Spring Begins with the Poppy Fest

Click image to enlarge.

Dear Friends:

 

Poppies Fest this Saturday, April 1 – Make Plans to Attend! – Free Parking & Shuttle at Cohen Stadium

 

Poppy Fest 2017 Returns to El Paso - 11th annual event held at El Paso Museum of Archaeology

 

The El Paso Museum of Archaeology and the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition invite the public to the annual Poppy Fest from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 1, at the El Paso Museum of Archaeology.

 

Spring in the Franklin Mountains means the desert landscape is blanketed by a field of golden yellow Mexican poppies and the free 11th annual event celebrates El Paso's annual bloom. Enjoy live music, art vendors, educational exhibits, children's activities, nature tours, food vendors, and more!

 

The Museum of Archaeology will host live archery demonstrations, and Houdini, the hawk from the El Paso Zoo, and a live wolf from the Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary near Albuquerque will also be at the festival. The museum features 14,000 years of prehistory in El Paso, the greater Southwest, and northern Mexico.

 

"The Poppy Fest provides the community with opportunities to learn about conservation and our environment while taking advantage of the natural beauty of El Paso's Franklin Mountains," said Director of the El Paso Museum of Archaeology, Jeff Romney.

 

In addition, the Downtown Art and Farmers Market will move to the museum grounds for the Poppy Festival. The Anthony Street location will be closed so market vendors can participate in the Poppy Fest.

 

Free parking for the Poppy Fest will be at Cohen Stadium and shuttle buses will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

 

The Poppy Fest is presented by the El Paso Museum of Archaeology in partnership with the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition, National Border Patrol Museum, and Downtown Artist and Farmers Market.

 

For more information on the Poppy Fest, call the El Paso Museum of Archaeology at (915) 755-4332 or visit http://archaeology.elpasotexas.gov/.

 

Cheers,

Marilyn Guida

Unnatural Paths at Wilderness Park

I've been posting about Parks and Rec's exploits on the land surrounding the Museum. (The 17 acres owned by the City were first known as “the Wilderness Park.” There have been some objections to using that old name for the Museum grounds.) I visited there today and will have more to say in the days to come about what is happening. For now, I just want to point out one horrendous fact: El Paso's Parks and Recreation Department is contributing to the destruction of the Franklin Mountains.

The work on the old paths includes spreading red rock chat (screenings) which most probably came from the CEMEX quarry at McKelligon Canyon. (I'm checking.) Although pretty, red rock paths are not natural. What they really are is rock dynamited out of the side of the mountain, crushed and then spread in landscapes.

If you like the destruction of the Franklin Mountains, you will love how Parks and Rec is contributing to it. Red chat screenings do not rock.

Makes me sick.

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.

What's Going on at the El Paso Museum of Archaeology?

Click on image to enlarge. The sign by which El Pasoans identified their Museum of Archaeology.

If you have never been to the El Paso Museum of Archaeology, make time to go. It "presents 14,000 years of prehistory in the El Paso area, the greater Southwest, and northern Mexico." The museum and the 17 acres on which it sits is dedicated to interpreting the ancient ancestors of 82% of El Paso's population - Mexican Americans, Mexicans and indigenous peoples in our region.

The carefully crafted landscaping around the museum is meant to display native flora as it blends into the Chihuahuan desert ecosystem surrounding it. What people learn inside is interpreted by the desert-scape that they experience outside and vice versa. The artifacts displayed inside came from the desert. Indeed, our identity as El Paso is more than just the magnificent Franklin Mountians - it is also the beautiful Chihuahuan Desert to which those mountains and ourselves belong. Our ancestors survived here and we can learn from them. That is why the museum and its grounds are so important and a key part of the education of all - adults as well as school children.

Yet, the City pays it sparse attention and has failed to act expeditiously to repair damage after recent floods. There seems to be little communication between the City and TxDOT or Ft. Bliss to resolve some of the flooding issues bedeviling the museum. 

Another ugly brown Parks and Rec sign is now displayed. Be sure to bring your binoculars so you can see it as you speed past the Musuem on Transmountain

Cosmetic changes are being made. There's a new sign (smaller and uglier than the previous sign that came to stand for the museum and grounds for so many El Pasoans for so long.) A fence has been removed although that fence diverted visitors away from the pristine desert floor to proper nature paths. Larry Nichols, the new head of Planning and Inspections, and Tracy Novak, the Director of Parks and Recreation, together have deemed the cherished gazebo as unsound. Of course, neither is a structural engineer and no inspection by an engineer is forthcoming.

There is a grounds crew that is untrained when it comes to caring for the native plants. General Services which once maintained park space no longer does so. GS was put under the direction of Ted Marcus of Transportation and you know where his focus is. By the way, Tommy Gonzalez's NOT Lean Six Sigma is based on eliminating staff and not making systems more efficient. Therefore, do not expect much attention to maintenance and do not expect a full-time head of the museum. 

I've just given you the tip of the iceberg. There is more to this story of neglect and mismanagement which will follow including the situation with Indian Springs Canyon.

For now, some good news. In spite of being the step-daughter of MCAD. the Museum of Archaeology offers some very fine programs supported by the El Paso Archaeological Society and others. Tomorrow's talk is especially noteworthy as it is being given by one of the heroes of the El Paso environmental/conservation movement, in fact it's Paul Revere: Mike Bilbo, who will speak about the life of soldiers in this region around 1858, was a key player in events that led to the creation of Franklin Mountains State Park, saving our mountains from commercial development. As a teenager, he and a friend were hiking in the Franklins looking for eagle's nests. They spotted a bulldozer going up to the top of North Mount Franklin and they quickly spread the word. It turned out that old man Knapp, the patriarch of the family now bulldozing more pristine mountain land, wanted to develop on top of the mountain. The rest is history and we have the Franklin Mountains State Park and the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition the vanguard of protection for our mountains.

You can get more info about Mike's talk HERE.

Please support elpasonaturally©. Go HERE to donate and help turn the El Paso southwest "green".

Poppies Fest Update

View of Mexican gold poppies on the grounds of the
El Paso Museum of Archaeology,
courtesy of the El Paso Museum of Archaeology

The Poppies Fest Committee in Collaboration with theEl Paso Museum of Archaeology and MCAD AnnouncesUPDATE2014 Franklin Mountains Poppies Feston Castner Range March 29, 2014

The eighth annual 2014 Franklin Mountains Poppies Fest on Castner Range will take place on Saturday, March 29, 2014 from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm at the El Paso Museum of Archaeology at 4301 Transmountain Road. Map and directions

The Poppies Fest Committee welcomes everyone to this free family fun day which features a program of nature walks, educational exhibits and demonstrations by local environmental organizations and wildlife displays include a live socialized wolf from the Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary and Houdini the Harris Hawk (winds permitting) from the El Paso Zoo. A children’s activity center will offer a variety of arts and crafts led by local community members including Girl Scouts. Local performing groups will provide music and dance. Local vendors will be offering original and hand-made merchandise for sale.  Lunch and snacks can be purchased from food vendors on-site.

UPDATES:
Free Parking and Free Handicapped-Accessible Shuttle Busses To and From the Event are at EPCC Transmountain Campus (Diana exit off US 54).  No public parking at the museum.

The first showing of a new documentary, Conserving Castner Range, by the Frontera Land Alliance and the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition will be held at the Poppies Fest, running continuously in the auditorium of the El Paso Museum of Archaeology from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm.  These organizations have been working for more than 35 years to ensure that the remaining land of Castner Range is preserved forever and included in the Franklin Mountains State Park. This short TV documentary was produced and directed by El Paso documentary filmmaker Jackson Polk of Capstone Productions. The video takes the viewer on a bird’s-eye view ride through Castner Range to showcase the land’s natural beauty and its position relative to the State Park, and to give an idea of the amount of city growth around the range. It offers a brief historical profile and explains the unique qualities of the range with crisp photos and informative interviews. The video closes with a call to action and provides information on how the public can get involved to preserve the remaining beautiful land on Castner Range forever.

Six music and dance groups are scheduled every 30 minutes during the event. They are the Corpus Christi Catholic Church Aztec Dance Group, Papaya Riot, Danza La Palma y Los Listones de San Pedro y San Pablo, Ballet Folklorico Toltec de La Fe, Femmes de Fuego (Fire Dancing), and Casa Puente.
The Poppies Fest Committee thanks the Poppies Fest sponsors: Texas Parks and Wildlife/Franklin Mountains State Park, El Paso Community College, El Paso Times, El Paso Electric, Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition, El Paso Zoo, United Healthcare, Apache Barricade and Sign, West Valley Fire Department, The Wolf Lady, Northeast Rotary Club, City of El Paso Museums and Cultural Affairs Department, El Paso Museum of Archaeology

Support the 2014 Poppies Fest - Here's How

A view of the Mexican gold poppies on the grounds of the El Paso Museum of Archaeology, courtesy of the El Paso Museum of Archaeology

The Poppies Fest Committee in Collaboration with the

El Paso Museum of Archaeology and MCAD Announces

2014 Franklin Mountains Poppies Fest

on Castner Range March 29, 2014

The eighth annual 2014 Franklin Mountains Poppies Fest on Castner Range will take place on Saturday, March 29, 2014 from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm at the El Paso Museum of Archaeology at 4301 Transmountain Road.

The Poppies Fest Committee welcomes everyone to this free family fun day which features a program of nature walks, educational exhibits and demonstrations by local environmental organizations and wildlife displays include a live socialized wolf from the Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary and Houdini the Harris Hawk from the El Paso Zoo. A children’s activity center will offer a variety of arts and crafts led by local community members including Girl Scouts. Local performing groups will provide music and dance. Local vendors will be offering original and hand-made merchandise for sale.  Lunch and snacks can be purchased from food vendors on-site.  Additional details will be announced in future press releases.

Free parking will be off-site with handicapped accessible shuttle bus service provided from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm, funded by the City of El Paso Museums and Cultural Affairs Department.  The location of off-site parking will be announced soon.

The Poppies Fest Committee is seeking donations to support the event and volunteers, to assist please contact Lisa Gutierrez at 915-269-1239 or lisamarie177@juno.com.

The Poppies Fest celebrates the marvelous open space in Northeast El Paso where the 15 acre grounds of the El Paso Museum of Archaeology are surrounded by the 7,000+ acre Castner Range, a former artillery range known for its unique cultural, geologic and biologic features. If the rain and weather cooperate, it is most known for its beautiful and vast display of Mexican Gold Poppies in the spring.

The Poppies Fest is an opportunity to enjoy our beautiful outdoors while learning about what our mountains and desert have to offer. For example, the museum's Chihuahuan Desert Gardens boast examples of more than 200 native plants and Franklin Mountains State Park offers trails for hiking and bicycling, camping, day use, environmental education programs and festivals such as the Chihuahuan Desert Fiesta.

Information: Marilyn Guida, 915-755-4332, guidamr@elpasotexas.go

Our Mission:
The El Paso Museum of Archaeology is dedicated to the interpretation of archaeological and anthropological artifacts through research, exhibits, and education.  We focus on the prehistory and culture of the El Paso-Juárez region and the Southwest.

El Paso Museum of Archaeology October 2012 Events

Click on image to enlarge.

Rainwater Harvesting Talk June 9th

Rainwater Harvesting

Weathering the Drought

Demonstration of making a rain barrel at a recent workshop at the A&M Center.

Master Gardener Virginia Morris will talk about rainwater harvesting on Saturday, June 9th at 10 a.m. at the El Paso Museum of Archaeology. Admission is free and open to the public.

El Paso has been in a severe drought for several years.  Some forecasters say this drought could extend for another decade.  If the drought continues, water conservation will be made mandatory.  Since 71 percent of our water use is for irrigation, it is clear where the first restrictions will be applied.  Even though we only get around 8 to 9 inches of water per year in non-drought conditions, capturing and using our rainwater more efficiently will be extremely beneficial to our landscapes.  Join us to learn how to ensure that every drop of rain is incorporated into our landscapes.  Learn strategies to capture, store and use harvested rainwater.  Reducing the cost of your water bill will be an additional benefit.

Virginia Morris is a Master Gardener whose specialties lie in landscape design utilizing Xeriscape design principles.  She is also a member of the El Paso Chapter of the Native Plant Society of New Mexico and president of the El Paso Cactus and Rock Club.  Virginia has just completed her third design and implementation of public landscapes that incorporate passive rainwater harvesting to provide supplemental irrigation and to prevent erosion.

Tom Lea and the Indian People of the Southwest

The El Paso Museum of Archaeology

in collaboration with the Tom Lea Institute

Presents

Tom Lea and the Indian People of the Southwest

by Nick Houser, Anthropologist

A Tom Lea Month Program

Sunday, October 9, 2011, 2:00 p.m.

Snake Dancers by Tom Lea, copyright Tom Lea Institute

Throughout his life, Tom Lea studied the ways of Southwest Indians and depicted these in several paintings. Nick Houser will explore for the audience what some of these paintings tell viewers about of the lives of Native Americans in the Southwest.

Mr. Houser has conducted historical research for the Tigua Indians, created exhibits for museums and cultural centers, and has worked with over 36 Native American communities in the American Southwest and Latin America.

Information: 915-755-4332; guidamr@elpasotexas.gov
www.elpasotexas.gov/arch_museum/
Map to Museum

Bedrock Mortars and Chupadero B/w

Sunrise Hikers check out bedrock mortars.

We have taken several hikes to one site with bedrock mortars not far from the FMSP trailhead at Chuck Heinrich Park in NE El Paso. Fort Bliss archaeologist, Sue Sitton, dates the site between A.D. 1000-1450 as part of the Dona Ana/El Paso phase. Her basis for dating is that Chupadero B/w (a style of black and white pottery) was found on it.

Click image to enlarge.

I asked Marilyn Guida, the Curator of Education at the El Paso Museum of Archaeology, to give me more details and here is what she emailed me:

“Chupadero is a type of pottery with a distinctive design. Archaeologists have been able to determine the time period and geographic area within which certain types of pottery occur. Chupadero is associated with the time period she indicates in our area - the Jornada Mogollon. Chupadero was traded into what we now call the El Paso area. It wasn't made here.

“We have an exhibit case at the museum showing whole pots which are examples of pottery traded in the Jornada Mogollon area.

“Dona Ana/El Paso phase is a time period and the name of a cultural phase within the Jornada Mogollon culture area.

“Archaeologists look for specific kinds of artifacts, architectural styles, physical features left behind by people, and the types of food they ate, etc. to distinguish cultural phases. They give names to these cultural phases. Dona Ana/El Paso phase is a time with characteristics which overlap between the two distinct phases of Dona Ana Phase and El Paso phase.

We have an inexpensive booklet [Prehistoric Indians of the El Paso Area by Lora Jackson] for sale at the museum which explains all the phases in more detail.

“Archaeologists are always working to try to pin these phases down more precisely. Sometimes the evidence simply does not present itself, so things aren't real clear cut. Archaeologists live with a lot of uncertainty.”

Lora Jackson added:

“Chupadero B/w was made in two areas: Chupadera Mesa in the Gran Quivira area, so it was made at those mid New Mexico pueblos, and in the Capitan area of the northeastern Jornada. So, it is both an intrusive and local type. The pottery is northern technologically and stylistically. I think a good way to look at this is not so much from the pottery stand point, as from the people perspective. What probably happened is that some people who made Chup moved south into the Capitan region of the Jornada and continued to produce it there. So that pottery is local, but the people who made it were not.”

A Brief History of Archaeological Work on Fort Bliss

Sacramento Pueblo excavation, photo courtesy of Sue Sitton

A Brief History of Archaeological Work on Fort Bliss

By Sue Sitton, Senior Archaeologist, Fort Bliss

August 21, 2011, 2:00 pm, Free Admission

Location: El Paso Museum of Archaeology

4301 Transmountain Road, El Paso

Archaeologist Sue Sitton presents the history of archeological work on Fort Bliss, including highlights of the archeologists, the sites, and the Feds who managed the resources. We’ll look at what we’ve learned, how our methodologies have changed, and speculate about the future.

This program is presented by the El Paso Archaeological Society in partnership with the El Paso Museum of Archaeology.

Information: 915-755-4332; guidamr@elpasotexas.gov

There are literally thousands of archaeological sites around the El Paso area. Here is a picture of a recent Sunrise Hikers visit to bedrock mortars just north of the Museum of Archaeology:

Make Plans Now for Free Tours of Archaeology Museum in January

Cliff Dwellers Diorama, photo by Nancy Aniszewska, 2010

Make plans now for these free tours in January of the Museum of Archaeology. Here's the press release:

Free Tours of the El Paso Museum of Archaeology

Tours for Families with Elementary-School-Age Children

At 1:00 pm on Sundays, January 9, 23 and 30, 2011

Adult Tours

At 1:00 pm on Wednesdays: January 12 and 19, 2011

These free one-hour, docent-led tours of the El Paso Museum of Archaeology will introduce participants to the people of El Paso’s ancient past from the Paleoindians who lived here 14,000 years ago to the Mescalero Apache people of today. Visitors will also see prehistoric artifacts from several regions of México. Reservations are not necessary but contact the museum if you plan to attend, 915-755-4332; guidamr@elpasotexas.gov. To enjoy the gardens, wear suitable clothing, shoes, and sun protection.