Arroyos Safe Near Cement Lake

Cement Lake

Recently on social media there has been some concern expressed about what TxDOT might be doing to some arroyos. Is TxDOT filling in the arroyos as it continues its massive freeway building project, Go 10 El Paso? The answer is "NO".

TxDOT Regional Engineer, Bob Bielek, says that he is unaware of any arroyos being filled in. Doing so, he said, "would violate the environmental finding for either project."

I asked the Dean of Open Space, Charlie Wakeem, why are natural arroyos so important. Charlie cited an essay by Rex Funk: "Albuquerque's Environmental Story, Educating for a Sustainable Community, Environmental Topic: Arroyos" He paraphrased Funk in order to make the topic relevant to El Paso. Charlie used these words as an argument to preserve Resler Canyon, a natural arroyo. He says that they are the "best reason I've used for arguing for the importance of natural arroyos."

"El Paso is a unique place in many ways.  One contributing element is the natural drainage system of arroyos.  Most of these arroyos carry runoff from the Franklin Mountains and escarpments to the Rio Grande and are dry most of the year.  They flow most heavily from mid-summer to early fall, during a period we call our monsoon season.

"Originally these arroyos meandered freely across the land responding to the volume and velocity of storm water runoff, thereby creating large flood plains and alluvial fans.


"Natural arroyos are rich in plant life due to the soil moisture that remains after runoff events.  The abundant vegetation attracts a concentration of native wildlife in search of food and shelter."

Parks and Recreation Plows through Another Arroyo

Photos above taken by Marilyn Guida on 12/7/15
at the El Paso Museum of Archaeology

Need to rent a bulldozer? Need to destroy yet another arroyo? Call Parks and Rec. Actually the last arroyo was Arroyo Park and it was EPWU that bulldozed outside of their right-of-way. However, Parks, which manages Arroyo Park, did not bother to contact the neighborhood association. Now they (Parks and Rec not EPWU) have plowed through another arroyo. This time at the El Paso Museum of Archaeology.

Maybe as early as last August, members of the archaeological community contacted Parks and recommended consulting with a hydrologist prior to doing any work to remediate the arroyo at the museum since it had suffered flood damage a year ago. 

It appears that they have just proceeded with their work without consulting any engineers or hydrologists. They removed the beloved gazebo in November.

I've been told that the flood plain changed from the southside to the northside of the museum. This occured when Trans Mountain was created in 1969 and has changed how water flows out of the Indidan Springs Canyon. The result has been the devastating flooding and a loss of life at Fairbanks and the need to constantly remove soil underneath Highway 54. Just something else for you and me to pay with our onerous property taxes.

I am no expert on the situation and will bring you more as I learn more. For now, if elpasonaturally were to hand out an environmental idiot award, Parks and Rec would be the top contender.

"Storm water, Arroyos, and Slope Stabilization Recommendations for Arid Lands"

Arroyo 41A Pre-Development

Our friend, Lois Balin, our Urban Wildlife Specialist, just shared with us a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department recently released paper on arroyos: "Storm water, Arroyos, and Slope Stabilization Recommendations for Arid Lands". It's short and easy to read and should be read by engineers, developers, builders, city planners, parks and rec people - and people such as yourself who care about our mountains and neighborhoods. Especially now that we are in the midst of our monsoon season and have already experienced flooding due to poorly planned and managed sprawl, it would be wise to think about how we treat our arroyos in the future. City Council reps lust for park ponds. But park ponds don't do what arroyos can do if treated correctly. In upcoming posts, I'm going to be saying more about the flooding on the north-side of the Archaeology Museum/"Wilderness Park" grounds. This paper will give you some background as well as background any time arroyos and development are discussed. For now, some takeaway quotes (but please read the paper HERE):

"Traditional arroyo management using concrete walls, channels, and culverts, and building on floodplains creates unhealthy stream systems. Traditional methods are expensive to build and maintain and mostly lead to more problems while removing vegetation and wildlife."

"A holistic approach to channel systems must consider the vegetation as a key component. A 200’ buffer zone along arroyos would provide stability of the lands.  Vegetation has a huge influence on runoff, erosion, and sediment transport in arroyos.  Growth of vegetation protects the soil surface from erosion and crust formation, improves soil structure and macro-porosity by enhancing infiltration rates, and provides wildlife habitat."  



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Why Conserve Arroyos or Any Land at All?

The following is an op-ed piece that first appeared in the El Paso Inc. It is by Janae' Reneaud Field, the executive director of the Frontera Land Alliance.

Why Conserve Arroyos or Any Land at All?

Do you sometimes wonder why The Frontera Land Alliance spending so much time restoring Resler Canyon? It’s simple: Resler is a very visible open space—seen by thousands every day—that clearly demonstrates how a natural arroyo functions. Also it allows Frontera to show how an area such as this can be managed at a low cost with a positive impact on the community. What better way to educate the general public, elected officials, and government employees on how to manage open space properties in their natural state?  

Natural areas can create opportunities for our local economy by promoting investment in working ranches and farms as well as land for outdoor recreation. Such investments have a ripple effect. For example, investment in a nature-based park can create more jobs and lead to more visitor spending. With their growing international reputation as tourist destinations for nature and adventure, our mountains can bring more outside dollars to the area. “In 2006, Hueco Tanks brought in $582,207 in county sales [and] $331,774 in county residents’ personal income. In 2007, Hueco Tanks and the Franklin Mountains State Park brought 72,644 visitors to El Paso County.” (Texas State Park, Natural Economic Assets) The Backpacker Magazine states that “Natural open space improves mental and physical health. Researchers hypothesize that exposure to the natural outdoors causes significant, measurable changes to the brain. These changes lead to clearer thinking, greater ability to focus and maximum cognitive ability. In short: enjoying nature makes you smarter. Recent studies have already linked spending time in nature with stress reduction and overall happiness.” Imagine having a natural open space near your office to take a break and walk for a few minutes before getting back to work. How much more productive and friendly we would be! Finally it’s been proven that “Outdoor education provides students with an opportunity to connect with nature, learn hands-on science, achieve personal growth, and develop a commitment to environmental stewardship and community service. We believe outdoor education provides a better future for our students, our communities and our world.” (Outdoor Education Foundation) 

Having natural areas benefits the local economy, creates new business and lowers infrastructure costs long-term. And just by being outside in nature or at a ranch or a farm, you improve your mental and physical health.  

Frontera, the only 501 (C) 3 non-profit local land trust, is working hard to create and maintain a high quality of life for the community through the management of open natural areas that provide wildlife habitat, water recharge and peace of mind.  To learn more contact Frontera Land Alliance at info@FronteraLandAlliance.org or 915-351-8352.

Jobe Destroys the Mountain to River Corridor

The Lower Sunset Trail destroyed

Stanley Pruet Jobe has destroyed the Lower Sunset Trail and with it the cherished mountain to river corridor. With bulldozed trails he has marked his territory much like many male mammal beasts mark theirs with their odorous urine. His No Trespassing signs are aligned like a barbed wire fence over and around the hills above Arroyo 42 and dip down into what was once scenic walkways of sedimentary rock and animal habitat.

Just this past Monday evening Jobe met with the Borderland Mountain Bike Association who first discovered his clandestine slashings of huge swaths of desert. He told them pointedly that he intends to quarry 480 acres of the land that the State of Texas General Land Office leased to him. He is in the right place where transporting mountainsides of dirt and gravel to developers, road builders and landscapers will be cheap and easy and very profitable.

He did promise to build a new trail for the mountain bikers. He has after all proven himself adept at the art of public relations, the price of doing business. Convicted of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and bank fraud, Stanley Pruet Jobe served time, was paroled and then pardoned by President Clinton on his last day in office - the same day that the former President pardoned the notorious Marc Rich. Jobe has learned how to curry favor with charities, contribute to politicians and political organizations (including Mayor John Cook) and advertise well with local news publishers.

The Lower Sunset Trail is one of the best loved, often frequented trails with trailheads in the Franklin Mountain States Parks. It has utilized bike trails through beautiful arroyos that begin in the park and flow toward the Rio Grande.

Jobe's extensive bulldozing from the air

A recent aerial surveillance of the destruction by Jobe revealed that Jobe cut into FEMA #42 at Trail Marker #6, the Mountain to River trailhead. At the time of my first post about Jobe's full frontal assault on the arroyos, an effort was being made to convince him to leave alone a portion of Arroyo 41A that straddles the southern General Land Office property line with the Public Service Board. Jobe wouldn't deal.

Of course, the General Land Office is probably just as complicit as Jobe. They leased their land with Planned Mountain Development Zoning on it - the toughest zoning in the City of El Paso. This parcel of land is one of the most pristine in the City and it will now be subjected to the worst possible land use. Arroyos and mountainsides will disappear as Jobe's No Tresspassing markers and bulldozed roads foreshadow. The GLO is exempt from local zoning ordinances and they knew that when they leased the land to Jobe. The right thing would have been to sell the land to State Parks or even a developer. The land then would have come under tight development restrictions which would have enabled the City to regulate the mountain to river corridor on that land.

Jobe had told public officials that he would not do anything with the land next to the State Park for five years. It is not certain why he changed his mind. However, his actions have destroyed the mountain to river corridor.

He currently operates a quarry to the northwest of the area.

GLO leased land owned by the People of the State of Texas

Throughout the summer, my hiking group (the Sunrise Hikers) often enjoyed treks on the Lower Sunset Trail. The beauty of the rock, the hills, the plants and animals added to our adventures. Soon, very soon, unless something is done - Stanley Pruet Jobe will decimate this land as he has done and is still doing around the City.