John E. Balliew, President & CEO of EPWU / PSB for EPWU provided us with the following quote regarding the water utility’s view on water conservation and long term sustainability.
“Sound land management is a huge part of the El Paso Water Utilities/Public Service Board’s water resources strategy that ensures a sustainable water supply for El Paso. EPWU master plans all PSB managed land prior to sale to ensure open space is protected, while still allowing for responsible development to take place.
While some PSB land should be preserved to aid in the efforts to conserve water, the community needs to strike a balance between many competing needs and interests. Rather than just setting aside more land as open space we advocate for a deliberate effort to determine how much land should be set aside and where. That deliberation needs to include a planning process involving the City of El Paso and stakeholders.”
Monday, September 16, 2013
Annual Chihuahuan Desert Fiesta Celebrates the Natural Wonders of the Franklin Mountains
Houdini the Harris Hawk, Agostini-Justiniani the Hermit tours, and a full slate of local entertainment promises to make the 9th Annual Chihuahuan Desert Fiesta a fun day for all. The free event at the Tom Mays section of Franklin Mountains State Park on Saturday, September 21, from 9am to 3pm is sponsored by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department with the help of volunteers from the Chihuahuan Desert Education Coalition. Every year the event attracts hundreds of people to the desert mountain park in northwest El Paso.
The outdoor venue celebrates the natural wonders of the Chihuahuan desert and Franklin Mountains State Park. Local environmental education groups will be on hand to offer free demonstrations, guided tours, guest speakers and informational booths designed to introduce the curious to the wonders of our fascinating desert.
Houdini is a 12 year old Harris Hawk that came to the El Paso Zoo in August 2012. Harris Hawks hunt in packs earning them the nickname “Wolves of the Sky”. This year from 10am to 3pm Kent Fisher from Fisher Brothers Climbing and Gear will be teaching his class all day at Sneed’s Cory along the roadway up to the West Cottonwood Springs trailhead.
The Serna Ranch Serna Ranch Youth Leadership will offer free horse rides, hay rides including a shuttle to various sites in the park plus a food booth selling Navajo Fry Tacos, Chili Beans, Nachos, Chips, Water, and sodas.
A number of other activities including a presentation of desert snakes, Folklorico dancing, and Tezcatloc Aztec Drums will make this a fun filled afternoon for the whole family.
For more information, contact the Franklin Mountains State Park at (915) 566-6441, or read more online at www.chihuahuandesert.org.
The outdoor venue celebrates the natural wonders of the Chihuahuan desert and Franklin Mountains State Park. Local environmental education groups will be on hand to offer free demonstrations, guided tours, guest speakers and informational booths designed to introduce the curious to the wonders of our fascinating desert.
Houdini is a 12 year old Harris Hawk that came to the El Paso Zoo in August 2012. Harris Hawks hunt in packs earning them the nickname “Wolves of the Sky”. This year from 10am to 3pm Kent Fisher from Fisher Brothers Climbing and Gear will be teaching his class all day at Sneed’s Cory along the roadway up to the West Cottonwood Springs trailhead.
The Serna Ranch Serna Ranch Youth Leadership will offer free horse rides, hay rides including a shuttle to various sites in the park plus a food booth selling Navajo Fry Tacos, Chili Beans, Nachos, Chips, Water, and sodas.
A number of other activities including a presentation of desert snakes, Folklorico dancing, and Tezcatloc Aztec Drums will make this a fun filled afternoon for the whole family.
For more information, contact the Franklin Mountains State Park at (915) 566-6441, or read more online at www.chihuahuandesert.org.
You can help preserve the City of El Paso’s Public Land surrounding our Franklin Mountains
Conservation organizations and groups announce that they have begun collecting signatures on a new initiative petition. The petition calls for the preservation in its natural state and in perpetuity of all City owned land (even if managed by the PSB) north of Transmountain and east of Interstate 10 and west of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Organizers say that there are several good reasons for all El Pasoans to sign the petition whether they live near or faraway from the mountains. Preserving all of this land on both sides of the mountain will benefit El Paso in several ways: preservation will help us sustain the scarce resource of water - an effort which includes all El Pasoans not just those living closer to the mountains; continued enjoyment of hiking and biking trails already in existence and utilized by the public; improvement of our quality of life especially as El Paso seeks to reach its goal of decreasing obesity and diabetes; protecting wildlife and making sure that they have adequate habitat and range in order to survive; and, ensuring that millions of dollars annually will come into El Paso through ecotourism as more and more people enjoy mountain biking, rock climbing, hiking and other recreational activities in our mountains and the surrounding region.
Members of the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition, El Paso CAN (Conservation Action Network), El Paso Conservation Leadership Institute, iloveparks.com, elpasonaturally seek a minimum of 2,310 signatures of persons residing in El Paso and registered to vote. Even if someone did not vote in the previous city elections, as long as they are registered and living in the city, they may sign the petition. (Persons not living in the city limits but in the County of El Paso are not eligible.) The El Paso City Charter requires that 5 percent of the total number of voters in the previous general city election (in this case, May 2013) must sign a petition before it can be validated and presented to City Council. Should City Council fail to pass the ordinance, then petitioners may gather the same number of signatures again in order to require the matter to be voted on at the next city election.
But we need your help.
FMWC has added a new page for the 2013 Initiative Petition on the website. The page has the petition, instructions for signing and/or gathering signatures, reasons to sign and maps of the affected areas.
To access all of the materials visit www.franklinmountains.org, or visit the Franklin Mountain Wilderness Coalition on Facebook and Twitter.
Organizers say that there are several good reasons for all El Pasoans to sign the petition whether they live near or faraway from the mountains. Preserving all of this land on both sides of the mountain will benefit El Paso in several ways: preservation will help us sustain the scarce resource of water - an effort which includes all El Pasoans not just those living closer to the mountains; continued enjoyment of hiking and biking trails already in existence and utilized by the public; improvement of our quality of life especially as El Paso seeks to reach its goal of decreasing obesity and diabetes; protecting wildlife and making sure that they have adequate habitat and range in order to survive; and, ensuring that millions of dollars annually will come into El Paso through ecotourism as more and more people enjoy mountain biking, rock climbing, hiking and other recreational activities in our mountains and the surrounding region.
Members of the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition, El Paso CAN (Conservation Action Network), El Paso Conservation Leadership Institute, iloveparks.com, elpasonaturally seek a minimum of 2,310 signatures of persons residing in El Paso and registered to vote. Even if someone did not vote in the previous city elections, as long as they are registered and living in the city, they may sign the petition. (Persons not living in the city limits but in the County of El Paso are not eligible.) The El Paso City Charter requires that 5 percent of the total number of voters in the previous general city election (in this case, May 2013) must sign a petition before it can be validated and presented to City Council. Should City Council fail to pass the ordinance, then petitioners may gather the same number of signatures again in order to require the matter to be voted on at the next city election.
But we need your help.
FMWC has added a new page for the 2013 Initiative Petition on the website. The page has the petition, instructions for signing and/or gathering signatures, reasons to sign and maps of the affected areas.
To access all of the materials visit www.franklinmountains.org, or visit the Franklin Mountain Wilderness Coalition on Facebook and Twitter.
You can help determine the future of the Castner Range.
The Castner Range is made up of 7,081 acres of Fort Bliss land between the US 54 freeway and the Franklin Mountains State Park. This beautiful range in our Franklin Mountains is currently off limits to the public .
You can research and find more information with the following resources:
1. Fort Bliss has their own reports. Both the Wide Area Assessment and the Incremental Sampling reports are available here:
https://www.bliss.army.mil/dpw/Environmental/EISDocuments2.html
2. Thr Fontera Land Alliance has established a land use plan and is seeking your feedback. It can be accessed here:
http://fronteralandalliance.org/castner/
Additional resources are available by contacting Janae Reneaud Field, Executive Director of The Frontera Land Alliance, at 915-351-8352 or Janae@FronteraLandAlliance.org, or mail to 3800 N. Mesa St., A2-258. El Paso, Texas 79902.
You can research and find more information with the following resources:
1. Fort Bliss has their own reports. Both the Wide Area Assessment and the Incremental Sampling reports are available here:
https://www.bliss.army.mil/dpw/Environmental/EISDocuments2.html
2. Thr Fontera Land Alliance has established a land use plan and is seeking your feedback. It can be accessed here:
http://fronteralandalliance.org/castner/
Additional resources are available by contacting Janae Reneaud Field, Executive Director of The Frontera Land Alliance, at 915-351-8352 or Janae@FronteraLandAlliance.org, or mail to 3800 N. Mesa St., A2-258. El Paso, Texas 79902.
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Park Entrance – Vigilance Needed
by: Judy Ackerman
Expect more calls for action to ensure a safe and appropriate entrance to the Tom Mays Section of our Franklin Mountains State Park (FMSP). As you know, TX Parks and Wildlife Department prefers TxDOT’s option 4 and El Pasoans agree. Option 4 would allow for safe vehicular access, using an underpass that would also facilitate hikers, bicyclists, and wildlife crossing; serving as a vital connection between north and south portions of FMSP.
At the 15 Apr 2013 Special Meeting of the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), Transportation Policy Board (TPB), members acknowledged hearing from you, the public, and discussed this topic at length. The ball is in TxDOT’s court. El Paso’s transportation expert, State Representative Joe Pickett, said, “… options are still being looked at since the environmental has not been completed. The [TxDOT] district engineer [Bob Bielek] has committed to the project in 2014, but not sure what option would be proposed or at what cost…. At this point, it is up to TxDOT to provide the when, and how much.”
FMWC alert system will keep you informed on breaking news and ask you to contact elected and appointed officials as necessary. For background information, see our website: www.franklinmountains.org/. You can also subscribe to ElPasoNaturally at www.elpasonaturally.blogspot.com/.
CDEC working to raise the bar for 10th Anniversary
by: Rick LoBello, Board of Directors, CDEC Chair
The Chihuahuan Desert Education Coalition will celebrate its 10th anniversary in January 2014. We had our first organizational meeting in the Cisneros Paraje at the El Paso Zoo in January 2004 and over the years our small group has worked to help others better understand and appreciate the Chihuahuan Desert. We have helped to organize eight Chihuahuan Desert Fiesta events at Tom Mays Park, seven annual Poppies Celebrations at the El Paso Museum of Archaeology and a Chihuahuan Desert Conference at the Tech H2O Center.
In 2007 the IRS awarded our group 501(c)3 non-profit status. Our current projects include helping to develop more curriculum materials on our desert, supporting upcoming outdoor events like the Chihuahuan Desert Fiesta and Poppies Celebration, supporting the new newly formed Franklin/Organ Mountains Conservation Cooperative, the City of El Paso Outside educational initiative, and improving our website at chihuahuandesert.org. The mission of CDEC is to collaborate with educators and the public in support of programs that enhance conservation and education of the Chihuahuan Desert. The goal of the organization is to serve as a resource for information about the Chihuahuan Desert and encourage life-long learning. Your support will help people discover and connect to our Chihuahuan Desert and improve their quality of life.
In August CDEC will elect new officers at its annual meeting and work on new plan to restructure the organization to help raise the effectiveness of our group in meeting our mission. If you would like to help please contact any board member listed on our website at http://www.chihuahuandesert.org/cdeccontactus.html.
Celebration of Our Mountains Needs Event Guides
This year Celebration of Our Mountains will be focusing on guided events which teach others about the natural history or history of places in and around El Paso. In the past we have had visits to petroglyph sites, volcanoes, mines, historic airplane crash sites as well as geology tours, birding outings and historic districts. We’ve gone as far away as Guadalupe National Park, Tonuco Mountain and Valley of Fires. Closer to home we’ve done events at Cristo Rey, the Otero Plateau, the Tin Mine and more.
The purpose of Celebration is to show people great places to visit in our mountains and desert and to teach them more about the ecosystems, geology, zoology, botany and history of our area. We want to instill the value of the need to preserve and conserve our land and key historic sites.
If you would like to organize an event, please contact Jim Tolbert at 915-525-7364 or diegotolbert@gmail.com now. A calendar meeting will be held next Wednesday evening at Ardovino’s Desert Crossing. You must RSVP with Jim to attend. We each purchase our own dinner from the menu.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
