FRANKLIN MOUNTAINS WILDERNESS COALITION
JULY 2009
http://www.franklinmountains.org/
NEXT MEETING: Wednesday, July 15, 2009
6:00 p.m. in the Maud Sullivan Gallery at the El Paso Public Library’s Main Branch located downtown at 501 N. Oregon St. The main branch’s location map and parking information are available online at:
http://www.elpasotexas.gov/library/ourlibraries/main_library/main_library.asp
Our Coalition’s continued vitality, efficacy and strength depend upon membership participation. Individual member or representative of a member organization - we hope to see you at the meeting!
WELCOME!
Speaking of members: a belated welcome to our new member organizations: Bordersenses, Centro San Vicente, El Paso County Master Gardeners, El Paso Zoo and Voter Education Project, Inc. We also have numerous new individual members but space does not permit welcoming each of you by name. Please know how much we value your commitment.
RECENT EVENTS
Castner Range: Congressman Sylvester Reyes included the following critical policy language in the National Defense Authorization Act.
The committee understands that the Department of Defense ceased operations at the Castner Range Complex at Fort Bliss, Texas, in 1971. In testimony, the Army indicated that Castner Range is “wholly impractical to use for any range activity.”
The committee is interested in maintaining this land for a conservation purpose. The committee encourages the Department to enter into an agreement in furtherance of conveyance with eligible conservation entities.
If you haven’t already, please send Congressman Reyes your thanks: 310 North Mesa, Suite 400, El Paso, TX 79901, 915-534-4400, or e-mail: http://reyes.house.gov/Contact/vyo.htm
And a big thank you to Sito Negron at Newspaper Tree for his article “Incrementally Preserving the Castner Range Status Quo” – check it out at: http://newspapertree.com/news/3983
New Garden: Kudos to the volunteers from El Paso Cactus and Rock Club, Master Gardeners, Master Naturalists, and the Native Plant Society for their hard work this spring creating a new cactus garden for the Lee and Beulah Moor Children’s Home.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
Sunrise Hikes: Did you know that there’s a hiking group that hikes various trails on the Franklin Mountains at sunrise several days a week? The group includes Park volunteers, trail experts and generic citizens and hikes from 6 a.m. until 8 a.m. Interested in learning more about Franklin Mountains hiking trails or joining the group, email Jim Tolbert @ jimhtolbert@elp.rr.com
Farmer’s Market: at Ardovino’s Desert Crossing continues every Saturday through mid October from 7:30 AM–12:00PM: http://www.ardovinos.com/farmersmarket.html for more information, including directions.
Poppies Celebration 2010: The Fourth Annual Franklin Mountains Poppies Celebration at Castner Range – a FREE Family Fun Day – is planned for Saturday, March 20 at the El Paso Museum of Archaeology, 4301 Transmountain Road and will include a full program of nature talks, wildlife displays, educational exhibits, demonstrations, vendors, music and refreshments.
El Pasoans care deeply about the Franklin Mountains – one of our area’s greatest assets. We are frequently blessed with a stunning wildflower display on particular parts of the Franklin Mountains when the Mexican golden poppies burst forth on Castner Range.
Sponsors include El Paso Archaeological Society, El Paso Museum of Archaeology, Franklin Mountains State Park, and Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition.
For more information: 915-755-4332 or lobellorl@elpasotexas.gov.
Exhibitors are invited to join in planning the event.
As last year, we will charge a small fee for exhibitor organizations but the fee will be waived for those organizations who are actively involved in planning the event.
Please attend the next planning meeting: Wednesday, 5 Aug 09, at 0900, at the Museum of Archaeology. See you then!
PARK NEWS
Franklin Mountains State Park volunteer, Richard Love, writes: “Well, summer is in full swing, and things are hopping around the bird blind. The hummingbird count is up to ten. They recently had a shock when they came in to eat. The feeder was occupied by a female Ladder-back Wood Pecker. At first I thought she was robbing a drink of nectar, but after watching her for a while I discovered she was moving hole to hole eating the bees and ants that come in. The very next day an Ash-throated Flycatcher was on the Hummingbird feeder after the sweet Bees. With the recent rains and the few flowers that have already opened there have been a large number of Butterflies. I have seen four different butterflies mostly at the End Loop. There was a good year for the different lizards in the park. I have seen lots of juveniles, and they are healthy and colorful. We have had a couple of twilight hikes and have had very good feedback. Weekends and holidays there are guided hikes and tours, and lots of campers using the facilities. In the next few weeks there will be some great additions to the park so keeping track of upcoming events will be easier. In September there will be a CASI Chili Cook Off in conjunction with the Celebration of the Mountains. We’re looking for judges so, if you or a friend have a very high tolerance for hot and spicy food, please call Kelly at 566-6441. Right now after the rains it is a photographers dream - almost any time of day you can find willing (some not so willing) subjects to photograph. Each day that goes by more flowers open. One staple of nature photography is to shoot right after a rain. The colors and the landscape are like no other time. See you soon...” Thank you, Richard, for news of the Park.
Borderlands Photography Exhibit in Las Cruces
Member organization Southwest Environmental Center is hosting a stunning photo exhibit through the end of July at the Center’s Cottonwood Gallery in Las Cruces. On loan from the International League of Conservation Photographers, the 30 photograph exhibit entitled Continental Divide: Borderlands, Wildlife, People and the WALL, shows the diversity of wildlife, cultures and communities that exists in the fragile borderlands, but is now jeopardized by the 630 miles of pedestrian and vehicle fencing dividing the U.S. from Mexico.
The border wall has drawn heavy criticism from conservation organizations including the Southwest Environmental Center, Defenders of Wildlife and the Sierra Club, civil-rights groups, private landowners, tribes and communities along the border for reasons as varied as habitat destruction, infringement on property rights, and damage to historic and cultural sites.
Documenting the region’s wildlife and ecology, the photographs were taken earlier this year by world-renowned ILCP photographers who had visited the borderlands along with a team of writers, filmmakers and scientists to highlight the effects of the wall.
“We hope the exhibit will provide viewers with a more intimate connection to the people and wildlife of the borderlands,” said Krista Schlyer, ILCP exhibit coordinator and expedition leader. “The photographers involved in the expedition saw first hand the damage that border wall and other infrastructure are doing to borderlands communities.”
The Department of Homeland Security – the federal agency tasked with building the wall – waived some 36 laws during its construction, including measures protecting the environment and religious freedoms.
In 2005, Congress passed the REAL ID Act, giving the former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff the authority to waive laws that slowed new walls and infrastructure – a move which is still being challenged in the courts as a constitutional violation.
Today, some 50 miles of wall continue to be built without the guidance of environmental laws, scientific study or public input. Some segments of wall will cut landowners off from their own property, and place some US homes south of the border wall.
The resulting damage to the region’s fragile ecosystem has not been fully documented, but the ILCP’s photographs and multimedia presentation taken over a two-month period show that the destruction is extensive.
Meanwhile, construction continues.
“In west Texas, the wall was recently built along nearly 90 miles of the Rio Grande, blocking access by mountain lions, bobcats, deer, javelina, pronghorn and many other wildlife species to this critically important resource,” said Kevin Bixby, Executive Director of the Southwest Environmental Center. “This is how animals go extinct—by fragmenting larger populations into smaller ones, and by destroying habitat. We need to find better ways to secure our borders that are not environmentally destructive.”
In late April, U.S. Representative Raúl Grijalava (AZ) introduced legislation aimed at improving border security, while also helping to restore the natural environment. The Border Security and Responsibility Act (HR 2076) includes provisions that would require environmental studies to review the impacts the wall has had on wildlife and the environment, and to identify ways to mitigate the damage that’s already been done.
The exhibit is cosponsored by the Center for Latin American Studies at New Mexico State University, and City of Artists Promotional Association. Later this year Borderlands will travel to Berlin, Germany, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
For more information contact Roger Turner, SWEC, (575) 522-5552 or roger@wildmesquite.org
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: 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 • Bordersenses • Celebration Of Our Mountains • Centro San Vicente • Chihuahuan Desert Education Coalition • Chihuahuan Desert Wildlife Rescue • El Paso Archaeological Society • El Paso Cactus And Rock Club • El Paso County Master Gardeners • El Paso Native Plant Society • El Paso Regional Group Of The Sierra Club • El Paso/Trans-Pecos Audubon Society • El Paso Youth Symphony • El Paso Zoo • Friends Of The Rio Bosque • Jolly Elders • 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 • Southwest Environmental Center • Skyline Optimist Club Of El Paso • Trans Pecos Chapter Of The Texas Master Naturalists • Vista Hills Rotary Club • Voter Education Project, Inc •
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Friday, May 1, 2009
May 2009
{FMWC} E-Newsletter – May 2009
FRANKLIN MOUNTAINS WILDERNESS COALITION
http://www.franklinmountains.org/
Next Meeting:
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
New Meeting Place and Time
Our meeting this month will be held at the El Paso Public Library’s Main Branch located downtown at 501 N. Oregon St. The meeting will begin at 6:00 p.m. in the Maud Sullivan Gallery. The main branch’s location map and parking information are available online at:
http://www.elpasotexas.gov/library/ourlibraries/main_library/main_library.asp
This meeting’s agenda concerns important issues, such as the status of the preservation of Castner Range, conservation conveyance and funding, about which critical decisions must be made. We strongly encourage individual members to attend and for each member organization to send at least one representative. We hope and need to see you there!
Recent Events
Land Transfer: A Land Transfer Ceremony was held in April in Northeast El Paso to mark the transfer of 1,659 acres of PSB land to Texas Parks and Wildlife to expand Franklin Mountains State Park. Great news!
Earth Day: On April 22nd, FMWC participated in the first Earth Day event sponsored by the Eco-Club at El Paso Community College Rio Grande Campus. The event was well organized and many students and staff attended. We sold T-shirts, postcards and signed up many potential members. Our e-mail distribution list now has over 400 members! Please let us know if you hear of future events where we can set up our display.
Loop 375 Underpass: Our thanks to Rick Bonart, et.al. for their work on drainage erosion control leading to cooperation between TxDOT and TPWD on an agreement for a future park trail following completion of construction of the TxDOT project. Construction is anticipated late this calendar year or possibly spring next year. As Charlie Wakeem puts it, “Rick accomplished this project ... through persistence and dedication to quality open space and recreation for our community. He was able to bring TexDOT and TPWD together to make it happen. We all should learn from him. “
Cactus Rustling: Rick LoBello recently traveled to Austin at Senator Shapleigh’s request to testify in support of the Senator’s Plant Protection Bill, SB212, which was approved by committee and is now progressing through the Legislature. Show your support to Senator Shapleigh on this matter by contacting him at http://shapleigh.org/ . More information about this issue can be found at www.chihuahuandesert.org. Another good article, John Pickrell’s “Cactus Smugglers Threatening Desert Ecosystems” can be found at http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/04/0421_030421_cactus.html
There was initially some confusion as to whether Rich would be able to testify before the committee. He was eventually able to and has been kind enough to supply us with the gist of it. His words about desert plants and wildlife touch us all and provide good talking points should you wish to contact your elected representatives:
“I would like to offer my full support for SB 212 relating to the sale or transport of certain desert plants in Texas. I came today with the support of many people who care about our desert including members of the Native Plant Society of El Paso, the Chihuahuan Desert Education Coalition, the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition, Frontera Land Alliance and the El Paso Zoo Conservation Committee.
I believe that it is critical to the future of Texas in protecting our natural environment that SB 212 be passed into law. To illustrate the urgency of this legislation I am attaching pictures of a truck recently seen near Sierra Blanca, Texas that was loaded with ocotillo plants headed for Arizona. The people who are involved with this industry are clear cutting our desert and removing large areas of ocotillo and yucca forests as well as the microbial crust layer of soil so important to plant regeneration. In some areas the damage to our desert is so severe that it may never be able to recover back to its natural state and when the soil is removed with the plants, many other species of animals and plants are severely impacted.
Over the past 35 years I have been actively working as an educator, park ranger, researcher and park administrator in the Chihuahuan Desert region of West Texas. Most of my time has been spent living in our national parks where I spent 17 years living in Big Bend National Park and 8 years working at Guadalupe Mountains and Carlsbad Caverns National Parks. During this time I have come to know this important eco-region which has been recognized internationally as a hotspot for conservation.
One of the greatest threats to the natural history of Texas and to our environment in West Texas is the growing impact on the land from those who are destroying the desert for commercial interests centered on the sale of desert plants like yucca and ocotillo. On numerous occasions over the past 20 years I have seen a growing number of trucks on Texas highways hauling these plants to out of state retail establishments where the plants are used for landscaping. While I support the use of native plants for landscaping, I believe that the plants needed for this industry should come largely from nurseries.
Having spent most of my career working in national parks I can assure this committee that no park is an island and without the presence of intact ecosystems on private and public lands outside the parks, the parks themselves are threatened.
Here in West Texas we are experiencing a big problem in protecting the Chihuahuan Desert and our parks when people who gather these plants for the retail industry take plants illegally from public and private lands. SB 212 will give us a regulatory mechanism to help prevent the illegal taking of these plants and is an important step in protecting our natural heritage for future generations.
I urge you to support the passage of this important piece of legislation. As I am sure you are well aware if our world becomes unsafe for native plants and animals it certainly will not be a safe place for people. We are all connected to the natural world and what happens to it ultimately affects our own well being. “
Mark Your Calendars!
The El Paso Zoo will observe national Endangered Species Day on Tuesday May 19th and will offer workshops and presentations about endangered species and how individuals can help. For more information on this event call the Zoo at 915-521-1850 or go to www.elpasozoo.org .
Ardovino’s Desert Crossing opens its 8th Annual Farmers’ Market on May 23rd, 2009. We will have a booth (set up is 6 AM) for Opening Day. Please call Judy at 915-755-7371 if you can help for even 30 minutes. This event is really fun. The Market is open every Saturday through mid October from 7:30 AM – 12:00PM. Go to http://www.ardovinos.com/farmersmarket.html for more information, including directions.
Summer Birds at the Park
Franklin Mountains State Park volunteer, Richard Love, writes: “Well, summer is just around the corner and the birds of summer are arriving daily. This week an Ash-Throated Flycatcher, a pair of Say's Phoebes and a Black-headed Grosbeak female came into the bird blind. Haven't seen the male yet but he will be around. The Scaled Quail have paired off and are no longer running in coveys. We aren't seeing large numbers at one time but a steady stream of pairs are coming in. Other birds are still coming in large numbers.
I mentioned the bird blind earlier and I just supposed that everyone knows about it. We (The Volunteers and Rangers) have built a brand new bird blind that will be officially put into service next week or so. The finishing touches are going on daily. When it is officially opened it will be a great place for research on the birds of the Franklins and to sit in out of the sun enjoying the birds and the antics of the local Texas Antelope Squirrels. Local photographers can use the blind to get really good shots of some hard-to-find birds.
I will try to keep abreast of what birds are coming in and the best way to see them, and keep people notified by news letters and on the bulletin boards at the entrance and booth in the Park. For instructions to find the bird blind ask any Ranger. If you have a small group that wants to bird watch or study the birds call the park office and reserve it for your time frame. Small groups of 4 to 6 people are best - larger groups tend to keep the birds just out of range. Small groups who book the blind can call Erica or Kelly at 566-6441 to arrange to use our binoculars.
Of course, if you are in the park and just want to drop in with your binos or camera, that's fine, too. Here’s some info for photographers: birds and squirrels come in to about 25 feet and closer. Longer lenses (300 to 400 MM) work best if you have them but the 200 MM will work with a little patience.
A word of caution in closing: there are birds and small game around most of the time with a water source nearby so there will be rattlesnakes come to visit. Do not molest the snakes - if you see one report it to a Ranger. The park and the mountains are home to many kinds of wildlife. The snakes are as much a vital part of the system as any of the other wildlife.”
Thanks to Richard for the lovely article and the wonderful photo. The new bird blind sounds like a fantastic addition to the Park.
Stunning Victory for Otero Mesa
Kevin Bixby, Executive Director of our member organization, Southwest Environmental Center, has shared wonderful news: “the United States 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver issued a decision April 28th invalidating the Bureau of Land Management’s oil and gas drilling plan for New Mexico’s Otero Mesa. The court ruled that the BLM’s original Resource Management Plan Amendment, which opened the vast majority of Otero Mesa to oil and gas leasing and limited protection for the desert grasslands, was fatally flawed due to its failure to consider protection for Otero Mesa and the Salt Basin Aquifer. Essentially the BLM has to return to the drawing board, and fix the original Amendment before it can do anything further. The decision was a stunning vindication for the Southwest Environmental Center and other conservation groups that have been fighting to protect the grasslands, wildlife and water of Otero Mesa for the past 7 years.”
SWEC’s article appears below. You can also check out their website at http://www.wildmesquite.org/index.htm for more information. As Kevin points out, “The decision reaffirms the significance of Otero Mesa and reaffirms the case for its permanent protection from oil and gas drilling. The momentum has shifted in our favor, but we need to make sure the victory is permanent. Contact your Congressman (NM and TX). Tell them the Court got it right. Tell them it’s time to introduce and support legislation for permanent protection.”
Anyone who may doubt the importance of banning oil and gas drilling close to important water sources such as the Salt Basin Aquifer should check out this link for a report on contamination of public and private water sources by high pressure natural gas mining in Ohio, Pa. and Colorado:
http://www.propublica.org/feature/officials-in-three-states-pin-water-woes-on-gas-drilling-426
Huge Victory in Battle for Otero Mesa
reprinted by SWEC permission
Court invalidates BLM drilling plan; momentum shifts towards protection
In a stunning victory for the Southwest Environmental Center and other conservation groups that have been fighting to protect the grasslands, wildlife and water of Otero Mesa for the past 7 years, the United States 10th Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision on April 28 invalidating the Bureau of Land Management’s oil and gas drilling plan for New Mexico’s Otero Mesa.
The court ruled that the BLM’s original Resource Management Plan Amendment, which opened the vast majority of Otero Mesa to oil and gas leasing and limited protection for the desert grasslands, was fatally flawed due to its failure to consider protection for Otero Mesa and the Salt Basin Aquifer.
The ruling came in connection with a lawsuit filed by a coalition of conservation organizations including SWEC, the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance, The Wilderness Society, the New Mexico and National Wildlife Federations, and WildEarth Guardians, and a lawsuit filed by the State of New Mexico.
“This is a major boost in our fight to protect one of New Mexico’s most ecologically valuable and unique places,” Governor Bill Richardson said. “I am pleased that the courts share our steadfast position that the public must have a voice in decisions affecting oil and gas leasing on Otero Mesa.”
The court ruled that the BLM had to consider an alternative that closed Otero Mesa to oil and gas leasing, admonishing the agency that “[d]evelopment is a possible use, which BLM must weigh against other possible uses—including conservation to protect environmental values, which are best assessed through the NEPA process.”
The court went on to write that, “applying the rule of reason, we [the court] agree...that analysis of an alternative closing the Mesa to development is compelled.”
The court also rejected the BLM’s position that there were no significant risks to the Salt Basin Aquifer, which contains millions of acre-feet of potable water, from oil and gas, noting that the agency had not reviewed “relevant data” and characterized the information included in the agency’s own documentation as “point[ing] uniformly in the opposite direction from the agency’s determination, we cannot defer to that determination.”
Perhaps most sigificant was the court’s rejection of BLM’s argument that prohibiting development of Otero Mesa would violate its mandate under federal law to manage for “multiple use.” The court ruled that the multiple use concept “does not mandate that every use be accommoCdated on every piece of land; rather, delicate balancing is required.”
In an Associated Press story, New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Secretary Joanna Prukop was quoted as saying she was pleased with the ruling’s strong language regarding compliance with the National Environmental Protection Act.
“In additional to protecting the fragile ecosystem of the Chihuahan Desert, this decision will apply to development of all kinds on federal lands throughout the 10th Circuit and help assure that environmental impacts are appropriately considered,” she said.
FRANKLIN MOUNTAINS STATE PARK NEWS
For the latest news and information about the Park, visit their great website:
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/franklin/
MEMBER WEBSITES:
Up to date information on some of our member organizations can be found at:
http://bmba.wordpress.com/ for Borderland Mountain Bike Association
www.trans-pecos-audubon.org for El Paso/Trans-Pecos Audubon Society's newsletter, The Roadrunner.
www.lwvep.org for League of Women Voters in El Paso
Members, we’d love to get the word out about all your websites – please email Kathy at kmcconaghie@gmail.com .
FRANKLIN MOUNTAINS STATE PARK NEWS
For the latest news and information about the Park, visit their great website:
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/franklin/
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.
The Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition
Borderland Mountain Bike Association * Border Toasters, Toastmasters International * BorderSenses * Celebration of Our Mountains * Centro San Vicente * 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 Youth Symphony * Friends of the Rio Bosque *Jolly Elders * 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 * Southwestern Environmental Center * Skyline Optimist Club of El Paso * Trans Pecos Chapter of the Texas Master Naturalists * Vista Hills Rotary Club * Voter Education Project, Inc
FRANKLIN MOUNTAINS WILDERNESS COALITION
http://www.franklinmountains.org/
Next Meeting:
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
New Meeting Place and Time
Our meeting this month will be held at the El Paso Public Library’s Main Branch located downtown at 501 N. Oregon St. The meeting will begin at 6:00 p.m. in the Maud Sullivan Gallery. The main branch’s location map and parking information are available online at:
http://www.elpasotexas.gov/library/ourlibraries/main_library/main_library.asp
This meeting’s agenda concerns important issues, such as the status of the preservation of Castner Range, conservation conveyance and funding, about which critical decisions must be made. We strongly encourage individual members to attend and for each member organization to send at least one representative. We hope and need to see you there!
Recent Events
Land Transfer: A Land Transfer Ceremony was held in April in Northeast El Paso to mark the transfer of 1,659 acres of PSB land to Texas Parks and Wildlife to expand Franklin Mountains State Park. Great news!
Earth Day: On April 22nd, FMWC participated in the first Earth Day event sponsored by the Eco-Club at El Paso Community College Rio Grande Campus. The event was well organized and many students and staff attended. We sold T-shirts, postcards and signed up many potential members. Our e-mail distribution list now has over 400 members! Please let us know if you hear of future events where we can set up our display.
Loop 375 Underpass: Our thanks to Rick Bonart, et.al. for their work on drainage erosion control leading to cooperation between TxDOT and TPWD on an agreement for a future park trail following completion of construction of the TxDOT project. Construction is anticipated late this calendar year or possibly spring next year. As Charlie Wakeem puts it, “Rick accomplished this project ... through persistence and dedication to quality open space and recreation for our community. He was able to bring TexDOT and TPWD together to make it happen. We all should learn from him. “
Cactus Rustling: Rick LoBello recently traveled to Austin at Senator Shapleigh’s request to testify in support of the Senator’s Plant Protection Bill, SB212, which was approved by committee and is now progressing through the Legislature. Show your support to Senator Shapleigh on this matter by contacting him at http://shapleigh.org/ . More information about this issue can be found at www.chihuahuandesert.org. Another good article, John Pickrell’s “Cactus Smugglers Threatening Desert Ecosystems” can be found at http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/04/0421_030421_cactus.html
There was initially some confusion as to whether Rich would be able to testify before the committee. He was eventually able to and has been kind enough to supply us with the gist of it. His words about desert plants and wildlife touch us all and provide good talking points should you wish to contact your elected representatives:
“I would like to offer my full support for SB 212 relating to the sale or transport of certain desert plants in Texas. I came today with the support of many people who care about our desert including members of the Native Plant Society of El Paso, the Chihuahuan Desert Education Coalition, the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition, Frontera Land Alliance and the El Paso Zoo Conservation Committee.
I believe that it is critical to the future of Texas in protecting our natural environment that SB 212 be passed into law. To illustrate the urgency of this legislation I am attaching pictures of a truck recently seen near Sierra Blanca, Texas that was loaded with ocotillo plants headed for Arizona. The people who are involved with this industry are clear cutting our desert and removing large areas of ocotillo and yucca forests as well as the microbial crust layer of soil so important to plant regeneration. In some areas the damage to our desert is so severe that it may never be able to recover back to its natural state and when the soil is removed with the plants, many other species of animals and plants are severely impacted.
Over the past 35 years I have been actively working as an educator, park ranger, researcher and park administrator in the Chihuahuan Desert region of West Texas. Most of my time has been spent living in our national parks where I spent 17 years living in Big Bend National Park and 8 years working at Guadalupe Mountains and Carlsbad Caverns National Parks. During this time I have come to know this important eco-region which has been recognized internationally as a hotspot for conservation.
One of the greatest threats to the natural history of Texas and to our environment in West Texas is the growing impact on the land from those who are destroying the desert for commercial interests centered on the sale of desert plants like yucca and ocotillo. On numerous occasions over the past 20 years I have seen a growing number of trucks on Texas highways hauling these plants to out of state retail establishments where the plants are used for landscaping. While I support the use of native plants for landscaping, I believe that the plants needed for this industry should come largely from nurseries.
Having spent most of my career working in national parks I can assure this committee that no park is an island and without the presence of intact ecosystems on private and public lands outside the parks, the parks themselves are threatened.
Here in West Texas we are experiencing a big problem in protecting the Chihuahuan Desert and our parks when people who gather these plants for the retail industry take plants illegally from public and private lands. SB 212 will give us a regulatory mechanism to help prevent the illegal taking of these plants and is an important step in protecting our natural heritage for future generations.
I urge you to support the passage of this important piece of legislation. As I am sure you are well aware if our world becomes unsafe for native plants and animals it certainly will not be a safe place for people. We are all connected to the natural world and what happens to it ultimately affects our own well being. “
Mark Your Calendars!
The El Paso Zoo will observe national Endangered Species Day on Tuesday May 19th and will offer workshops and presentations about endangered species and how individuals can help. For more information on this event call the Zoo at 915-521-1850 or go to www.elpasozoo.org .
Ardovino’s Desert Crossing opens its 8th Annual Farmers’ Market on May 23rd, 2009. We will have a booth (set up is 6 AM) for Opening Day. Please call Judy at 915-755-7371 if you can help for even 30 minutes. This event is really fun. The Market is open every Saturday through mid October from 7:30 AM – 12:00PM. Go to http://www.ardovinos.com/farmersmarket.html for more information, including directions.
Summer Birds at the Park
Franklin Mountains State Park volunteer, Richard Love, writes: “Well, summer is just around the corner and the birds of summer are arriving daily. This week an Ash-Throated Flycatcher, a pair of Say's Phoebes and a Black-headed Grosbeak female came into the bird blind. Haven't seen the male yet but he will be around. The Scaled Quail have paired off and are no longer running in coveys. We aren't seeing large numbers at one time but a steady stream of pairs are coming in. Other birds are still coming in large numbers.
I mentioned the bird blind earlier and I just supposed that everyone knows about it. We (The Volunteers and Rangers) have built a brand new bird blind that will be officially put into service next week or so. The finishing touches are going on daily. When it is officially opened it will be a great place for research on the birds of the Franklins and to sit in out of the sun enjoying the birds and the antics of the local Texas Antelope Squirrels. Local photographers can use the blind to get really good shots of some hard-to-find birds.
I will try to keep abreast of what birds are coming in and the best way to see them, and keep people notified by news letters and on the bulletin boards at the entrance and booth in the Park. For instructions to find the bird blind ask any Ranger. If you have a small group that wants to bird watch or study the birds call the park office and reserve it for your time frame. Small groups of 4 to 6 people are best - larger groups tend to keep the birds just out of range. Small groups who book the blind can call Erica or Kelly at 566-6441 to arrange to use our binoculars.
Of course, if you are in the park and just want to drop in with your binos or camera, that's fine, too. Here’s some info for photographers: birds and squirrels come in to about 25 feet and closer. Longer lenses (300 to 400 MM) work best if you have them but the 200 MM will work with a little patience.
A word of caution in closing: there are birds and small game around most of the time with a water source nearby so there will be rattlesnakes come to visit. Do not molest the snakes - if you see one report it to a Ranger. The park and the mountains are home to many kinds of wildlife. The snakes are as much a vital part of the system as any of the other wildlife.”
Thanks to Richard for the lovely article and the wonderful photo. The new bird blind sounds like a fantastic addition to the Park.
Stunning Victory for Otero Mesa
Kevin Bixby, Executive Director of our member organization, Southwest Environmental Center, has shared wonderful news: “the United States 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver issued a decision April 28th invalidating the Bureau of Land Management’s oil and gas drilling plan for New Mexico’s Otero Mesa. The court ruled that the BLM’s original Resource Management Plan Amendment, which opened the vast majority of Otero Mesa to oil and gas leasing and limited protection for the desert grasslands, was fatally flawed due to its failure to consider protection for Otero Mesa and the Salt Basin Aquifer. Essentially the BLM has to return to the drawing board, and fix the original Amendment before it can do anything further. The decision was a stunning vindication for the Southwest Environmental Center and other conservation groups that have been fighting to protect the grasslands, wildlife and water of Otero Mesa for the past 7 years.”
SWEC’s article appears below. You can also check out their website at http://www.wildmesquite.org/index.htm for more information. As Kevin points out, “The decision reaffirms the significance of Otero Mesa and reaffirms the case for its permanent protection from oil and gas drilling. The momentum has shifted in our favor, but we need to make sure the victory is permanent. Contact your Congressman (NM and TX). Tell them the Court got it right. Tell them it’s time to introduce and support legislation for permanent protection.”
Anyone who may doubt the importance of banning oil and gas drilling close to important water sources such as the Salt Basin Aquifer should check out this link for a report on contamination of public and private water sources by high pressure natural gas mining in Ohio, Pa. and Colorado:
http://www.propublica.org/feature/officials-in-three-states-pin-water-woes-on-gas-drilling-426
Huge Victory in Battle for Otero Mesa
reprinted by SWEC permission
Court invalidates BLM drilling plan; momentum shifts towards protection
In a stunning victory for the Southwest Environmental Center and other conservation groups that have been fighting to protect the grasslands, wildlife and water of Otero Mesa for the past 7 years, the United States 10th Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision on April 28 invalidating the Bureau of Land Management’s oil and gas drilling plan for New Mexico’s Otero Mesa.
The court ruled that the BLM’s original Resource Management Plan Amendment, which opened the vast majority of Otero Mesa to oil and gas leasing and limited protection for the desert grasslands, was fatally flawed due to its failure to consider protection for Otero Mesa and the Salt Basin Aquifer.
The ruling came in connection with a lawsuit filed by a coalition of conservation organizations including SWEC, the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance, The Wilderness Society, the New Mexico and National Wildlife Federations, and WildEarth Guardians, and a lawsuit filed by the State of New Mexico.
“This is a major boost in our fight to protect one of New Mexico’s most ecologically valuable and unique places,” Governor Bill Richardson said. “I am pleased that the courts share our steadfast position that the public must have a voice in decisions affecting oil and gas leasing on Otero Mesa.”
The court ruled that the BLM had to consider an alternative that closed Otero Mesa to oil and gas leasing, admonishing the agency that “[d]evelopment is a possible use, which BLM must weigh against other possible uses—including conservation to protect environmental values, which are best assessed through the NEPA process.”
The court went on to write that, “applying the rule of reason, we [the court] agree...that analysis of an alternative closing the Mesa to development is compelled.”
The court also rejected the BLM’s position that there were no significant risks to the Salt Basin Aquifer, which contains millions of acre-feet of potable water, from oil and gas, noting that the agency had not reviewed “relevant data” and characterized the information included in the agency’s own documentation as “point[ing] uniformly in the opposite direction from the agency’s determination, we cannot defer to that determination.”
Perhaps most sigificant was the court’s rejection of BLM’s argument that prohibiting development of Otero Mesa would violate its mandate under federal law to manage for “multiple use.” The court ruled that the multiple use concept “does not mandate that every use be accommoCdated on every piece of land; rather, delicate balancing is required.”
In an Associated Press story, New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Secretary Joanna Prukop was quoted as saying she was pleased with the ruling’s strong language regarding compliance with the National Environmental Protection Act.
“In additional to protecting the fragile ecosystem of the Chihuahan Desert, this decision will apply to development of all kinds on federal lands throughout the 10th Circuit and help assure that environmental impacts are appropriately considered,” she said.
FRANKLIN MOUNTAINS STATE PARK NEWS
For the latest news and information about the Park, visit their great website:
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/franklin/
MEMBER WEBSITES:
Up to date information on some of our member organizations can be found at:
http://bmba.wordpress.com/ for Borderland Mountain Bike Association
www.trans-pecos-audubon.org for El Paso/Trans-Pecos Audubon Society's newsletter, The Roadrunner.
www.lwvep.org for League of Women Voters in El Paso
Members, we’d love to get the word out about all your websites – please email Kathy at kmcconaghie@gmail.com .
FRANKLIN MOUNTAINS STATE PARK NEWS
For the latest news and information about the Park, visit their great website:
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/franklin/
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.
The Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition
Borderland Mountain Bike Association * Border Toasters, Toastmasters International * BorderSenses * Celebration of Our Mountains * Centro San Vicente * 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 Youth Symphony * Friends of the Rio Bosque *Jolly Elders * 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 * Southwestern Environmental Center * Skyline Optimist Club of El Paso * Trans Pecos Chapter of the Texas Master Naturalists * Vista Hills Rotary Club * Voter Education Project, Inc
Sunday, March 1, 2009
March 2009
{FMWC} E-Newsletter – March 2009
FRANKLIN MOUNTAINS WILDERNESS COALITION
http://www.franklinmountains.org/
Annual Meeting: March 25, 2009
It has been a number of years since the Coalition has put on an annual meeting. So much has happened this past year, especially the 30th anniversary of FMWC, that it’s time to get together and celebrate. Consequently, the March meeting will be a time to honor our past and look to our future. We are inviting founding members of the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition to attend so all may celebrate their early work to save the mountains.
The event will take place at Jaxon’s Restaurant on Airway Blvd. There will be a no-host bar. Dinner will be a fajita buffet costing $16.00 per person. We will need to have a final count by Monday, March 16 so please make your reservation by then. Unfortunately, no tickets will be available at the door. You’re welcome to attend even if you don’t plan to eat.
When: March 25, 2009
6:00 PM Meet and Greet
6:30 PM Dinner
7:30 PM Meeting
Place: Jaxon’s Restaurant, 1135 Airway Blvd.
Please contact Scott Cutler at 915-581-6071 to make reservations.
“Those Were the Days, My Friends”
by Kathy Kennedy McConaghie
Way back when I attended UTEP (1972 – 1976) a crazy little thing called Crazy Cat happened to the Franklin Mountains. Many of my fellow students and some faculty members joined together in a petition drive to try to stop the planned residential development on the tail end of our beautiful mountains. I remember innocently bopping into Chicano Brown Beret, Vietnam Vets Against the War, American Friends Service Committee and other group “headquarters” and asking for help gathering signatures on our petitions to stop the City of El Paso from allowing the development. Some of the conversations were along the lines of: “If you will take some of these petitions and get them signed, we will march alongside you in your endeavors.” This led to some pretty interesting collaborations and we spent hours accosting potential signers outside of drugstores, grocery stores, and nightclubs; getting our siblings and parents to take petitions to work; walking door to door in our neighborhoods. We talked ourselves hoarse and we gathered thousands of signatures.
When the petitions were invalidated by the city “fathers” due to technicalities (well, we were young and naïve), I grew so disgusted with local politics and my hometown that I left, pretty much in a huff, to pursue graduate studies back east (I thought happiness was El Paso, Texas in my rearview mirror). Crazy Cat happened and that piece of our beloved mountains was gone.
I lived far away from the rugged Franklins for over two decades. There were tears of joy and relief every time I drove home to visit – blasting down that long last stretch on the Carlsbad Highway or War Highway or, in later years, whisking in on I-10 – when those familiar peaks rose up from the desert and I knew that I was almost home.
The point of this personal recollection is that some people stayed here, founded a Coalition, and became sentinels dedicated to protecting the Franklin Mountains from further encroachment. Their efforts were successful beyond my wildest dreams: an entire mountain range became a state park in the middle of a desert city! Thank you, founding members of FMWC and all those who have continued the good fight to this day. Hope to see you at Jaxon’s on the 25th!
Trail Building Crews Needed!
by Dave Wilson, BMBA President
The Borderland Mountain Bike Association, a non-profit dedicated to improving mountain biking in El Paso, is seeking volunteers and new members to help build trails in both the Franklin Mountain State Park and in several city parks.
The city park’s department wants to build a complete mountain bike center at the Westside Recreation Center off High Ridge. There are plans for beginner level single track trails and a skills park with ladders, bridges, teeter-totters, pump track, table tops, and much more. Trail builders and flagging crews are needed for this project. There is potential to put in more than 10 miles of high quality single track at the park. No experience is necessary.
Club rides take place the first Sunday of every month with the next ride (April 5th) meeting at 9 am in the upper parking lot of the Tom Mays Unit of the FMSP. Food is served around noon. Club membership is $25 per year.
For more information, contact the BMBA at bmbaelpaso@hotmail.com, or check the club’s website at www.bmba.wordpress.com .
HEY, FOLKS, TAKE A LOOK AT RICK LOBELLO’S COOL BLOG AT http://iloveparks.blogspot.com/
Why Should We Care About Saving The Poppies and the Castner Range?
by Rick LoBello (from his blog, with permission)
Posted on March 2, 2009
For me this is an easy question to answer. Prior to moving to El Paso I spent seventeen years working at Big Bend National Park, the world’s largest protected area of Chihuahuan Desert. It was there working as a park ranger and on a variety of research projects that I came to know this desert ecosystem so well. Today I am very concerned about its future and the threats of development that endanger the desert on both sides of the border. Since the first day I put on a park ranger badge in 1975 I have dedicated my life to helping people connect with and understand this amazing land.
We need the poppies and the adjoining Castner Range like we need water flowing into our homes and food in our stomachs. Nature is life and without it we simply cannot survive. Imagine what our world would be like if all we knew were buildings, super highways and concrete. Ever try eating a rock? Do you think you could live very long without water? All of the natural resources that we need to survive are limited. Unfortunately for our children and their children’s children many if not most of the decision makers approving plans for urban sprawl, one of the main threats to the desert, have little understanding of why keeping the desert ecosystem intact is so important to our future. Still others have some understanding, but do not know how to stop the wave of development currently underway. As a result thousands of species of animals and plants here and around the world have gone extinct or are on the road to extinction.
Most of the animals that live in the Castner Range are valuable in helping to maintain the desert’s complex biodiversity. For example, the foraging behavior of mule deer, small mammals and birds helps to disperse seeds of numerous plants important to their own survival and the survival of countless other species. Writing for the US Fish and Wildlife Service Endangered Species Bulletin, Jim Lyzer brings this important understanding into focus: “We are destroying or wiping out species before we know what their value might be. That in itself should justify the time and expense that it takes to help them avert extinction. Beyond that we have an ethical obligation to all the species that share this planet. When we lose anything, we’re really losing a figurative encyclopedia. And we might be losing a page with enormous benefits to mankind. Unfortunately, today most people around the world either are unaware or unconcerned about the consequences that will surely affect the survival of our own species in the near future.”
Looking at the “big picture for El Paso’s future” the most valuable resource we have is not anything we have built or we are about to build, it is the people who live here and the natural ecosystem with its complex biodiversity. The Castner Range helps to protect that biodiversity and the last thing we need to do is to allow the current threat of urban sprawl to spread any further into the Franklins. Already we can see that we are about to lose the magnificent wilderness vistas on the west side to the developers who have recently announced the coming of their army of bulldozers to begin another chapter of destruction along Trans Mountain Road.
The Castners offer hope for our community and the Chihuahuan Desert is this part of North America. Can’t we learn to share the earth with native animals and plants?
I encourage you to learn more about efforts to protect the Castner Range by attending the Poppies Celebration, visiting franklinmountains.org and by becoming a member of the Franklin Mountains Coalition.
Our thanks to you, Rick, for all your help!
Castner Range History Project
by Scott Cutler
The Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition would like to gather information about the history of Castner Range from its beginnings in the 1920’s until it closed in the 1960s. Much information may be available in the older editions of the El Paso Times and the Herald Post, both archived on microfilm.
We would like to ask people to volunteer to go through a few years worth of these older records and make note of articles mentioning Castner Range. If you have time to help with this project, please contact Scott Cutler at 581-6071 to find out which years still need to be reviewed and details about what to look for. Thanks.
Poppies Celebration on Saturday,
March 14
FREE Event with Free Parking and shuttle at Cohen Stadium
The Franklin Mountains Poppies Celebration on Castner Range is being planned again this year on Saturday March 14 from 10 am to 6 pm at the El Paso Museum of Archaeology, 4301 Transmountain Road. The day's activities will include nature talks, wildlife displays, educational exhibits, demonstrations, crafts, music and refreshments. Educational Speakers will be in the Gazebo from 10 am to 3 pm and there will be music, entertainment and tequila tasting from 3 - 6 pm. Please note that even if the poppies do not bloom this year, we celebrate the only place in El Paso where poppies can bloom.
Speakers at the Gazebo
10am - John Kiseda, Birds of the Franklin Mountains
11am - John White, Plants of the Franklin Mountains
Noon - Rick LoBello, Mammals of the Franklin Mountains
1pm - Sal Quintanilla, Venomous Animals of the Desert
2pm - Leon Metz, History of El Paso
The Celebration will also include Leyton Cougar with Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary in Ramah, New Mexico and a socialized live wolf, videos by local documentarian and producer Jackson Polk, puppet shows, a magician, and raffle prizes. Everyone is welcome to come out and enjoy the beauty of the mountains and the poppies during this FREE Family Fun event.
Capstone Productions Inc. will show many of their El Paso Gold Heritage TV series films FOR FREE at this year's Poppy Festival in the auditorium at the Museum of Archaeology. It is called Poppy Fest Film Fest and will feature ten years of videos that El Paso TV producer Jackson Polk has produced about the history and heritage of the El Paso area.
Poppy Film Festival schedule of films for March 14, 2009 at the Museum of Archaeology
10:00am El Paso’s Magoffin Home Update 2008
11:00am El Paso’s Historic Sites and MarkersNoon Mexican Revolution Sites in El Paso
1:00pm Legends of El Paso’s Mountains
2:00pm Gunfights of the Old West
2:45pm El Paso’s Mount Cristo Rey
3:45pm Ghost Stories of El Paso Vol.1
The Poppy Film Fest ENDS at 5:00pm
Sponsored by The El Paso Times, Cohen Stadium, REDCo and Project Amistad, LULAC
Organizing Sponsors include El Paso Archaeological Society, http://epas.com/ , El Paso Museum of Archeology, http://www.elpasotexas.gov/arch_museum/ , Franklin Mountains State Park, http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/franklin/ , and Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition, http://franklinmountains.org/
FRANKLIN MOUNTAINS STATE PARK NEWS
For the latest news and information about the Park, visit their great website:
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/franklin/
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.
The Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition
Borderland Mountain Bike Association • Border Toasters, Toastmasters International • Bordersenses • Celebration Of Our Mountains • Centro San Vicente • Chihuahuan Desert Education Coalition • Chihuahuan Desert Wildlife Rescue • Eco-Club EPCC • El Paso Archaeological Society • El Paso Cactus And Rock Club • El Paso County Master Gardeners • El Paso Native Plant Society • El Paso Regional Group Of The Sierra Club • El Paso/Trans-Pecos Audubon Society • El Paso Youth Symphony • El Paso Zoo • Environmental Advocates at UTEP • Friends of the Arroyo • Friends Of The Rio Bosque • Jolly Elders • 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 • Southwest Environmental Center • Skyline Optimist Club Of El Paso • Trans Pecos Chapter Of The Texas Master Naturalists • Vista Hills Rotary Club • Voter Education Project, Inc •
FRANKLIN MOUNTAINS WILDERNESS COALITION
http://www.franklinmountains.org/
Annual Meeting: March 25, 2009
It has been a number of years since the Coalition has put on an annual meeting. So much has happened this past year, especially the 30th anniversary of FMWC, that it’s time to get together and celebrate. Consequently, the March meeting will be a time to honor our past and look to our future. We are inviting founding members of the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition to attend so all may celebrate their early work to save the mountains.
The event will take place at Jaxon’s Restaurant on Airway Blvd. There will be a no-host bar. Dinner will be a fajita buffet costing $16.00 per person. We will need to have a final count by Monday, March 16 so please make your reservation by then. Unfortunately, no tickets will be available at the door. You’re welcome to attend even if you don’t plan to eat.
When: March 25, 2009
6:00 PM Meet and Greet
6:30 PM Dinner
7:30 PM Meeting
Place: Jaxon’s Restaurant, 1135 Airway Blvd.
Please contact Scott Cutler at 915-581-6071 to make reservations.
“Those Were the Days, My Friends”
by Kathy Kennedy McConaghie
Way back when I attended UTEP (1972 – 1976) a crazy little thing called Crazy Cat happened to the Franklin Mountains. Many of my fellow students and some faculty members joined together in a petition drive to try to stop the planned residential development on the tail end of our beautiful mountains. I remember innocently bopping into Chicano Brown Beret, Vietnam Vets Against the War, American Friends Service Committee and other group “headquarters” and asking for help gathering signatures on our petitions to stop the City of El Paso from allowing the development. Some of the conversations were along the lines of: “If you will take some of these petitions and get them signed, we will march alongside you in your endeavors.” This led to some pretty interesting collaborations and we spent hours accosting potential signers outside of drugstores, grocery stores, and nightclubs; getting our siblings and parents to take petitions to work; walking door to door in our neighborhoods. We talked ourselves hoarse and we gathered thousands of signatures.
When the petitions were invalidated by the city “fathers” due to technicalities (well, we were young and naïve), I grew so disgusted with local politics and my hometown that I left, pretty much in a huff, to pursue graduate studies back east (I thought happiness was El Paso, Texas in my rearview mirror). Crazy Cat happened and that piece of our beloved mountains was gone.
I lived far away from the rugged Franklins for over two decades. There were tears of joy and relief every time I drove home to visit – blasting down that long last stretch on the Carlsbad Highway or War Highway or, in later years, whisking in on I-10 – when those familiar peaks rose up from the desert and I knew that I was almost home.
The point of this personal recollection is that some people stayed here, founded a Coalition, and became sentinels dedicated to protecting the Franklin Mountains from further encroachment. Their efforts were successful beyond my wildest dreams: an entire mountain range became a state park in the middle of a desert city! Thank you, founding members of FMWC and all those who have continued the good fight to this day. Hope to see you at Jaxon’s on the 25th!
Trail Building Crews Needed!
by Dave Wilson, BMBA President
The Borderland Mountain Bike Association, a non-profit dedicated to improving mountain biking in El Paso, is seeking volunteers and new members to help build trails in both the Franklin Mountain State Park and in several city parks.
The city park’s department wants to build a complete mountain bike center at the Westside Recreation Center off High Ridge. There are plans for beginner level single track trails and a skills park with ladders, bridges, teeter-totters, pump track, table tops, and much more. Trail builders and flagging crews are needed for this project. There is potential to put in more than 10 miles of high quality single track at the park. No experience is necessary.
Club rides take place the first Sunday of every month with the next ride (April 5th) meeting at 9 am in the upper parking lot of the Tom Mays Unit of the FMSP. Food is served around noon. Club membership is $25 per year.
For more information, contact the BMBA at bmbaelpaso@hotmail.com, or check the club’s website at www.bmba.wordpress.com .
HEY, FOLKS, TAKE A LOOK AT RICK LOBELLO’S COOL BLOG AT http://iloveparks.blogspot.com/
Why Should We Care About Saving The Poppies and the Castner Range?
by Rick LoBello (from his blog, with permission)
Posted on March 2, 2009
For me this is an easy question to answer. Prior to moving to El Paso I spent seventeen years working at Big Bend National Park, the world’s largest protected area of Chihuahuan Desert. It was there working as a park ranger and on a variety of research projects that I came to know this desert ecosystem so well. Today I am very concerned about its future and the threats of development that endanger the desert on both sides of the border. Since the first day I put on a park ranger badge in 1975 I have dedicated my life to helping people connect with and understand this amazing land.
We need the poppies and the adjoining Castner Range like we need water flowing into our homes and food in our stomachs. Nature is life and without it we simply cannot survive. Imagine what our world would be like if all we knew were buildings, super highways and concrete. Ever try eating a rock? Do you think you could live very long without water? All of the natural resources that we need to survive are limited. Unfortunately for our children and their children’s children many if not most of the decision makers approving plans for urban sprawl, one of the main threats to the desert, have little understanding of why keeping the desert ecosystem intact is so important to our future. Still others have some understanding, but do not know how to stop the wave of development currently underway. As a result thousands of species of animals and plants here and around the world have gone extinct or are on the road to extinction.
Most of the animals that live in the Castner Range are valuable in helping to maintain the desert’s complex biodiversity. For example, the foraging behavior of mule deer, small mammals and birds helps to disperse seeds of numerous plants important to their own survival and the survival of countless other species. Writing for the US Fish and Wildlife Service Endangered Species Bulletin, Jim Lyzer brings this important understanding into focus: “We are destroying or wiping out species before we know what their value might be. That in itself should justify the time and expense that it takes to help them avert extinction. Beyond that we have an ethical obligation to all the species that share this planet. When we lose anything, we’re really losing a figurative encyclopedia. And we might be losing a page with enormous benefits to mankind. Unfortunately, today most people around the world either are unaware or unconcerned about the consequences that will surely affect the survival of our own species in the near future.”
Looking at the “big picture for El Paso’s future” the most valuable resource we have is not anything we have built or we are about to build, it is the people who live here and the natural ecosystem with its complex biodiversity. The Castner Range helps to protect that biodiversity and the last thing we need to do is to allow the current threat of urban sprawl to spread any further into the Franklins. Already we can see that we are about to lose the magnificent wilderness vistas on the west side to the developers who have recently announced the coming of their army of bulldozers to begin another chapter of destruction along Trans Mountain Road.
The Castners offer hope for our community and the Chihuahuan Desert is this part of North America. Can’t we learn to share the earth with native animals and plants?
I encourage you to learn more about efforts to protect the Castner Range by attending the Poppies Celebration, visiting franklinmountains.org and by becoming a member of the Franklin Mountains Coalition.
Our thanks to you, Rick, for all your help!
Castner Range History Project
by Scott Cutler
The Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition would like to gather information about the history of Castner Range from its beginnings in the 1920’s until it closed in the 1960s. Much information may be available in the older editions of the El Paso Times and the Herald Post, both archived on microfilm.
We would like to ask people to volunteer to go through a few years worth of these older records and make note of articles mentioning Castner Range. If you have time to help with this project, please contact Scott Cutler at 581-6071 to find out which years still need to be reviewed and details about what to look for. Thanks.
Poppies Celebration on Saturday,
March 14
FREE Event with Free Parking and shuttle at Cohen Stadium
The Franklin Mountains Poppies Celebration on Castner Range is being planned again this year on Saturday March 14 from 10 am to 6 pm at the El Paso Museum of Archaeology, 4301 Transmountain Road. The day's activities will include nature talks, wildlife displays, educational exhibits, demonstrations, crafts, music and refreshments. Educational Speakers will be in the Gazebo from 10 am to 3 pm and there will be music, entertainment and tequila tasting from 3 - 6 pm. Please note that even if the poppies do not bloom this year, we celebrate the only place in El Paso where poppies can bloom.
Speakers at the Gazebo
10am - John Kiseda, Birds of the Franklin Mountains
11am - John White, Plants of the Franklin Mountains
Noon - Rick LoBello, Mammals of the Franklin Mountains
1pm - Sal Quintanilla, Venomous Animals of the Desert
2pm - Leon Metz, History of El Paso
The Celebration will also include Leyton Cougar with Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary in Ramah, New Mexico and a socialized live wolf, videos by local documentarian and producer Jackson Polk, puppet shows, a magician, and raffle prizes. Everyone is welcome to come out and enjoy the beauty of the mountains and the poppies during this FREE Family Fun event.
Capstone Productions Inc. will show many of their El Paso Gold Heritage TV series films FOR FREE at this year's Poppy Festival in the auditorium at the Museum of Archaeology. It is called Poppy Fest Film Fest and will feature ten years of videos that El Paso TV producer Jackson Polk has produced about the history and heritage of the El Paso area.
Poppy Film Festival schedule of films for March 14, 2009 at the Museum of Archaeology
10:00am El Paso’s Magoffin Home Update 2008
11:00am El Paso’s Historic Sites and MarkersNoon Mexican Revolution Sites in El Paso
1:00pm Legends of El Paso’s Mountains
2:00pm Gunfights of the Old West
2:45pm El Paso’s Mount Cristo Rey
3:45pm Ghost Stories of El Paso Vol.1
The Poppy Film Fest ENDS at 5:00pm
Sponsored by The El Paso Times, Cohen Stadium, REDCo and Project Amistad, LULAC
Organizing Sponsors include El Paso Archaeological Society, http://epas.com/ , El Paso Museum of Archeology, http://www.elpasotexas.gov/arch_museum/ , Franklin Mountains State Park, http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/franklin/ , and Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition, http://franklinmountains.org/
FRANKLIN MOUNTAINS STATE PARK NEWS
For the latest news and information about the Park, visit their great website:
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/franklin/
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.
The Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition
Borderland Mountain Bike Association • Border Toasters, Toastmasters International • Bordersenses • Celebration Of Our Mountains • Centro San Vicente • Chihuahuan Desert Education Coalition • Chihuahuan Desert Wildlife Rescue • Eco-Club EPCC • El Paso Archaeological Society • El Paso Cactus And Rock Club • El Paso County Master Gardeners • El Paso Native Plant Society • El Paso Regional Group Of The Sierra Club • El Paso/Trans-Pecos Audubon Society • El Paso Youth Symphony • El Paso Zoo • Environmental Advocates at UTEP • Friends of the Arroyo • Friends Of The Rio Bosque • Jolly Elders • 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 • Southwest Environmental Center • Skyline Optimist Club Of El Paso • Trans Pecos Chapter Of The Texas Master Naturalists • Vista Hills Rotary Club • Voter Education Project, Inc •
Thursday, January 1, 2009
January 2009
{FMWC} E-Newsletter – January 2009
FRANKLIN MOUNTAINS WILDERNESS COALITION
http://www.franklinmountains.org/
Next Meeting: January 21, 2009
New Time: 6:30 PM
New Place: Centennial Museum, UTEP Campus, 500 W. University Ave., El Paso, TX (located at the corner of University Ave. and Wiggns Road)
Agenda will include discussing a new place for future meetings. If you have questions please contact Scott Cutler at 581-6071.
Dues are Due
We begin 2009 looking forward to continuing our support of the Franklin Mountains State Park; spreading the word to new organizations and the general public about the work we do to protect the Franklins; and working to insure that Castner Range remains in its natural state.
The New Year also means it is time to renew your membership with the Coalition. Your dues and additional contributions allow us to remain vigilant and effective in our conservation efforts.
Individual membership is open to all who share our goal of preserving the scenic beauty and wilderness character of the Franklin Mountains. Dues are $10.00 per year and are due in January each year.
Membership applications are on our website, http://franklinmountains.org/ under How To Join. Please complete the membership form and mail it, along with your check to:
Scott Cutler, Treasurer
Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition
112 Colina Alta Dr.
El Paso, TX 79912
Thank you for your generous support.
A Major Donation in 2008
Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition received a very generous donation in 2008. A member who wishes to remain anonymous but has supported FMWC for many years made a remarkable $20,000 gift. It will be used to further efforts to protect the mountains and to see that Castner Range is protected as open space.
The Coalition greatly appreciates the generosity of the donor and the vote of confidence in the work we do.
Annual Meeting
It has been a number of years since the Coalition has put on an annual meeting. So much has happened this past year, especially the 30th anniversary of FMWC, that it’s time to get together and celebrate. Consequently, the March meeting will be a time to honor our past and look to our future. We are inviting founding members of the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition to attend so all may celebrate their early work to save the mountains.
The event will take place at Jaxon’s Restaurant on Airway Blvd. There will be a no-host bar. Dinner will be a fajita buffet costing $16.00 per person. We will need to have a final count by Monday, March 16 so please make your reservation by then. Unfortunately, no tickets will be available at the door. You’re welcome to attend even if you don’t plan to eat.
When: March 25, 2009
Time: 6 PM Meet and Greet
6:30 PM Dinner
7:30 PM Meeting
Place: Jaxon’s Restaurant, 1135 Airway Blvd.
Please contact Scott Cutler to make reservations.
Poppies Celebration
March 14, 2009
The third annual Franklin Mountains Poppies Celebration at Castner Range is coming soon so save the date: March 14, 2009 10 AM – 6 PM at the El Paso Museum of Archaeology, 4301 Transmountain Rd. This should prove to be a bigger event than previous years with more exhibitors, speakers and craft vendors as well as music and food. Please plan to come out and support our efforts to protect Castner Range and the magnificent poppy displays that occur there.
The program includes nature talks, wildlife displays, educational exhibits, and demonstrations. Educational speakers will be in the Gazebo from 10 AM – 2 PM and there will be music, entertainment and tequila tasting from 2 – 6 PM. The Celebration will also include videos by local documentarian and producer, Jackson Polk, puppet shows, a magician, and raffle prizes all day.
Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison is an invited honored guest to whom we’ll present hundreds of scenic Castner Range postcards, each personalized with written sentiments about the Range by El Pasoans and visitors and asking her assistance to preserve the Range as open space, in its natural state.
Many thanks to Judy Ackerman of FMWC, the staff of the El Paso Museum of Archaeology at Wilderness Park, Franklin Mountains State Park, Chihuahuan Desert Education Coalition, the El Paso Archaeological Society and others for helping organize this event. Don’t miss it!
More Castner Range News
For three years, FMWC tried unsuccessfully to meet with Fort Bliss Garrison Commander Col. Robert Burns. Now Bob Burns is the Vice President Business Development – Defense, for El Paso Regional Economic Development Corporation (REDCo http://www.elpasoredco.com/ ). He met with FMWC members Scott Cutler, John Moses and judy Ackerman for over an hour on January 7th and invited his boss, Bob Cook, REDCo president, to join us.
We presented information on a conservation conveyance of Castner Range, invited REDCo to join FMWC and mentioned our upcoming Poppies Celebration.
Col. (Ret) Burns assured us that Fort Bliss is too busy with war and expansion issues to even consider doing anything with Castner Range before 2015. Bob Cook confirmed that pressure to develop Castner Range will only increase in the future. They both feel that Fort Bliss, El Paso City leadership, and El Paso citizens “get it” that there should be NO development on Castner. However, the corporate memory is short.
They suggest building a partnership with the Environmental Department at Fort Bliss and work to build a strategic plan with a timeline that will preserve Castner as natural open space. Ecotourism is a growing business in El Paso and may have links to Castner. If FMWC could find funding for cleaning the unexploded ordnance on Castner, that would sweeten any deal for the Army to transfer Castner to conservancy or the Franklin Mountains State Park.
Do you want to participate in strategy meetings on how to preserve Castner Range? If so, contact Scott Cutler or judy Ackerman.
Franklin Mountains State Park News
To create an easier and safer climb at the “Window” section of the FMSP Ron Coleman Trail, a chain route will be installed to aid hikers’ climb up/down this 40 ft. limestone wall. After several trips to the “Window” by park staff to assess, test the rock and analyze the best locations for the chains, stainless steel bolts and hangers were installed on January 13, 2009. Staff will be working on the chain installation during the upcoming weeks and expect to have the project completed by the end of this month.
For more of the latest news and information about the Park, visit their great website: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/franklin/
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.
The El Paso Museum of Archaeology Presents:
The Hero Twins Saga: From Mesoamerica to Mimbres
January 25, 2009 at 2 PM
Professor Marc Thompson
Professor Thompson explores the Hero Twins Saga in the first program in his Southwest Iconography Explored Series. Twin culture heroes and their adventures are described in the 16th-century Maya book Popol Vuh, depicted on 1,500-year-old Maya pottery, 1,000-year-old Mimbres bowls, and 15th- century kiva murals in New Mexico.
This program is the first in a series to explore the connections between ancient Mexico and the Southwest. Marc Thompson, Director of the El Paso Museum of Archaeology, is your host for these presentations.
All programs are free and are held from 2 to 3 pm on the following Sundays: 25 January, 22 February, 1 March, 26 April, and 17 May in the auditorium at the El Paso Museum of Archaeology, 4301 Transmountain Road in El Paso.
For further information contact Marilyn Guida at 915-755-4332 or guidamr@elpasotexas.gov . http://www.elpasotexas.gov/arch_museum/
Preserve Alberta Park, Colorado
“Texas billionaire developer Billy "Red" McCombs seeks to construct a city of up to 10,000 people just below the Continental Divide at Wolf Creek Ski Area, one of the snowiest spots in Colorado. The “Village” at Wolf Creek would destroy lush meadows, alpine creeks, unspoiled backcountry recreation opportunities, and one of the most critical wildlife corridors in the Southern Rocky Mountains, harm already established businesses that service Wolf Creek visitors, and dramatically increase traffic on a snowy mountain pass.” (Friends of Wolf Creek, http://www.friendsofwolfcreek.org/)
Peter Miesler of Durango, Colorado brought this issue to our attention recently and is asking our help in a letter writing campaign to Mr. McCombs asking that he abandon the Village, return his parcel of Alberta Park to the Rio Grande National Forest and establish a wetland biological preserve. What does this have to do with our area?
Alberta Park currently functions as a key component in a vast nearly pristine watershed. A component that serves vital biological, life sustaining functions such as holding and filtering water used in countless ways by millions of down stream Rio Grande River stakeholders.
Please contact Kathy McConaghie (227-5330 or kmcconaghie@gmail.com) if you would like more information on this issue. Come on, folks, it only takes a few minutes to write a letter.
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.
Each year, in January, we send the paper version of this newsletter to all members, with a membership renewal form. If you do not receive a paper copy, I do not have your US postal address. Please send it to: 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 *El Paso Youth Symphony * Friends of the Rio Bosque *Jolly Elders * 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 * Southwestern Environmental Center * Skyline Optimist Club of El Paso * Trans Pecos Chapter of the Texas Master Naturalists * Vista Hills Rotary Club
FRANKLIN MOUNTAINS WILDERNESS COALITION
http://www.franklinmountains.org/
Next Meeting: January 21, 2009
New Time: 6:30 PM
New Place: Centennial Museum, UTEP Campus, 500 W. University Ave., El Paso, TX (located at the corner of University Ave. and Wiggns Road)
Agenda will include discussing a new place for future meetings. If you have questions please contact Scott Cutler at 581-6071.
Dues are Due
We begin 2009 looking forward to continuing our support of the Franklin Mountains State Park; spreading the word to new organizations and the general public about the work we do to protect the Franklins; and working to insure that Castner Range remains in its natural state.
The New Year also means it is time to renew your membership with the Coalition. Your dues and additional contributions allow us to remain vigilant and effective in our conservation efforts.
Individual membership is open to all who share our goal of preserving the scenic beauty and wilderness character of the Franklin Mountains. Dues are $10.00 per year and are due in January each year.
Membership applications are on our website, http://franklinmountains.org/ under How To Join. Please complete the membership form and mail it, along with your check to:
Scott Cutler, Treasurer
Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition
112 Colina Alta Dr.
El Paso, TX 79912
Thank you for your generous support.
A Major Donation in 2008
Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition received a very generous donation in 2008. A member who wishes to remain anonymous but has supported FMWC for many years made a remarkable $20,000 gift. It will be used to further efforts to protect the mountains and to see that Castner Range is protected as open space.
The Coalition greatly appreciates the generosity of the donor and the vote of confidence in the work we do.
Annual Meeting
It has been a number of years since the Coalition has put on an annual meeting. So much has happened this past year, especially the 30th anniversary of FMWC, that it’s time to get together and celebrate. Consequently, the March meeting will be a time to honor our past and look to our future. We are inviting founding members of the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition to attend so all may celebrate their early work to save the mountains.
The event will take place at Jaxon’s Restaurant on Airway Blvd. There will be a no-host bar. Dinner will be a fajita buffet costing $16.00 per person. We will need to have a final count by Monday, March 16 so please make your reservation by then. Unfortunately, no tickets will be available at the door. You’re welcome to attend even if you don’t plan to eat.
When: March 25, 2009
Time: 6 PM Meet and Greet
6:30 PM Dinner
7:30 PM Meeting
Place: Jaxon’s Restaurant, 1135 Airway Blvd.
Please contact Scott Cutler to make reservations.
Poppies Celebration
March 14, 2009
The third annual Franklin Mountains Poppies Celebration at Castner Range is coming soon so save the date: March 14, 2009 10 AM – 6 PM at the El Paso Museum of Archaeology, 4301 Transmountain Rd. This should prove to be a bigger event than previous years with more exhibitors, speakers and craft vendors as well as music and food. Please plan to come out and support our efforts to protect Castner Range and the magnificent poppy displays that occur there.
The program includes nature talks, wildlife displays, educational exhibits, and demonstrations. Educational speakers will be in the Gazebo from 10 AM – 2 PM and there will be music, entertainment and tequila tasting from 2 – 6 PM. The Celebration will also include videos by local documentarian and producer, Jackson Polk, puppet shows, a magician, and raffle prizes all day.
Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison is an invited honored guest to whom we’ll present hundreds of scenic Castner Range postcards, each personalized with written sentiments about the Range by El Pasoans and visitors and asking her assistance to preserve the Range as open space, in its natural state.
Many thanks to Judy Ackerman of FMWC, the staff of the El Paso Museum of Archaeology at Wilderness Park, Franklin Mountains State Park, Chihuahuan Desert Education Coalition, the El Paso Archaeological Society and others for helping organize this event. Don’t miss it!
More Castner Range News
For three years, FMWC tried unsuccessfully to meet with Fort Bliss Garrison Commander Col. Robert Burns. Now Bob Burns is the Vice President Business Development – Defense, for El Paso Regional Economic Development Corporation (REDCo http://www.elpasoredco.com/ ). He met with FMWC members Scott Cutler, John Moses and judy Ackerman for over an hour on January 7th and invited his boss, Bob Cook, REDCo president, to join us.
We presented information on a conservation conveyance of Castner Range, invited REDCo to join FMWC and mentioned our upcoming Poppies Celebration.
Col. (Ret) Burns assured us that Fort Bliss is too busy with war and expansion issues to even consider doing anything with Castner Range before 2015. Bob Cook confirmed that pressure to develop Castner Range will only increase in the future. They both feel that Fort Bliss, El Paso City leadership, and El Paso citizens “get it” that there should be NO development on Castner. However, the corporate memory is short.
They suggest building a partnership with the Environmental Department at Fort Bliss and work to build a strategic plan with a timeline that will preserve Castner as natural open space. Ecotourism is a growing business in El Paso and may have links to Castner. If FMWC could find funding for cleaning the unexploded ordnance on Castner, that would sweeten any deal for the Army to transfer Castner to conservancy or the Franklin Mountains State Park.
Do you want to participate in strategy meetings on how to preserve Castner Range? If so, contact Scott Cutler or judy Ackerman.
Franklin Mountains State Park News
To create an easier and safer climb at the “Window” section of the FMSP Ron Coleman Trail, a chain route will be installed to aid hikers’ climb up/down this 40 ft. limestone wall. After several trips to the “Window” by park staff to assess, test the rock and analyze the best locations for the chains, stainless steel bolts and hangers were installed on January 13, 2009. Staff will be working on the chain installation during the upcoming weeks and expect to have the project completed by the end of this month.
For more of the latest news and information about the Park, visit their great website: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/franklin/
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.
The El Paso Museum of Archaeology Presents:
The Hero Twins Saga: From Mesoamerica to Mimbres
January 25, 2009 at 2 PM
Professor Marc Thompson
Professor Thompson explores the Hero Twins Saga in the first program in his Southwest Iconography Explored Series. Twin culture heroes and their adventures are described in the 16th-century Maya book Popol Vuh, depicted on 1,500-year-old Maya pottery, 1,000-year-old Mimbres bowls, and 15th- century kiva murals in New Mexico.
This program is the first in a series to explore the connections between ancient Mexico and the Southwest. Marc Thompson, Director of the El Paso Museum of Archaeology, is your host for these presentations.
All programs are free and are held from 2 to 3 pm on the following Sundays: 25 January, 22 February, 1 March, 26 April, and 17 May in the auditorium at the El Paso Museum of Archaeology, 4301 Transmountain Road in El Paso.
For further information contact Marilyn Guida at 915-755-4332 or guidamr@elpasotexas.gov . http://www.elpasotexas.gov/arch_museum/
Preserve Alberta Park, Colorado
“Texas billionaire developer Billy "Red" McCombs seeks to construct a city of up to 10,000 people just below the Continental Divide at Wolf Creek Ski Area, one of the snowiest spots in Colorado. The “Village” at Wolf Creek would destroy lush meadows, alpine creeks, unspoiled backcountry recreation opportunities, and one of the most critical wildlife corridors in the Southern Rocky Mountains, harm already established businesses that service Wolf Creek visitors, and dramatically increase traffic on a snowy mountain pass.” (Friends of Wolf Creek, http://www.friendsofwolfcreek.org/)
Peter Miesler of Durango, Colorado brought this issue to our attention recently and is asking our help in a letter writing campaign to Mr. McCombs asking that he abandon the Village, return his parcel of Alberta Park to the Rio Grande National Forest and establish a wetland biological preserve. What does this have to do with our area?
Alberta Park currently functions as a key component in a vast nearly pristine watershed. A component that serves vital biological, life sustaining functions such as holding and filtering water used in countless ways by millions of down stream Rio Grande River stakeholders.
Please contact Kathy McConaghie (227-5330 or kmcconaghie@gmail.com) if you would like more information on this issue. Come on, folks, it only takes a few minutes to write a letter.
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.
Each year, in January, we send the paper version of this newsletter to all members, with a membership renewal form. If you do not receive a paper copy, I do not have your US postal address. Please send it to: 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 *El Paso Youth Symphony * Friends of the Rio Bosque *Jolly Elders * 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 * Southwestern Environmental Center * Skyline Optimist Club of El Paso * Trans Pecos Chapter of the Texas Master Naturalists * Vista Hills Rotary Club
Saturday, November 1, 2008
November 2008
{FMWC} E-Newsletter -- November 2008
FRANKLIN MOUNTAINS WILDERNESS COALITION
http://www.franklinmountains.org/
NEXT MEETING: Wednesday, November 19, 2008
The next meeting of the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition is Wednesday, November 14 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).
Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition at 30
by Scott Cutler, President
FMWC turned thirty this year. Quite a remarkable feat for a local organization whose beginnings were galvanized by the desire to preserve the natural grandeur of the Franklin Mountains and resulted in the formation of Franklin Mountains State Park.
Since its inception, the Coalition has been a strong supporter of the Park. We have provided financial support through donations to the Park's Lone Star Legacy endowment and have been staunch advocates for the preservation of Castner Range and its eventual inclusion in the park. These will remain the focus of FMWC in the years to come. Your continued support, both financially and through active participation in the group, will insure that the Franklin Mountains and the state park named for them remain vital open space.
In recognition of this thirty year milestone, what has been accomplished, what remains to be achieved, and to honor one of the original founders and longtime member, John Sproul, FMWC will be holding an Annual Meeting in January, 2009. The date, time and place are still to be arranged and will be announced as soon as possible. We hope you will be able to attend. Planning for this event, as well as other important topics, will be discussed at the upcoming general meeting on the 19th. Please try to attend.
If you have any questions, please call me at 581-6071. Hope to see you at the meeting...
Planning Poppies 2009
It's time to start planning for our 2009 Franklin Mountains Poppies Celebration on Castner Range March 14, 2009. We need your ideas and expertise. Please join us for our first planning meeting 9 AM, Thursday, December 4, 2008, at the El Paso Museum of Archaeology, 4301 Transmountain Rd. Their phone number is 915-755-4332.
Speaking of Castner Range...
by Judy Ackerman
The Fort Bliss Restoration Advisory Board (RAB) meetings often include interesting revelations, especially when Castner Range is on the Agenda. Add your name to the distribution list for RAB by contacting John Knopp at 915-568-1455 or john.p.knopp@us.army.mil with your information as follows: name, address, phone(s), email, elected office (if any), organization represented (if any). We strongly encourage FMWC members to take advantage of this opportunity to be in the RAB loop and on top of developments concerning the Range.
Castner Range is on the minds of many concerned citizens, including members of the Stormwater Committee. At the Stormwater Master Plan Community Advisory Committee meeting October 29, 2008, Rick French (Stormwater Master Plan Project Manager URS Corporation) explained the technical criteria for ranking alternative solutions. The example he used was the “Electric Ditch” in the northeast and the map of the alternatives centered on the intersection of 54 and Transmountain Rd. ALL the example alternatives included building sediment/debris retention basins on Castner Range. A committee member pointed out that proposed solutions “blew off” a major goal of the committee: leaving Castner undeveloped. Several committee members expressed concern about preserving Castner Range. Matt Carroll said that FMWC should have a seat on the committee and stated that FMWC, a coalition of many organizations, has a goal to keep Castner Range in its natural state. One committee member adroitly pointed out that an alternative to additional retention dams on Castner would be removal of existing residences west of 54 and construction of pumping stations, at huge expense. Discussion about the Range continued after the meeting adjourned, demonstrating that El Pasoans care deeply about this critical open space – the crown jewel in the heart of our Franklin Mountains.
Franklin Mountains State Park News
A recent agenda item for Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission concerned an addition to Franklin Mountains State Park. The El Paso Water Utilities Public Service Board (PSB) has offered to sell TPWD a 1673.5 acre tract adjacent to the Park and TPWD plans to take the steps necessary to obtain the addition. For more information, including detailed maps showing the exact location of the acreage, please go to:
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/business/feedback/meetings/2009/1106/agenda/item_15/
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.
Volunteers Needed for Mule Deer Surveys
Our friend, Lois Balin, TPWD Urban Wildlife Biologist is looking for volunteers to conduct mule deer surveys in the Franklin Mountains. Volunteers must be hearty enough to withstand very rough roads, cold weather and late nights.
The Franklin Mountains contain important deer habitat. Mule deer surveys provide important information about the number of deer occupying a range and the trends in deer numbers over a period of years. Deer surveys are conducted using helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft or spotlight surveys. TPWD usually uses helicopters to determine appropriate harvest intensity during hunting season. The mountainous terrain of FMSP, coupled with a desert climate present some survey challenges. Vehicle access is mainly limited to 4-wheel drive.
Surveys are conducted in the Franklin Mountains (even though hunting is prohibited there) to determine a reasonable scientific estimate of relative abundance, monitor population changes, estimate sex-ratios, evaluate impacts of habitat and land-use changes, obtain information on status and health, and to obtain incidental scientific estimation of fur-bearing animals (mountain lion, bobcat, gray fox, ringtail, etc.).
Volunteers will be involved in spotlight surveys sampling a portion of an area to produce an estimate of the deer density on the entire acreage of that land area. The route is driven after dark and involves counting deer from the bed of a pickup (or elevated seat) using spotlights. Two or more observers shine the lights from either side of the truck while the driver maintains a speed of 3 – 10 mph. Surveys are limited to 3 hours. Total numbers of observed deer are recorded while binoculars are used to identify bucks, does and fawns within 150-175 yards of the truck. Because of variability in deer movements, spotlight surveys are usually conducted on 3 separate nights to develop an average. The most effective time to conduct spotlight surveys is during September through early November, when bucks have hardened antlers and fawns are old enough to be following does. Spotlight surveys will be conducted for a minimum of 5 years.
If you are interested in assisting with this project please contact Lois Balin at 915-774-9603 or Lois.balin@tpwd.state.tx.us
Please Welcome Two New Organizational Members to FMWC!
EL PASO YOUTH SYMPHONY (2008), http://www.epsyos.org/
VISTA HILLS ROTARY CLUB (2008), http://rotary5520.org/index.html
If you know an organization that might join FMWC or that would like a speaker, contact judy Ackerman, 915-755-7371, j.p.ackerman@sbcglobal.net.
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 *El Paso Youth Symphony * Friends of the Rio Bosque *Jolly Elders * 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 * Southwestern Environmental Center * Skyline Optimist Club of El Paso * Trans Pecos Chapter of the Texas Master Naturalists * Vista Hills Rotary Club
FRANKLIN MOUNTAINS WILDERNESS COALITION
http://www.franklinmountains.org/
NEXT MEETING: Wednesday, November 19, 2008
The next meeting of the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition is Wednesday, November 14 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).
Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition at 30
by Scott Cutler, President
FMWC turned thirty this year. Quite a remarkable feat for a local organization whose beginnings were galvanized by the desire to preserve the natural grandeur of the Franklin Mountains and resulted in the formation of Franklin Mountains State Park.
Since its inception, the Coalition has been a strong supporter of the Park. We have provided financial support through donations to the Park's Lone Star Legacy endowment and have been staunch advocates for the preservation of Castner Range and its eventual inclusion in the park. These will remain the focus of FMWC in the years to come. Your continued support, both financially and through active participation in the group, will insure that the Franklin Mountains and the state park named for them remain vital open space.
In recognition of this thirty year milestone, what has been accomplished, what remains to be achieved, and to honor one of the original founders and longtime member, John Sproul, FMWC will be holding an Annual Meeting in January, 2009. The date, time and place are still to be arranged and will be announced as soon as possible. We hope you will be able to attend. Planning for this event, as well as other important topics, will be discussed at the upcoming general meeting on the 19th. Please try to attend.
If you have any questions, please call me at 581-6071. Hope to see you at the meeting...
Planning Poppies 2009
It's time to start planning for our 2009 Franklin Mountains Poppies Celebration on Castner Range March 14, 2009. We need your ideas and expertise. Please join us for our first planning meeting 9 AM, Thursday, December 4, 2008, at the El Paso Museum of Archaeology, 4301 Transmountain Rd. Their phone number is 915-755-4332.
Speaking of Castner Range...
by Judy Ackerman
The Fort Bliss Restoration Advisory Board (RAB) meetings often include interesting revelations, especially when Castner Range is on the Agenda. Add your name to the distribution list for RAB by contacting John Knopp at 915-568-1455 or john.p.knopp@us.army.mil with your information as follows: name, address, phone(s), email, elected office (if any), organization represented (if any). We strongly encourage FMWC members to take advantage of this opportunity to be in the RAB loop and on top of developments concerning the Range.
Castner Range is on the minds of many concerned citizens, including members of the Stormwater Committee. At the Stormwater Master Plan Community Advisory Committee meeting October 29, 2008, Rick French (Stormwater Master Plan Project Manager URS Corporation) explained the technical criteria for ranking alternative solutions. The example he used was the “Electric Ditch” in the northeast and the map of the alternatives centered on the intersection of 54 and Transmountain Rd. ALL the example alternatives included building sediment/debris retention basins on Castner Range. A committee member pointed out that proposed solutions “blew off” a major goal of the committee: leaving Castner undeveloped. Several committee members expressed concern about preserving Castner Range. Matt Carroll said that FMWC should have a seat on the committee and stated that FMWC, a coalition of many organizations, has a goal to keep Castner Range in its natural state. One committee member adroitly pointed out that an alternative to additional retention dams on Castner would be removal of existing residences west of 54 and construction of pumping stations, at huge expense. Discussion about the Range continued after the meeting adjourned, demonstrating that El Pasoans care deeply about this critical open space – the crown jewel in the heart of our Franklin Mountains.
Franklin Mountains State Park News
A recent agenda item for Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission concerned an addition to Franklin Mountains State Park. The El Paso Water Utilities Public Service Board (PSB) has offered to sell TPWD a 1673.5 acre tract adjacent to the Park and TPWD plans to take the steps necessary to obtain the addition. For more information, including detailed maps showing the exact location of the acreage, please go to:
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/business/feedback/meetings/2009/1106/agenda/item_15/
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.
Volunteers Needed for Mule Deer Surveys
Our friend, Lois Balin, TPWD Urban Wildlife Biologist is looking for volunteers to conduct mule deer surveys in the Franklin Mountains. Volunteers must be hearty enough to withstand very rough roads, cold weather and late nights.
The Franklin Mountains contain important deer habitat. Mule deer surveys provide important information about the number of deer occupying a range and the trends in deer numbers over a period of years. Deer surveys are conducted using helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft or spotlight surveys. TPWD usually uses helicopters to determine appropriate harvest intensity during hunting season. The mountainous terrain of FMSP, coupled with a desert climate present some survey challenges. Vehicle access is mainly limited to 4-wheel drive.
Surveys are conducted in the Franklin Mountains (even though hunting is prohibited there) to determine a reasonable scientific estimate of relative abundance, monitor population changes, estimate sex-ratios, evaluate impacts of habitat and land-use changes, obtain information on status and health, and to obtain incidental scientific estimation of fur-bearing animals (mountain lion, bobcat, gray fox, ringtail, etc.).
Volunteers will be involved in spotlight surveys sampling a portion of an area to produce an estimate of the deer density on the entire acreage of that land area. The route is driven after dark and involves counting deer from the bed of a pickup (or elevated seat) using spotlights. Two or more observers shine the lights from either side of the truck while the driver maintains a speed of 3 – 10 mph. Surveys are limited to 3 hours. Total numbers of observed deer are recorded while binoculars are used to identify bucks, does and fawns within 150-175 yards of the truck. Because of variability in deer movements, spotlight surveys are usually conducted on 3 separate nights to develop an average. The most effective time to conduct spotlight surveys is during September through early November, when bucks have hardened antlers and fawns are old enough to be following does. Spotlight surveys will be conducted for a minimum of 5 years.
If you are interested in assisting with this project please contact Lois Balin at 915-774-9603 or Lois.balin@tpwd.state.tx.us
Please Welcome Two New Organizational Members to FMWC!
EL PASO YOUTH SYMPHONY (2008), http://www.epsyos.org/
VISTA HILLS ROTARY CLUB (2008), http://rotary5520.org/index.html
If you know an organization that might join FMWC or that would like a speaker, contact judy Ackerman, 915-755-7371, j.p.ackerman@sbcglobal.net.
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 *El Paso Youth Symphony * Friends of the Rio Bosque *Jolly Elders * 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 * Southwestern Environmental Center * Skyline Optimist Club of El Paso * Trans Pecos Chapter of the Texas Master Naturalists * Vista Hills Rotary Club
Monday, September 1, 2008
September 2008
{FMWC} E-Newsletter -- September 2008
FRANKLIN MOUNTAINS WILDERNESS COALITION
http://www.franklinmountains.org/
NEXT MEETING: September 17, 2008
The next meeting of the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition is Wednesday, 9/17 at 7 p.m. It takes place in Room 411, Burgess Hall on the UTEP campus. Burgess Hall is at the intersection of Sun Bowl Drive and University Ave. on the west side of the campus. Please be prompt. The building entrance locks automatically in the evenings. If you arrive late and no one is at the door, call 861-4361 and someone will come to let you in. For more information contact Scott Cutler (581-6071).
We are honored to have a guest speaker at Wednesday’s meeting: Shamori Rose Whitt, Open Space Coordinator of the City of El Paso Parks and Recreation Department. Her topic will be the department’s Carpe Viridus (Seize the Green) initiatives which are now in the conceptual stage.
The first initiative is geared towards informing the general public about the ratio of publicly owned vs. privately owned portions of the Franklin Mountains; formulating a strategy to acquire privately owned acreage, and generating revenue for possible purchases. This initiative will link to major projects currently in the planning stage: the Mountain to River Trail Corridor and the Scenic-Arroyo Park Extension.
The Green Infill initiative focuses on maximizing the recreational utility of existing properties such as utility corridors, drainage canals and detention ponds. The Healthy Risk-Taking initiative promotes the opportunity for citizens of El Paso to take healthy risks through physical challenges. This would include the “Mowad Outdoor Adventure Park” and development of a comprehensive natural surface trail system which would be built and maintained by a Parks and Recreation trail group. Please plan to “seize” the opportunity to hear more about these promising proposals and to provide feedback to Ms. Whitt. We hope to see you there!
4TH ANNUAL CHIHUAHUAN DESERT FIESTA
Saturday, September 20
9 AM – 3 PM
The Fiesta is a FREE community event at the end of the Loop (Site 38) in the Tom Mays section of Franklin Mountains State Park (western base of Transmountain Rd.) and part of the Celebration of the Franklin Mountains State Park Lone Star Legacy. Entrance fees to the park will be waived as part of the Celebration. Members of the Chihuahuan Desert Education Coalition will be on hand to offer free presentations and demonstrations introducing the wonders of our fascinating Northern Chihuahuan Desert: its plants and animals, terrain and geology. Informational booths of area organizations, such as FMWC, will be up and running along with an exciting program of guest speakers. Not to mention the First Annual Chili Cook-Off hosted by the Park; raffles for artwork; guided walks and wagon and horse rides, courtesy of the Serna Ranch. More details about this fantastic FREE event available at http://www.chihuahuandesert.org/. Make plans now to pack up family and friends for a day’s worth of fun, learning, catching up with old friends and making new ones on the awesome green-splashed, wildflower- dotted slopes of our own Franklin mountains.
IT’S THAT TIME AGAIN: THE ANNUAL CELEBRATION OF OUR MOUNTAINS, A MONTHLONG CORNUCOPIA OF ACTIVITIES AND FESTIVITIES: http://www.celebrationofourmountains.org/ FOR ALL THE EXCITING DETAILS!
HAPPY TRAILS TO YOU…
FMWC member organization, The Borderland Mountain Bike Association, is holding two days of trail building on October 18 and 25 to finish the new trail that passes west of Bowen’s Ranch on the east side of the mountain. Trailblazing sponsor is New Belgium Brewery and there will be a New Trail Celebration October 25 with free admission for all session participants. Please sign up to volunteer by October 1 (so lunch can be provided on the trail) by calling David Wilson at 471-9232; email bmbaelpaso@hotmail.com. Find the mountain bikers wonderful website at http://www.bmba.wordpress.com/.
FRANKLIN MOUNTAINS STATE PARK NEWS
Great news from John Moses, General Superintendent, El Paso Parks, Texas Parks and Wildlife (Franklin Mountains State Park, Hueco Tanks State Historic Site and the Wyler Aerial Tramway), concerning the recent “deeding ceremony” of El Paso Electric Co. acreage to the Franklin Mountains State Park. John says that the ceremony, photographed by Cesar Mendez and Richard Love, was attended by County Commissioner Escobar, TV 14 and 7 and an El Paso Inc. reporter. The deed transfer effectively legalizes some of the existing trails and the park will be looking for volunteers to help Mike Olbrisch with a cleanup of the old right-of-way.
Excerpt from September 5th TPWD Press Release:
“Hikers and mountain bikers will have more of FMSP to explore thanks to a donation from El Paso Electric Co. to the TPWD. The donation of approximately 63 acres of the utility company’s 150-foot right-of-way, which crosses the width of the Franklin Mountains in the southernmost reaches of the state park, will create expanded recreational opportunities for park users. The donated land adds roughly 18,000 feet of trail to the 24,000-acre park’s more than 100 miles of hiking and mountain biking trails….El Paso Electric’s donation is in keeping with the company’s intent to work with the community when circumstances arise to improve the quality of life for El Pasoans. ‘FMSP is just one of the attractions that makes El Paso such a great place to live and work,’ said Frank Bates, EP Electric’s interim president and CEO. ‘With this donation, EP Electric is proud to make it easier for more people to enjoy this beautiful park.’ FMSP is the largest urban park in the continental U.S. and lies entirely within the El Paso city limits…At the recent El Paso Media Group’s Best of El Paso Awards ceremony, the state park received the award for the city’s Best Hiking Trail.”
A big West Texas sized thank you to El Paso Electric!
For more of the latest news and information about upcoming events at the Park, visit their great website:
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/franklin/
EL PASO ZOO ADVENTURE PROGRAMS
Rick Lobello, EP Zoo Education Curator, writes to let us know that September kicks off EP Zoo Adventure Programs created by Zoo Education Specialists to provide a “perfect mix of animals, experiences and excitement…for every age group, from toddlers and schoolchildren to adults and seniors. Each program features an environment rich in discovery opportunities including special animal encounters. Some programs are seasonal while others are offered throughout the year.” From Adventure Teen Camps to Grandma or Grandpa Special Mornings to Teacher Workshops to Asia Sleepovers, Night Prowls and Toddler Treks, these programs offer fantastic opportunities for all of us “to discover the natural world we share with the rest of the planet.” For more information, program descriptions and fees or to register online visit http://www.elpasozoo.org/
EAGLES ROCK UPDATE
FMWC is a Stakeholder in the Eagles Rock Team, a group formed by Canutillo Independent School District to develop outdoors educational programs. Pauline Dow, Associate Superintendent at CISD, provided a recent update, paraphrased as follows:
Members of the Eagles Rock Team met with Coach Scott Johnson from the Saint Clements Outdoor Program (an original model for the programs being developed at CISD). Coach Johnson agreed to join the Team and to work with the core group (representatives from each CISD campus as well as other key district members) to develop training (perhaps in a wild retreat) to lead groups of kids in various outdoor experiences. Cate Bradley from NPS-RTCA is helping the Team explore a “Safe Routes to Schools” program and providing technical assistance from her project, the Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance program. Eagles Rock core group is working on the logistics for the training event with Coach Johnson; working on plans to launch Eagles Rock with one or two grade levels in Spring 2009; submitting grant applications to secure funding for program staff and operating expenses; and setting a date for the Stakeholder Team to meet in July of 2009 for a report on the launch and expansion of Eagles Rock.
FMWC is proud to participate in this innovative approach to educating public school students about “The Great Outdoors”. We hope that the Canutillo Eagles Rock program will provide inspiration and encouragement to other area school districts to include outdoor education and appreciation of natural area environments in everyday public school curriculum. This type of initiative bodes very well for future caretaking of our mountain, river, wetland, and desert habitats. For more information please contact Ms. Dow at 915-877-7475.
*************************************************************
A gentle reminder to Coalition members: FMWC dues should be paid each January. If you misplaced your membership application, you can find one on our website. Please get those dues in.
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.
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 of 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 * Trans-Pecos Chapter, Texas Master Naturalists
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
July 2008
{FMWC} E-Newsletter -- July 2008
FRANKLIN MOUNTAINS WILDERNESS COALITION
http://www.franklinmountains.org/
NEWSLETTER JULY 2008
There will be no meeting this month.
TRANSMOUNTAIN ROAD
FMWC is custodian for cleaning a two-mile portion of Transmountain Road. Scott Cutler coordinated with the Master Gardeners and the Texas Master Naturalists (FMWC organization members) to assist us since their portion of Transmountain is nearly spotless.
Please join us for our clean-up on Saturday, August 9th. Meet at the entrance to the Tom Mays Park at 7:30 AM for the required safety briefing. We will work down the hill, on both sides of the road. The event usually lasts about 1.5 hours and it is fun to chat with new and old friends as we help beautify our mountain. Bring your own water, gloves, hat and sunscreen.
As an added treat, the Master Gardeners invite us to join their advanced training at the Museum of Archaeology, starting at 9:30 AM. Virginia Morris will give a presentation on the creation of the Research Center Cactus Garden. Susan Petty is coordinating this project. For more information, contact her at 915-525-7723, 915-857-0232 or suspetty@yahoo.com.
SAVE THE DATE!
The October 11, 2008 clean-up will be part of the Celebration of the Mountains. We plan to partner with other Adopt-A-Highway groups to clean the entire mountain (Both Sides! All 18 Miles!) We are in the process of contacting as many groups as possible to participate, including KFOX News, the El Paso Times and Keep El Paso Beautiful! If you belong to another organization, please invite them to participate!
EAGLES ROCK
Senator Elliott Shapleigh contacted FMWC in late June to ask for our participation in a new program called “Eagles Rock” which he is working on with the Canutillo Independent School District. Judy Ackerman agreed to attend the meeting on July 1. Following is her report.
“Eagles Rock is an innovative new Outdoor Program for the Canutillo Independent School District. Senator Shapleigh’s office is actively involved and he invited FMWC to participate as a stakeholder. I attended the second planning meeting on July 1 and was thoroughly impressed with the enthusiasm and dedication of the participants.
The Eagles Rock program will give students in grades 1 through 12 exciting outdoor experiences and link them to lessons in History, Natural Science, Social Studies and other subjects. In first grade they start with a hike in Tom Mays that focuses on natural surrounding plant life. Activities in other grades include Hueco Tanks Ranger Tour, Gran Quivara Overnight, Rock Climbing, McKittrick Canyon hike, Rafting the Rio, and trips to Big Bend, Lincoln County, White Sands, Bonita Lake and more.
Pam Padilla, Superintendent for CISD, stressed the importance not only of Reading, wRiting, and aRithmetic, but the fourth R for Respect. Students need to respect themselves, respect their surroundings, and respect each other to be good citizens. School outdoor activities will improve fitness, encourage environmental stewardship, and link classroom lessons to practical applications.
Their love for learning and for their students was evident as teachers explained their plans and linked environmental activities to curriculum goals. Participants felt the excitement of the concept of educating our children about the natural environment and attendees eagerly added their ideas and suggested resources. In addition to CISD and Senator Shapleigh’s office, current stakeholders include: Texas Parks and Wildlife, National Parks Service, Sierra Club, AT&T El Paso, Fort Bliss, El Paso County Historical Commission, Groundworks and FMWC. If you or your organization would like to be included in the next meeting, contact CISD Associate Superintendent Pauline Dow, 915-877-7400 or pdow@canutillo-isd.org.
*************************************************************
A gentle reminder to Coalition members: FMWC dues should be paid each January. If you misplaced your membership application, you can find one on our website. Please get those dues in.
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 of 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 * Trans-Pecos Chapter, Texas Master Naturalists
FRANKLIN MOUNTAINS WILDERNESS COALITION
http://www.franklinmountains.org/
NEWSLETTER JULY 2008
There will be no meeting this month.
TRANSMOUNTAIN ROAD
FMWC is custodian for cleaning a two-mile portion of Transmountain Road. Scott Cutler coordinated with the Master Gardeners and the Texas Master Naturalists (FMWC organization members) to assist us since their portion of Transmountain is nearly spotless.
Please join us for our clean-up on Saturday, August 9th. Meet at the entrance to the Tom Mays Park at 7:30 AM for the required safety briefing. We will work down the hill, on both sides of the road. The event usually lasts about 1.5 hours and it is fun to chat with new and old friends as we help beautify our mountain. Bring your own water, gloves, hat and sunscreen.
As an added treat, the Master Gardeners invite us to join their advanced training at the Museum of Archaeology, starting at 9:30 AM. Virginia Morris will give a presentation on the creation of the Research Center Cactus Garden. Susan Petty is coordinating this project. For more information, contact her at 915-525-7723, 915-857-0232 or suspetty@yahoo.com.
SAVE THE DATE!
The October 11, 2008 clean-up will be part of the Celebration of the Mountains. We plan to partner with other Adopt-A-Highway groups to clean the entire mountain (Both Sides! All 18 Miles!) We are in the process of contacting as many groups as possible to participate, including KFOX News, the El Paso Times and Keep El Paso Beautiful! If you belong to another organization, please invite them to participate!
EAGLES ROCK
Senator Elliott Shapleigh contacted FMWC in late June to ask for our participation in a new program called “Eagles Rock” which he is working on with the Canutillo Independent School District. Judy Ackerman agreed to attend the meeting on July 1. Following is her report.
“Eagles Rock is an innovative new Outdoor Program for the Canutillo Independent School District. Senator Shapleigh’s office is actively involved and he invited FMWC to participate as a stakeholder. I attended the second planning meeting on July 1 and was thoroughly impressed with the enthusiasm and dedication of the participants.
The Eagles Rock program will give students in grades 1 through 12 exciting outdoor experiences and link them to lessons in History, Natural Science, Social Studies and other subjects. In first grade they start with a hike in Tom Mays that focuses on natural surrounding plant life. Activities in other grades include Hueco Tanks Ranger Tour, Gran Quivara Overnight, Rock Climbing, McKittrick Canyon hike, Rafting the Rio, and trips to Big Bend, Lincoln County, White Sands, Bonita Lake and more.
Pam Padilla, Superintendent for CISD, stressed the importance not only of Reading, wRiting, and aRithmetic, but the fourth R for Respect. Students need to respect themselves, respect their surroundings, and respect each other to be good citizens. School outdoor activities will improve fitness, encourage environmental stewardship, and link classroom lessons to practical applications.
Their love for learning and for their students was evident as teachers explained their plans and linked environmental activities to curriculum goals. Participants felt the excitement of the concept of educating our children about the natural environment and attendees eagerly added their ideas and suggested resources. In addition to CISD and Senator Shapleigh’s office, current stakeholders include: Texas Parks and Wildlife, National Parks Service, Sierra Club, AT&T El Paso, Fort Bliss, El Paso County Historical Commission, Groundworks and FMWC. If you or your organization would like to be included in the next meeting, contact CISD Associate Superintendent Pauline Dow, 915-877-7400 or pdow@canutillo-isd.org.
*************************************************************
A gentle reminder to Coalition members: FMWC dues should be paid each January. If you misplaced your membership application, you can find one on our website. Please get those dues in.
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 of 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 * Trans-Pecos Chapter, Texas Master Naturalists
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