded from the Park all lands owned by El Paso Electric Company (EPEC). Now, EPEC has offered to donate to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) approximately 18,000 feet of 150-foot-wide utility right-of-way (62.759 acres) within the Park near its southern end. The lands would be used to expand the Park’s trail system, and EPEC would keep a standard utility easement on the tract. At its November 7-8 meeting, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission will take up EPEC’s offer (Agenda Item 19). The TPWD staff recommends acceptance of the offer. Once again, because the current Park statute specifically excludes these lands, it will require an act of the Texas Legislature to add them to the Park.


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 * Border Toasters, Toastmasters International * 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 * 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 * Skyline Optimist Club of El Paso * Southern New Mexico Group of the Sierra Club * Southwest Environmental Center