Spend the Day at Keystone Heritage Park

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Visit Keystone Heritage Park on Saturday

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For more information visit Celebration of Our Mountains.

Keystone Heritage Park, Saturday, October 22, 9am to 1pm

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For more information: http://www.celebmtns.org/2016-events/2016/spend-the-day-at-keystone-heritage-park

Spend the Day at Keystone Heritage Park

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Definitely click on the image above to read all about this great event on Saturday at Keystone Heritage Park. It is a Celebration of Our Mountains event.

Who's To Blame for Trash Collection Site Next to Keystone?

These water fowl do not know that the City of El Paso has only put the trash collection site next to their habitat on hold . . . for now.

Although officials from Tommy Gonzalez down say that the nasty, dirty, ugly trash collection site next to Keystone (open space, wildlife preserve, archaeological site and botanical gardens) Park is on hold, they always add "for now" or "in the near future" or "for the time being". Rep. Niland claims that nobody in her district (District 1) has complained about the station. Of course, she only listens to a few Country Club Facebook friends as she did with our Christmas Tree in the San Jacinto Park when she wanted to take it down or destroy it by pruning it in a more triangular shape. Ask the people of the Upper Valley Neighborhood Association. Ask the parishioners of St. Jude's what they think about the collection station next to them. They are outraged. It's not just a bunch of tree huggers, animal lovers, heritage hippies who are angry.

Now we learn that the District 8 Rep along with the District 1 Rep want to put the blame on Ellen Smyth, the Director of Environmental Services. The truth is that Ms. Smyth was doing her job - the Reps of District 8 and District 1 were ignoring the situation for four years! Joyce Wilson, the perfecter of closed door deals, took money from the Environmental Services as part of the land swap that procured the City of El Paso the land next to Keystone. Naturally, Ms. Smyth saw this as land for her department's use. Now that there is a big brouhaha, Ms. Niland and Ms. Lily are calling for Smyth's head rather than acknowledging their responsibility. It is akin to a drunk driver who is oblivious to what's happening on the road and, thus, causing an accident and then blaming it on the sober driver. 

The Open Space Advisory Board will discuss and take action on the whole issue of a collection station next to Keystone at their next meeting, April 1st at 3 PM at City Hall #3, 801 N. Texas (red brick building at the corner of Texas and Virginia) in the Thorman Conference Room (downstairs). MAP

There is an online petition as well as a petition circulating through the Upper Valley Neighborhood Association and St. Jude's. 

Such a site does not belong next to an open space with a wetlands and animal habitat, an archaeological site, a neighborhood and a church. How would people feel if it was put next to St. Matthew's or St. Mark's in the Upper Valley or St. Clement's downtown. Hmmm?

More on the Keystone-Trash Collection Controversy

Photo from keystoneheritagepark.org

Yesterday at the Open Space Advisory Board meeting, a representative from the City Manager's office said that the Collection Station project was on hold and that it wasn't "happening at this time." That is the same message that other city officials are giving: it's on hold for the foreseeable future . . . but just wait. Although both Charlie Wakeem and myself requested in February that a discussion and action item about the collection station be part of yesterday's agenda, it was deleted from that agenda at the insistence of Rep. Cortney Niland. As we were considering the April agenda, I moved that the item be on our April agenda. That motioned was seconded and the motion passed unanimously. I made it clear that this was a motion approved and not a "request" or a "suggestion" and that I expected it on the April agenda. The matter is not dead and OSAB should weigh in. Creating a park next to Keystone or conserving that land in some other way makes the most sense to me. El Paso adopted smart code a couple of years ago. Since when does one put an industrial park next to a wetlands? The whole matter of incompatible zoning will also be discussed at the next meeting - another motion that was seconded and passed unanimously and that should not be trumped by Chair or Secretary or a Council Representative.

At yesterday's meeting, Marilyn Guida made the following statement suggesting that the matter must be dealt with now:

The City of El Paso Environmental Services Department is proposing to construct a Citizen Collection Station as part of a larger Municipal Service Center at Doniphan and Kappa on the West side.

This facility will be located a stone’s throw south of the wonderful 52 acre natural and cultural resource preserve called Keystone Heritage Park (KHP).  This is city-owned land developed and managed by the Keystone Heritage Park Board. It includes the nine acre Keystone Archaeological Preserve. The preserve protects a State Archaeological Landmark and National Register prehistoric site, the Keystone Dam Archaeological Site.

There are potential, probable (probable meaning more likely than possible) undiscovered prehistoric cultural resources that may be on the city-owned land south of and outside the KHP fence.  

The Keystone Dam Archaeological Site is a nationally significant site. If the area around this site is degraded, it can endanger the status of the site for the National Register. In other words, the Keystone Dam Archaeological Site can be delisted from the National Register.  

This is the oldest site of its size, indicating an organized community, in Middle Archaic times (approx. 4,000 to 1,200 B.C.) north of the Mexican border in the Southwest.

The predominant native Chihuahuan Desert plants in that area are Four Wing Salt Bush and Mesquite, both of which were important food plants for the ancient people as well as having many other ancient uses. The presence of these plants are often reliable indicators of prehistoric cultural resources.

Before they do any land disturbance the City has to comply with state law to determine if any undiscovered prehistoric cultural resources are located there.  There are procedures within the Texas Historical Commission for complying with state law regarding cultural resources and archaeological sites.

Also of importance is the open space potential of that site, to expand upon the existing KHP. Any newly discovered cultural resources could be preserved and monitored within designated open space.

The term cultural resources is preferable to the term “archaeological site.” Archaeology is a methodology for learning about the past. The cultural resources are what connect us to the people of the past and how they lived. It’s about the ancient people, not the archaeologists.  The laws are written using the term cultural resources or specifying that the law is about recovering information about culture. 

With a focus on ancient people, we also need to recognize that we have people living today in El Paso who trace their heritage to the ancient people. Thus we need to bring those descendants into the process of discussing what to do about prehistoric cultural resources. I am speaking of Ysleta del Sur Pueblo people (The Tigua Tribe) and the Piro-Manso-Tigua Tribe of Las Cruces which includes families in El Paso and Juarez.

The 1996 Parks & Open Space plan recommended that all the land east of Doniphan from Sunset Drive to Sunland Park Drive be open space – 105 acres.

In the most recent Open Space Plan, that area shrank to the land north of KHP. Now the land north of KHP is being built up. 

Today, in 2015, the only open space left between KHP and Sunland Park Drive is this city-owed land that Environmental Services is proposing for development.

The City Council should be encouraged to make a final formal determination on use of the site south of KHP.  As long as no final decision is made there is no guarantee of what will happen to that area. 

Leaving that property as it is now invites the potential for illegal dumping, for vehicles driving around off paved roads, for camping by homeless people, for illegal activities, etc. This endangers the cultural and natural resources as well as the safety and security of KHP and the neighboring uses including a church and residential area.

Some final determination must be made as soon as possible.  The City Council should dedicate that land to open space.



Please sign the petition and ask your friends and family to do the same.

Another Vampire That Just Won't Die

You know how vampires work. They flee the least hint of sunlight and hide in their sarcophagi until it is pitch black again and their victims will be caught unawares.

Such it is with the collection station next to Keystone Park.

It appears now that the project is dead at least for now. (Read David Crowder's excellent article in this week's El Paso Inc.) With pressure mounting, Rep. Cortney Niland has said "no" to the expansion. She has said that before and then the project mysteriously rises again. It is dark and nobody is looking. Count Dracula rises again from the dead.

According to Ellen Smyth, the Environmental Director, the construction of an expanded collection station next to a precious wetlands, bird habitat and archaeological site is not going to happen for the foreseeable future. But she also tells us that the land was purchased just for such an expansion so it may come up again in the future.

The Open Space Master Plan makes it clear that "Keystone Heritage Park is a key cultural site as well as the remnant of a unique wetlands zone. Preservation of undeveloped lands around the park should be a high priority of the city in the near future." The strategy for preservation is the acquisition of land around the park. ". . . without the acquisition of the remaining 20 acres around the park," states the Master Plan, "the facility will be a mere shadow of what it could have been." (Towards a Bright Future: A Green Infrastructure Plan for El Paso, Texas - the Open Space Master Plan - page 5-32)

What should be done? Land for a collection station away from Keystone should be identified. The current land next to Keystone should be a dedicated park site to complement the wetlands park. Until there is a firm alternative plan, the City will green light the collection station next to Keystone when nobody is looking. We will wake up one day and discover that a bulldozer has begun to scrape and shape the land. We don't want to be caught unawares.

For now, the project is off. But until the land is preserved and another site faraway is chosen for the ugly, noisy collection station, then the bulldozers will come and the City will tell us that there is nothing to see.



Please keep signing the online petition and spread the word.

Let's make sure that this vampire never wakes up again.

Save El Paso's Valuable Keystone Heritage Park

The City and the PSB respectively own El Paso’s two major nature preserves: Keystone Heritage Park and Rio Bosque Wetlands Park.  Both contain wetlands supporting numerous wildlife.  Keystone Heritage  Park also has a major archaeological site. 

These nature sites have been developed and maintained without any public support (i.e., no Parks and Recreation involvement at all) for nearly two decades.  Volunteers have done all the work at Keystone.   
  
UTEP manages Rio Bosque, and one staff member has dedicated a substantial part of his time to it for many years. A volunteer group, Friends of the Rio Bosque, organizes support. 

Both of these important nature sites face difficulties ahead of the result of plans by the city and the PSB.   

The most immediate problem confronts Keystone Heritage Park. The City has five Citizens Collection Stations where items such as hazardous waste and bulky material such as unwanted furniture and appliances can be discarded.  Current rules require that the individual put the trash in the 7 ft-high rolloff bins. This, not surprisingly, is difficult for many persons, particularly if large items are involved.  So the Environmental Services Department, which manages the collection of trash and recyclables, has come up with a plan for a major re-do of one of these sites – the Westside site, at Atlantic and Doniphan.  Unfortunately, this site is next to Keystone Heritage Park.  

There are numerous reasons to object to the current design for the expansion, and to the proposed expansion itself, including the possibility of damage to the archaeological site   The most important is the blow to the economic future of Keystone, which could be an anchor for ecotourism in the city as well as a quality of life improvement for the residents.  

A longer-term issue may face Rio Bosque, as the PSB-owned land to its southeast side is slated for development as an industrial park.   This is said to be part of an economic development plan for the city.   The future of Rio Bosque as the second link in ecotourism and quality of life apparently is not part of this plan.

Step back and consider how other wildlife refuges have benefitted their communities. The Fish and Wildlife Service reports that the Bosque del Apache in central New Mexico is the major draw of all tourist attractions in Socorro County.   “Nonlocal visitors (93 percent) spent an average of $64 per person per day in the local area; local visitors (7 percent) spent an average of $41 per person per day. In 2011, the refuge’s 165,000-plus visitors spent more than $5 million during their stay. This spending, in turn, generated more than $7.6 million worth of state economic activity and supported 94 jobs outside the refuge.”  

The Friends of the Bosque del Apache issued a very powerful statement about the importance of such wildlife refuges in general, and in particular that of the Bosque del Apache, noting that “For every $1 of the refuge budget, there is a local economic effect of nearly $8.”

Why would the City of El Paso, and its associated Public Service Board, even consider for a moment undertaking works near Keystone and Rio Bosque that would destroy the long-range future of these potential “green” economic drivers for regional tourism and residential benefit?
- Helen Marshall


For further reading:

The Economic Benefits of of Southern New Mexico's Natural Assets

Sign the Petition

City of El Paso Now Threatens Keystone Heritage Wetlands

True to form, the City of El Paso intends to shred its Open Space Mater Plan and build a collection station next to Keystone Heritage/Wetlands Park. 

Here is what the Open Space Master Plan says about the park:

"Keystone Heritage Wetlands Park is a key cultural site as well as the remnant of a unique wetlands zone. Preservation of undeveloped lands around the park should be a high priority of the city in the near future." (page 5-32, emphases are mine.)

So, rather than preserving lands around the park, the City of El Paso, which is notorious for shelving Plan El Paso and ignoring the Tree Care Manual, now intends to put a collection station abutting Keystone contrary to its open space plan. Here's a slide show about the proposed nasty, dirty collection station:



There are 4 reasons why Keystone is an identifiable open space asset: it is a wetlands and wildlife habitat, it is an historical site and an archaeological site as well as an eco-tourist asset. The Open Space Master Plan mentions 3 of these: "key cultural site" (history and archaeology) and a "unique wetlands zone." 

In spite of the Open Space Manual mentioning these relevant features of the park, current OSAB Chairwoman, Katrina Martich (who likes to bang on the manual like a fundamentalist preacher bangs on a floppy Bible) claims that the archaeological features of the park are outside of the purview of the Open Space Board. Since being a cultural and a wetlands treasury make the park an identifiable open space asset, then both of these traits are relevant for preserving it as that open space asset just as the Manual prescribes: "Preservation of undeveloped lands around the park should be a high priority of the city . . ." [emphases mine] This is the purview of the Open Space Advisory Board.

From about 8,000 years ago to about a 1,000 years ago, humans have lived in and around the current park. It is hard to believe that those habitations now identified at Keystone obeyed modern El Paso street boundaries. One suspects more archaeological finds under the land where the city wants to put a collection site. The mere proximity should trigger the Antiquities Code of Texas.

Keystone is also a wetlands, the home of many bird species. On September 28, 2013 the Kevin von Finger Wetlands were dedicated.

Although not mentioned in the Master Plan, Keystone is a tourist destination which, of course, makes it a valuable asset for El Paso. Eco-tourism and heritage tourism have the potential of being a billion dollar industry in and for El Paso.

But what does the City of El Paso want to do? Build a collection station next to the park. Just the noise of such a place will disturb the bird habitats. And, the station, will probably cover-up key archaeological sites. It will also be a deterrent to tourist trade and the use of the Botanical Gardens at Keystone. But when has the City of El Paso cared about its treasures or even its written policies?

More on Keystone in the days ahead.

Vote for Your Favorite Heritage and Outdoors Spots on the EP Times Ballot

Once again the El Paso Times is conducting their Reader's Favorites poll. Categories include Home Services, Entertainment, Groceries, Automotive, Eating Out and Financial. (There's also a "General" category for things like best service and best employer.)

Under "Entertainment" there are museums and art galleries and campgrounds among other "places". El Paso County Historical Commission Chairman, Bernie Sargent, recommends that people use the "Museum" spot under "Entertainment" to write in places that get overlooked since they aren't museums. Examples could be the Magoffin Home or Keystone Heritage Park. 

Expanding on Bernie's great idea, some of you might want to vote for your favorite hiking or birding or rock climbing spot by using the "Museum" or "Campground" space on the EP Times ballot.

Bernie Sargent raises a good point. We think about favorites under a narrow set of categories. However, what about our favorite heritage site in El Paso? What about our favorite place to go hiking, bicycling, rock climbing, strolling and/or birding? You can write in Franklin Mountains State Park or a specific spot like the Schaffer Shuffle or the Nature Trail that the El Paso Master Naturalists have worked so diligently on to make attractive. You may want to specify the B-36 crash site or the knife edge on the ridge or even Scenic Drive on Scenic Sunday. Birders also have favorite spots in the upper and lower valleys. 

Heritage and eco/outdoors tourism is big business in other places. Sure wouldn't hurt to tout these places in El Paso. Big dollar opportunity or not - it makes sense to get others interested in our history and our great outdoors.

Go HERE for the poll. Use one of the slots under entertainment to vote for your favorite heritage and outdoors spot.

Thank you, Bernie Sargent!

 

Kevin von Finger Wetlands Dedicated at Keystone

The Kevin von Finger Wetlands were dedicated at Keystone Heritage Park this past Saturday. There have been a number of tributes to Kevin von Finger recently including the dedication of this year's 2013 Celebration of Our Mountains to his memory.

Here are some pictures of the event courtesy of Valerie Provencio:

Emcee Bernie Sargent does live broadcast on the El Paso History Radio Show

Ribbon cutting by Keystone Board member, Lori Lowman-Hutson, County Commissioner Patrick Abeln, and John Balliew, EPWU CEO

Bird Blind

Keystone Heritage Park Threatened by Proposed City Industrial Development

Click image to enlarge. All of the color blocks are the new proposed development. Keystone Park is in the upper left side of the diagram. On the diagram, you can see both the wetland and the Garden. The archeology site is above the garden. 

The orange colored block, labeled CCS (in small letters) is a recycling site. Sanitation trucks, city buses and city work trucks will be a constant coming-and-going presence. Note that the entire site will be either roofs or pavement which estimates suggest may add as much as 10 degrees of heat in the summer. As you approach the garden, the recycling trucks, buses and city trucks will be in your line of sight and to your right. 

The City of El Paso is proposing a concentrated heavy industrial area directly next to the archeology site and Botanical Garden of Keystone Heritage Park.  To say the least, this will not be beneficial to Keystone - its gardens, bird sanctuary/wetland and archaeology site. 

Ketystone board members, benefactors and supporters believe that the presence of buses, sanitation trucks and other heavy city equipment will be a detraction to the serenity and beauty of the  Garden and discourage the eco-tourism that Keystone is trying to develop. The plan can proceed without the approval of City Council. 

The Keystone Board requests that people please contact those they know at the City – staff or elected representatives – and ask them to help protect the Park. Time is of the essence! 

Persons to contact:

Jane Shang, Deputy City Manager, shangj1@elpasotexas.gov
Matthew McElroy, Director of Planning, McelroyMX@elpasotexas.gov
Carlos Gallinar, Deputy Director of Planning, GallinarRC@elpasotexas.gov
Joyce Wilson, City Manager, WilsonJA@elpasotexas.gov
Your Mayor and/or City Representative

You can provide a link to this post in your message.

The Board of Keystone Heritage Park is charged with preserving and protecting all 52 acres of the park and for providing a sanctuary for the birds and animals.  The additional  noise and heat created by this development will have a negative impact on the birds that count on the wetland as a breeding area and may drive away some the rare species that have been spotted there. 

One wonders whether the City has done the necessary studies to understand the impact of the additional heat, vibration, air pollution and potential run-off on the 4000+ year old archeological site. This nationally recognized site has enormous historical potential and all El Pasoans should be actively engaged in its protection.  

Garden with the Native Plants You Buy at Keystone this Saturday

The moral of the video below is this: Plant native species in your garden. This Saturday is a great opportunity to buy native plants at Keystone Heritage Park. Check out the details. The video actually uses Keystone as an example of replacing invasive species with native. You will see El Paso conservation/environmental legacies Kevin von Finger and Lois Balin:




Map to Keystone Heritage Park

The Bosque and Untied Blue Ribbons

Begin the countdown: T minus Eight days until the beginning of the 2012 PSB Strategic Planning meetings on Thursday and Friday, October 11^th and 12^th at the TecH20 Center starting at 8 a.m. each morning. Environmental/Conservation community members: Big Red Circles on your calendars for these upcoming days.  PSB/EPWU: extra coffee and Krispy Kremes, s’il vous plait.

One item certain to be on the Strategic Planning agenda – water for the Rio Bosque. Let’s do some catching up since elpasonaturally reported some dramatic revelations at the September PSB meeting. Last week EPWU Vice President, John Balliew, briefed Open Space Advisory Board members about the Rio Bosque and set the record straight. In summary, here are the facts:

1.       The water which the Bustamante plant currently empties into the Riverside canal (or drain) is slightly treated effluent which is permitted by the TCEQ.

2.       That water is returned to the Water Improvement District without charge by conditions set in the Rio Grande Project Implementing Contract among the Bureau of Reclamation, the WID, and the PSB.

3.       One strategy for getting water to the Bosque was to use the Bosque as part of a larger water treatment scheme – the multi-million dollar seeming Rube Goldberg devised by Malcolm Pirnie. That was “Plan A”. Unfortunately, salts and metals in the Bosque soil would have added additional long-term expenses to water treatment.

4.       Thus “Plan B” created by Balliew – a $440,000 pipeline to the Bosque with several outlets to spread the water more evenly. Construction could begin soon.  But what kind of water would flow through the pipe?

5.       Slightly treated effluent is permitted to be returned to the river. It would not be permissible to use this water directly on the Bosque. Permissible water must be purple pipe quality – reclaimed water, i.e., effluent that has been filtered and re-disinfected.

6.       New problem: by the rules and regulations of bond covenants, our water utility would have to sell the water to the Bosque as it does to other City’s parks. There is some debate here, but an easy solution would be to transfer the Bosque from the City inventory to the PSB inventory. If there are measures (say a conservation easement) which guarantee that the Bosque would remain an educational/research wetland preserve with UTEP as a partner, that transfer should be attractive to conservationists.

Elpasonaturally doesn’t just see light at the end of the tunnel  - but sunrise on the wetland alive with the melodies of many merry species of birds. One can even begin to hear the Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus.

What’s driving water to the Bosque? The question is better asked “Who’s driving water to the Bosque?” Elpasonaturally has learned through the engineering grapevine that John Balliew has been pushing for a solution and is making it happen. Bringing much needed water to the Bosque efficiently, is not just a matter of turning a valve. The question is whether there can still be a temporary solution that can bring water there now and relieve John Sproul from his Sisythusian task of hauling water by truck day after day. What’s in it for El Paso if Balliew succeeds – an $18Million eco-tourist bonanza.

One other little tidbit: the EPWU person most trusted by conservation groups: John Balliew.

Joint Resolution Article 1 Revision Recommended

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One last matter to catch up on – the Mayor’s Blue Ribbon Committee, now untied from their task since a joint meeting of the City Council and PSB last week approved their proposals. Just read the Chris Roberts EP Times story, Rules for PSB land sales clarified. In essence there is really not much difference between what was and what will be. The PSB will continue to determine when land is inexpedient and can be sold. Sections “D” and “E” of the new provision spell out more specific goals and guidelines for determining inexpediency.  Of importance to conservationists are two provisions. In the provision for land sales of more than 25 acres (Item “C” in the revised provision), “open space” is defined as one of the public facilities that the PSB must transfer to the City without cost. This is huge. Moreover, in Item “D” “preserving open spaces and critical arroyos” is listed as a goal when considering land sale opportunities.  Elpasonaturally believes that PSB Chairman and Blue Ribbon member, Ed Escudero, was very helpful in adding this important verbiage. Making open space a criteria for inexpediency all by itself would have been the giant leap – but this one small step should be appreciated by El Pasoans who cherish their natural heritage.

You can view the slideshow Recommendations from the City of El Paso Advisory Committee on PSB Land Management presented to the joint meeting of the City Council and PSB last Wednesday.

Next to finally for this e-letter: there have been expressions of optimism about our ongoing water supply. Caution may be the better attitude. Please read some thoughts by PSB member (and the doctor of Copernicus, my Flame Point Siamese), Dr. Rick Bonart.

And finally, finally: fall weather is perfect for hiking, mountain biking, climbing, planting and just getting outdoors. There are so many great, organized hikes now. Celebration of Our Mountains is in full swing. Also check out El Paso Hiking Group, Guadalupe Mountains National Park Meetup Group,  Las Cruces & El Paso Adventurists, and Peak Fitness Challenge. See the Franklin Mountains State Park October hiking and events schedule.  Scenic Drive is open to all hikers, bicyclists, walkers, strollers (with attached parent), even Chihuahuas (with attached human) every Sunday from 6 to 11 a.m.  One not-to-miss educational lecture this week: Dr. Paul Hyder will be talking about rattlesnakes on Thursday, October 4^th, at 6:15ish (following a Master Naturalist chapter meeting) at the El Paso Garden Center, 3105 Grant Avenue. (Map).  And take an arroyo walk, visit archaeological sites and buy native plants for your garden at Keystone Heritage Park this Saturday, October 6^th.

Keystone Heritage Park October 6

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Map to Park
Keystone Heritage Park Website

Luminarias by the Lake

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Keystone Heritage Park is a great place to visit, enjoy the garden, bird watch and see the wetlands. It has archaeological and historical significance. It can use your support.

(Map)

October 1 at Keystone Don't Miss It

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Map to Keystone Heritage Park

FeatherFest Saturday!

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El Paso City Council Will Consider Natural Open Space Zoning Ordinance

If it is important to you to protect wildlife in El Paso's three major wildlife preserves (Keystone Heritage Park, Feather Lake Wildlife Refuge, and the Rio Bosque Wetlands Park), make plans now to attend the March 16th City Council meeting. Open Space Advisory Board's proposed Natural Open Space (NOS) zoning ordinance will probably be on that agenda for discussion and action. (Council agendas are posted here. The agenda for an upcoming Tuesday meeting is usually posted by the Friday before.)

As usual, some key members of City staff oppose portions of the ordinance. To read the proposed ordinance, just go here. The paragraphs staff is contesting are highlighted. What is at issue is who pays for the landscape buffer should an industry move next door to the protected habitat.

Staff did agree with the Open Space Advisory Board (OSAB) that the landscape buffer, setbacks, and rock wall are necessary to protect the wildlife. However, they are recommending that the wildlife preserves pay for the improvements rather than the high impact industrial or commercial property owners on the adjacent property. These stricter regulations do not apply to most zoning districts, such as residential, offices or low impact commercial.

The City Plan Commission (CPC) voted 4 to 2 agreeing with staff. Most of the CPC is composed of members of the development community.

The real issue is how serious the City of El Paso is about protecting wildlife in its three major wildlife preserves: Keystone, Feather Lake, and Rio Bosque. Is it the fault of these preserves a high impact land use would move next door to them? Who should be responsible for the buffers, walls and setbacks? Open Space Advisory Board Chairman, Charlie Wakeem, says that there may be some room for compromise such as reducing the height of the rock wall from 10' to 8' and perhaps allowing for a less expensive material than rock. The 10' landscape buffer and setbacks are very important in order to protect the wildlife, particularly migratory birds and their breeding.

If the wildlife preserves are to be responsible for the strict protection restrictions as recommended by staff and the CPC and there are now only three wildlife preserves in El Paso and all three are owned by the City of El Paso, then shouldn't the City of El Paso pony up for those wildlife protections? It will be interesting to see how City Council members feel about doling out your tax money when industrial businesses encroach on your wildlife preserves.

Members of the original Open Space Committee tried to get the NOS zoning ordinance passed since the Open Space Plan was approved in March 2007. It was stalled and pigeonholed until OSAB became a board over 6 months ago. The Open Space Master Plan recommended implementation of this zoning ordinance within 6 to 12 months of the plan's approval (March 17, 2007). Here it is - three years later.