If they can't handle a tree, how can you expect the City of El Paso to handle a lake - Cement Lake in fact? That was the rhetorical question that a friend posed to me earlier today. His point is well taken seeing the city's negligence with the beloved Holiday Christmas Tree in San Jacinto Plaza.
When TxDOT purchased the land on which Cement Lake lies, there was still the possibility of the City taking possession and preserving it as a wildlife area. TxDOT Engineer, Bob Bielek, told Dr. Rick Bonart that, if the City wanted to discuss the lake, just send him a letter saying so. The letter could have come from anyone - the Mayor, a City Council Rep, Tommy Gonzalez, anyone. Dr. Bonart even went before Council and informed them about Bielek's offer. The City's response? The perfect vacuum - something that no one thought existed in nature. Thus, the inspiration to lease it to the Boy Scouts.
The lease agreement between the Boy Scouts and TxDOT is now I understand a done deal. I have two friends who have persisted in their defense of the Scouts and their ability to preserve the land. I have my doubts and I certainly would never get any pleasure out of saying "I told you so". We will just have to see and I hope that I have to eat my words.
I don't trust the people behind the deal. On the other hand, I do admire their committment to Scouts and the fact that some of them were Eagle Scouts especially Ted Houghton who has three sons all of whom are Eagle Scouts. That's something to be very proud of.
Time will tell. I still hope that the Scouts (and TxDOT) will, at the least, make a good faith effort to use local wildlife and ecology experts when developing a conservation plan for their Cement Lake camp. At the most, they could enter into a conservation easement agreement with a third party ensuring that the land is preserved and well managed rather than merely mining and exploiting the land's resources.
Showing posts with label Boy Scouts of America. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Boy Scouts of America. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Monday, January 5, 2015
Are Sprawlers Behind TxDOT-Boy Scout Deal on Cement Lake?
The Boy Scouts are green all right - green as cash. In spite of their unquestioned reputation as conservationists, they really manage land for its resources. Their record as deforesting clearcutters (its a resource that pays big bucks) is abominable.
In a previous post I mentioned instances of environmental destruction by boy scouts. Sadly there is much more to this beast. Read about their environmental hypocrisy. When BSA clearcut land that provided habitat "for a host of protected species, including salmon, timber wolves, bald eagles and spotted owls . . .", they defended their reprehensible deed. And, although the BSA has backed down on other clearcutting projects, Planetsave documents more cases where they haven't. They leave no trace all right - no trace of natural land.
On the other hand, one could argue that such acts of deforestation and habitat destruction happened years ago and faraway. But what about the local Yucca Council of the Boy Scouts of America. Here though we encounter the footprints of El Paso sprawlers.
In spite of a successful camp in Cloudcroft, Camp Dale Resler, the Yucca Council Scouts have looked for other campsites most recently near Kingston, New Mexico. When scout leader, Bill Hagan sought to obtain land, he ran into stiff opposition from locals who did not want their land disturbed. You can read about this affair HERE. What should pop out about this story is Bill Hagan's involvement. Let's connect the dots.
Mr. Hagan is the Vice-Chairman of the Rocky Mountain Mortgage Company of which Harold Hahn is the Chairman and CEO. Harold Hahn's buddy is none other than Ted "TxDOT" Houghton. Rocky Mountain is associated with sprawler Doug Schwartz. (BTW, you can see Rocky Mountain loan officer Adam Hagan's Boy Scout affiliation on the company web site.)
It's obvious how the deal between the Boy Scouts and TxDOT went down. Does anyone seriously believe that this group will preserve Cement Lake? Shall we let the fox guard the henhouse. Please!
No matter what, the deal is just wrong. The land around and including Cement Lake should be an El Paso Commons - a wilderness and a wildlife preserve for all El Pasoans to enjoy and not just an exclusivist, homophobic organization. Of course the argument is made that it is TxDOT land and they can do with it whatever they like. But I say that any land owned and managed by TxDOT belongs in trust to the people of Texas - us. Any decision about that land should involve us. In this case it was a deal done behind the closed doors of an elite oligarchy: Houghton, Hahn and Hagan - and let's not forget Schwartz.
No matter how above reproach and question the Boy Scouts are held, any lease agreement involving Cement Lake between them and TxDOT should be opposed. This El Paso Commons should be preserved.
In a previous post I mentioned instances of environmental destruction by boy scouts. Sadly there is much more to this beast. Read about their environmental hypocrisy. When BSA clearcut land that provided habitat "for a host of protected species, including salmon, timber wolves, bald eagles and spotted owls . . .", they defended their reprehensible deed. And, although the BSA has backed down on other clearcutting projects, Planetsave documents more cases where they haven't. They leave no trace all right - no trace of natural land.
On the other hand, one could argue that such acts of deforestation and habitat destruction happened years ago and faraway. But what about the local Yucca Council of the Boy Scouts of America. Here though we encounter the footprints of El Paso sprawlers.
In spite of a successful camp in Cloudcroft, Camp Dale Resler, the Yucca Council Scouts have looked for other campsites most recently near Kingston, New Mexico. When scout leader, Bill Hagan sought to obtain land, he ran into stiff opposition from locals who did not want their land disturbed. You can read about this affair HERE. What should pop out about this story is Bill Hagan's involvement. Let's connect the dots.
Mr. Hagan is the Vice-Chairman of the Rocky Mountain Mortgage Company of which Harold Hahn is the Chairman and CEO. Harold Hahn's buddy is none other than Ted "TxDOT" Houghton. Rocky Mountain is associated with sprawler Doug Schwartz. (BTW, you can see Rocky Mountain loan officer Adam Hagan's Boy Scout affiliation on the company web site.)
It's obvious how the deal between the Boy Scouts and TxDOT went down. Does anyone seriously believe that this group will preserve Cement Lake? Shall we let the fox guard the henhouse. Please!
No matter what, the deal is just wrong. The land around and including Cement Lake should be an El Paso Commons - a wilderness and a wildlife preserve for all El Pasoans to enjoy and not just an exclusivist, homophobic organization. Of course the argument is made that it is TxDOT land and they can do with it whatever they like. But I say that any land owned and managed by TxDOT belongs in trust to the people of Texas - us. Any decision about that land should involve us. In this case it was a deal done behind the closed doors of an elite oligarchy: Houghton, Hahn and Hagan - and let's not forget Schwartz.
No matter how above reproach and question the Boy Scouts are held, any lease agreement involving Cement Lake between them and TxDOT should be opposed. This El Paso Commons should be preserved.
Friday, December 26, 2014
Boy Scouts Land Conservation Far from Good
In my post about the Boy Scouts possibly taking over Cement Lake, I wrote: "BSA has an excellent reputation for land conservation." But do they? In fact, are they not better land developers and tree farmers than conservationists or preservationists? Read the NBC/Bay Area Report: Dispute Between Boy Scouts, Whistle Blower Rooted in Rare Plant's Destruction. That report states:
"While the Boy Scouts have drawn national attention for their intolerance toward gays, the organization also has compiled a poor record on environmental protection. In 2009, Hearst Newspapers reported that the Scouts clear-cut tens of thousands of acres of forestland across the country and operated a dam at Camp Pico Blanco that killed at least 30 federally protected steelhead trout. The camp installed a fish ladder as part of a no-fault settlement."
The NBC Report discusses not only the destruction of the endangered lousewart by the Boy Scouts, but their clear-cutting old growth trees including redwoods.
The Parks and Recreation Management Program of Northern Arizona University revealed how some scouts tossed a 190 million-year-old set of dinosaur tracks into a reservoir, leaving deep scars in the fossil beds.
Now take a look at this video of scout leaders destroying a 200 million year-old rock formation. Let's call this elpasonaturally's Friday video:
Read and view a commentary about this Boy Scout vandalism HERE and further story HERE.
After I published the blog post about Cement Lake mentioned above, a friend emailed to say: "Activities with lots of young people wandering around, as children are wont to do even when they are supervised, would do a lot of damage. Campsites for overnight stays, activity areas, trails, restroom facilities, kitchen and dining halls, etc, all adds up to a lot of impact which goes beyond the definition of open space. I imagine this and possibly more would be in the plan."
And what about the issue that BSA bans gay scoutmasters and what does that have to do with conservation? I find that there is a direct correlation between people who discriminate against other people and those who oppose conservation. Those who disrespect human rights will invariably disrespect the environment also. Hate people. Hate Mother Earth. Or love people and love the planet. Simple as that. The question must be raised as a good reason to oppose a lease agreement between the Texas Transportation Commission and the Boy Scouts of America for Cement Lake and the surrounding area - 222 acres in all. There should first be a conservation easement along with a statement by the Yucca Council of El Paso that it is okay to be a scout leader and to be gay.
The Boy Scouts may have an excellent reputation for land conservation - at least if never examined. No one dares speak badly about this American shibboleth. But who was it who said that sacred cows make great hamburger?
"While the Boy Scouts have drawn national attention for their intolerance toward gays, the organization also has compiled a poor record on environmental protection. In 2009, Hearst Newspapers reported that the Scouts clear-cut tens of thousands of acres of forestland across the country and operated a dam at Camp Pico Blanco that killed at least 30 federally protected steelhead trout. The camp installed a fish ladder as part of a no-fault settlement."
The NBC Report discusses not only the destruction of the endangered lousewart by the Boy Scouts, but their clear-cutting old growth trees including redwoods.
The Parks and Recreation Management Program of Northern Arizona University revealed how some scouts tossed a 190 million-year-old set of dinosaur tracks into a reservoir, leaving deep scars in the fossil beds.
Now take a look at this video of scout leaders destroying a 200 million year-old rock formation. Let's call this elpasonaturally's Friday video:
Read and view a commentary about this Boy Scout vandalism HERE and further story HERE.
After I published the blog post about Cement Lake mentioned above, a friend emailed to say: "Activities with lots of young people wandering around, as children are wont to do even when they are supervised, would do a lot of damage. Campsites for overnight stays, activity areas, trails, restroom facilities, kitchen and dining halls, etc, all adds up to a lot of impact which goes beyond the definition of open space. I imagine this and possibly more would be in the plan."
And what about the issue that BSA bans gay scoutmasters and what does that have to do with conservation? I find that there is a direct correlation between people who discriminate against other people and those who oppose conservation. Those who disrespect human rights will invariably disrespect the environment also. Hate people. Hate Mother Earth. Or love people and love the planet. Simple as that. The question must be raised as a good reason to oppose a lease agreement between the Texas Transportation Commission and the Boy Scouts of America for Cement Lake and the surrounding area - 222 acres in all. There should first be a conservation easement along with a statement by the Yucca Council of El Paso that it is okay to be a scout leader and to be gay.
The Boy Scouts may have an excellent reputation for land conservation - at least if never examined. No one dares speak badly about this American shibboleth. But who was it who said that sacred cows make great hamburger?
Monday, December 22, 2014
Boy Scouts to Take Over Cement Lake?
Marty Schladen, who wrote the Times article, included the angle that the International AIDS Empowerment of El Paso and Las Cruces opposes the lease because the BSA discriminates against gay men. Openly gay youth may join the scouts but a ban on gay scoutmasters persists. (If you are a gay Eagle Scout and want to continue in the organization as a volunteer leader, you are suddenly unworthy.) The BSA policy may be based on the irrational fear that gay men are sexual predators - a notion that is easily dismissed by the facts and statistics. There may also be something akin to "don't ask/don't tell" at work here.
Skip Rosenthal, the Executive Director of International AIDS Empowerment of EP and Las Cruces, points out that El Paso has a policy of non-discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation. The municipal code reads:
"The City shall afford equal employment and benefit opportunities to all qualified individuals in compliance with all applicable laws, without regard to their race, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, color, religion, ethnic background or national origin, age, disability, or any other characteristic or status that is protected by federal, state, or local law."
Putting aside the issue of discrimination for a moment, there is the matter of preserving this spring-fed lake and the land around it. The proposed lease is for 25 years with an option to go another 25 years after that. How well can we expect the Boy Scouts to preserve and conserve Cement Lake?
BSA has an excellent reputation for land conservation. They even have an "idea sheet" about conservation planning for boy scout properties. The "sheet" mentions that land will not be abused but it also discusses resource management and it does suggest land development and the use of "heavy equipment". So can the local Yucca Council of BSA be trusted to be good stewards of Cement Lake and its pristine surroundings?
If the Texas Transportation Commission truly cares about the preservation of this land, one way to ensure it is to place the land under a conservation easement. That way there would be precise preservation language in the lease agreement and a third party overseeing the easement to make sure that neither TxDOT nor the Boy Scouts violates that language. A conservation manager can be a land management organization such as Frontera Land Alliance or even the City of El Paso.
Something tells me that the Transportation Commission will never enter into any kind of conservation agreement. So, no matter how good the reputation of Scouts may be, without solid assurances that the land will be carefully conserved and preserved, there is good reason to oppose any kind of lease especially if there are no non-discrimination assurances by BSA.
elpasonaturally will keep an eye on this one.
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