January 2008

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

NEXT MEETING: January 16, 2008
The next meeting of the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition is Wednesday, January 16 at 7 p.m. 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).

2008 POPPIES CELEBRATION
judy Ackerman

Mark your calendars for the 2008 Franklin Mountains Poppies Celebration on Castner Range: Saturday, March 15th, from 10 AM to 6 PM at the El Paso Museum of Archaeology, 4301 Transmountain Road. Free Admission Family Fun! The program includes nature talks and walks, wildlife displays, educational exhibits, and demonstrations from 10 AM to 3 PM; live music, tequila tasting, and dancing from 3 PM to 6 PM. Invited guests include Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, Congressman Silvestre Reyes, and local elected officials. Everyone is welcome to come out and enjoy the beauty of the mountains and the poppies during this fun FREE event. Participating organizations: El Paso Museum of Archaeology, El Paso Archaeological Society, and Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition. For more information: 755-4332 or www.franklinmountains.org .

Speakers are needed for this event. There will be sixteen 15-minute time slots between 10 AM to 1:45 PM. If you like to talk to people about topics relating to the poppies, the Chihuahuan Desert or Castner Range, this is a great opportunity for you or your organization. Keep in mind that event visitors may not be familiar with the natural and human history of the area so please plan presentations designed for families and general audiences. Suggested topics include animals and plants, history, geology, conservation, etc. Visual aids are encouraged. Contact Rick LoBello at RickLLoBello@cs.com to sign up as a speaker. Provide your name, your organization (if applicable), your topic and your preferred time.

Exhibitors/vendors interested in participating please contact Marc Thompson, at 755-4332 or thompsonmx@elpasotexas.gov


POSTCARD NOTES – HELP SAVE THE POPPIES & CASTNER RANGE

We continue our postcard project as an appeal to Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison to become involved in the Castner Range conservation campaign. We have 4 different postcard pictures available in packets of 20 cards (the images are on the attached PDF file). Order your postcards at no charge* by contacting judy or Scott (info below). Write a note right on the front of the postcard about protecting the poppies and preserving Castner Range. You could write, “Save the Poppies” or “Preserve Castner Range” or “El Paso needs open space” or whatever you want to say. Get family and friends to pen their thoughts, too. Postcards must be returned by March 5th. We will put the postcards in a photo book, so if you write on the front of the postcard (the picture side), we can put two postcards, back-to-back, in each photo slot. The books will be presented to Senator Hutchison at the Poppies Celebration.

Order info: judy Ackerman, 3344 Eileen Dr., El Paso, TX 79904 (915-755-737)
Scott Cutler, 112 Colina Alta, El Paso, TX 79912 (915-747-6668 or 915-581-6071)

*Postcards may be kept for personal use for a donation of $1.00 apiece.


MEET YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS

Elected officials from City Council to U.S. Senate will be invited to attend the Poppies Celebration on Castner Range. Invitations will be hand delivered when possible, providing an opportunity to share more detailed information about how a conservation conveyance could preserve Castner Range from development. Please help by attending a meeting with your elected official – call judy Ackerman at 755-7371.


FRONTERA LAND ALLIANCE
Maria Trunk

We hope you'll join us at Ardovino's Desert Crossing on Wednesday, January 30th, 2008, for the Annual Meeting of The Frontera Land Alliance. This is an opportunity for Frontera's Board of Directors to report to the community what the land trust has been working on over the past year. It's also a chance to enjoy Ardovino's relaxed atmosphere and delicious food alongside friends and neighbors who share a commitment to El Paso's natural environment and quality of life.

A casual reception with an hors d’oeuvres buffet and cash bar will start at 6 p.m., then we'll sit down for the presentation at 7. This is a free event -- please come out and learn more about our local land trust! A map and directions to Ardovino's are available at www.ardovinos.com/map.html . Learn more about Frontera and its projects at www.fronteralandalliance.org/ .


VOLUNTEER AT EL PASO ZOO
Rick LoBello

Where in El Paso can you go and connect with ambassadors from around the world?

Answer: At the El Paso Zoo, where all kinds of animals from the Americas, Asia and soon Africa remind us of our connections with wildlife everywhere and how we all need to get involved in efforts to save them.

The El Paso Zoo invites you to become a Zoo Volunteer. All kinds of exciting things are happening at the Zoo this year including the upcoming completion of a new education center, new African exhibits and a new reptile house.

The Zoo is home to many endangered species including the critically endangered Mexican wolf. Mexican wolves are being reintroduced in the wilds of New Mexico and Arizona and need more public support. Many other endangered species could become extinct in the lifetimes of the children visiting the Zoo today.

We can all finds ways to get involved and becoming a Zoo volunteer is a good way to get started. An all day training session is planned on Saturday, January 19 from 9am to 3pm. There will also be a half day session on Saturday, February 16 from 9am to Noon. For more information contact the Zoo Volunteer Office at 351-5340 or email langenfeldar@elpasotexas.gov .

Learn more about volunteer activities and other zoo news at the Zoo’s colorful website. A special page for staff and volunteers also includes past issues of the Zoo’s volunteer newsletter, The Pachyderm Press.


TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE NEWS
from TPWD news release

Carter Smith was named executive director of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department on Dec. 5 at a special meeting of the TPW Commission in San Antonio. Smith will be leaving the helm at The Nature Conservancy of Texas to take the top job at TPWD. "Carter Smith is a well-respected conservationist and has proven his ability to develop successful partnerships with landowners and others," said TPW Commission Chairman Peter Holt. "He is a hunter and angler and a seventh generation Texas landowner. He understands the conservation challenges we face in our rapidly growing and changing state and will provide a fresh perspective as we strive to meet our mission." Smith has been with The Nature Conservancy of Texas since 1998 and has been the state director since 2004.

“I am deeply honored to accept this new challenge," said Smith. "I was very fortunate to begin my professional career at Texas Parks and Wildlife, and have had much contact with the professionals at the agency through the years. I look forward to working with people I admire and respect to further TPWD's conservation mission.” Texas Parks and Wildlife is the state agency responsible for managing and conserving Texas' natural and cultural resources.


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!!


FMWC 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 a hard copy, along with an annual-renewal form and return envelope. This year, our attractive new rack card serves as the renewal form. (You can also download a renewal form from our website.) 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 year 2008 promises to be an eventful and important one for the Franklin Mountains.


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: 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.

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