Attend Tonight's Sierra Club Meeting

I've been away and I apologize. After 9 days in the hospital (heart issues) and a week of convalescence, I am starting up slowwwly.  


Tonight's meeting of the local chapter of the Sierra Club promises to be a good one. It will take place in the backroom of the Singapore Café, 4120 N. Mesa. MAP

If you'd like to come for dinner, come at 6 PM. It's dutch; but, if you have never eaten at the Singapore, you will be delightfully happy. MENU There are many vegan dishes on the menu. Just be sure you specify vegan when you order.  

Promptly at 7 PM presentations will begin which will include slide shows of hiking and kayaking trips around the country.

Here is the reason why I think you should attend and get involved: 

Carol Miller, a wildlife rehabilitator and President of a Neighborhood Association, will bring you up to date on the City of El Paso's plan to cover the 27 acre nature park on the south side of Keystone, 4100 Doniphan, with parking lots and buildings, a Sun Metro stop and fueling station for city trucks. Carol is hoping to find "ways to save at least part of this area for the neighborhood to come and enjoy the birds and animals that live on this site: roadrunners, jackrabbits, squirrels, birds." Carol imagines "corridors, an oasis here and there" and she hopes we can not to have a fueling stop in a place that endangers wildlife and people.

Read Carol's "Another Open Space Lost" HERE.

If the City's project can't be completely stopped (and I recall Joyce Wilson being hell-bent to do this), I sincerely hope that we can take Carol's lead and prevail upon city planners to be more creative. Of course, this means applying Green Infrastructure/Low Impact Development - something Planners know about but City Engineers really don't. 

Get involved with your local chapter of the Sierra Club: 

facebook.com/sierraclubelpaso

elpasosierraclub.org

Also check out and get involved with the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition. Visit and like them on Facebook.

Just get informed and involved.

It is time for us to stay on top of issues and be more active in supporting conservation efforts wherever we can in El Paso. An ordinance to protect all wetlands might be in order and a complete re-writing of our building codes which should include ideas for a smart house from EPWU as well as GI/LID. (Remember: less concrete, less destroying our mountains.) Most of all, let's not let the clandestine, backroom boys shelve our Plan El Paso.


Finally, with Rosh Hashana beginning, learn more about the concept and practice of shmita. HERE is a good blog post to help you understand an ancient practice to bring us more in harmony with the earth and with one another.