Time to Speak Out about Transmountain Road

First, read Rep. Susie Byrd's blog post, "TxDOT to El Paso: 'My Way or the Highway'". Take the vote on her blog. Print the form letter below and fill it out and mail it today or bring it with you to the meeting next Tuesday night:

TXDOT Form Letter for Transmountain

The public hearing for the Transmountain project is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. next Tuesday evening (March 22nd) at Canutillo High School.

Council Will Consider Trailhead Access to State Park

The El Paso City Council will consider a recommendation by the Open Space Advisory Board that will provide pedestrian access to designated state trail heads. At its regular meeting tomorrow, Council could ask that "the City Manager direct staff to coordinate with the necessary State agencies, Home Owner Associations, and if necessary, amend Title 19, to provide pedestrian access to designated state trail heads."

El Paso hikers and outdoor enthusiasts have indicated on more than one occasion their support for an ordinance that provides such access.

The Planning and Economic Development and the Engineering and Construction Management departments are in agreement with OSAB's request.

The recommendation follows a proposal first made by KVIA General Manager and avid hiker, Kevin Lovell. In a January 9, 2011 op-ed column for El Paso Inc., Mr. Lovell wrote:

The Franklin Mountains define El Paso providing its greatest source of beauty. Now, due to poor decisions by the City of El Paso and developers, I’m fighting a private land ownership wall that threatens access to our precious mountains. I moved into my home near Queen of Peace Church in the upper Westside in 1993. Since then I’ve been using a patchwork of jeep roads and trails to jog/hike into the Franklins. The primary trail used to be a half mile from my house. Due to development, it’s now three times that far to reach my preferred trail that extends east off a road named Calle Lago near the new Hornedo Middle School. Recently, a gated community called Ocotillo Heights sprung up at the upper end of Calle Lago. I don’t mind the gate blocking motor vehicle access to mountain trails. I am horrified to now be met by “No Trespassing” and “Violators Will be Prosecuted” signs when attempting to make the same walk I’ve made dozens of times for 17 years. How could the City and PSB have sold land and allowed developers and property owners to block access to a prominent jeep road and other trails that provide reasonable access to the Franklins? I’m determined to get a solution. I spoke in open forum at a city council meeting. Westside representative Ann Morgan Lilly has hosted two meetings involving the City Plan department, a representative of the developer and the head of the City Parks department. I presented my case to the Open Space Advisory Board this past week. I’ve personally talked with developer Doug Schwarz and PSB CEO Ed Archuletta and PSB board member and environmental activist Rick Bonart. At every juncture, I’ve been met with sympathy. Finding a solution is tougher due to Texas property owner laws. As I best understand it, the best solution lies with Nanette Smejkal, the director of the city’s Parks department. First, the property owners would have to be reasonable and permit development of a crude trail along the edge of the large privately owned open space surrounding the development to connect to the jeep trail. To make it happen, the parks department must accept right-of-way, thus assuming the liability of the trail. The city council may ultimately have to weigh in if an ordinance is introduced. Something must be done before other nearby private land is developed blocking access to trails leading into the Franklins. I welcome your thoughts and support and can be reached at kevinlovell@kvia.com.

City Council will also decide about two other Open Space Advisory Board recommendations. The first would leave ponding areas open for wildlife as wildlife corridors when those areas are part of a riparian corridor. The second recommendation is to rezone Keystone Heritage Park and the Rio Bosque as Natural Open Space (NOS).

Petitions Fail

Both petitions to preserve land in the Scenic Transmountain Corridor failed for lack of valid signatures. One petition called for preserving the land; the other called for preservation and the prevention of building any major roadways through that land.

I have asked Richarda Momsen, the Municipal City Clerk, for a meeting at 5 today to go over the signatures. About 300 to 400 signatures would have had to have been invalidated on each petition for both to have failed.

One petitioner emailed to say, "I am beyond disappointed. What else can we do?" Members and friends of the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition will take a couple of days to determine what the next step will be.

In the meantime, the open public hearing on the TxDOT Transmountain EA is scheduled for March 22nd.

No Development Petition Fails

No Roadways Petition Fails

Watch El Paso History on the Texas Channel

From mural "Pass of the North" by Tom Lea

TEXAS HISTORY BEGINS IN EL PASO™

El Paso history documentaries to air statewide on

Time Warner Cable for Texas history month

March 7, 2011 -- Capstone Productions Inc. announces that three of its El Paso TV documentaries will be shown on Time Warner Cable’s Texas Channel in March 2011 to mark Texas history month. The programs have a potential audience of more than one-million homes across Texas.

The broadcasts are part of Capstone Production’s just-released marketing campaign designed to bring attention to El Paso’s history and heritage: Texas History Begins in El Paso ™.

"Tom Lea’s El Paso" will air Monday, March 14 at 6 p.m. Mountain Time; Saturday, March 19 at 9 a.m. Mountain Time; and Wednesday, March 23 at 8 p.m. Mountain Time.

"El Paso Visitors TV" will air Tuesday, March 15 at 6 p.m. Mountain Time; Sunday, March 20 at 9:30 a.m. Mountain Time; and Monday, March 21 at 8 p.m. Mountain Time.

"Gunfights of the Old West" will air Thursday, March 17 at 6 p.m. Mountain Time; Saturday, March 19 at 10:30 a.m. Mountain Time; and Wednesday, March 23 at 7:30 p.m. Mountain Time.

The programs will be shown on Texas Channel, which is available to 1.1 million Time Warner Cable digital cable customers in these cities: Austin on Channel 888; Corpus Christi on Channel 100; Dallas on Channel 185; El Paso on Channel 24; Laredo on Channel 888; the Rio Grande Valley on Channel 888; San Antonio on Channel 888; and Waco-Temple-Killeen on Channel 888.

The documentaries are produced by El Paso’s Capstone Productions Inc., which specializes in El Paso history programs. The statewide cable casts are funded in part by grants from the Hunt Family Foundation, of El Paso; and Humanities Texas, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

"Tom Lea’s El Paso" features an interview with the famous Texas artist and author recorded when he was 92 years old. Tom shared his memories of his boyhood El Paso when Pancho Villa was equipping his Mexican Revolution armies from El Paso. Tom tells how he was influenced by the Southwest as he became a world-famous artist. The one-hour program is illustrated with archival photographs and film of old El Paso.

"El Paso Visitors TV" is a one-hour program that takes the viewer all over the El Paso area to see the history and happenings a visitor might like to visit.　It is narrated and features fast-paced visits to museums and historic sites.

"Gunfights of the Old West" re-enacts five infamous Old West gunfights at their original locations in El Paso. The half-hour program is narrated by Texas author Leon Metz, with reenactments by Six Guns & Shady Ladies.

Capstone Productions Inc. is an El Paso-based broadcast production company that produces heritage TV and radio programs about the El Paso area. For details about the programs, visit www.ephistory.com.

TEXAS HISTORY BEGINS IN EL PASO™

www.ephistory.com 915-833-8700

PSB to Hear Resolution Against Natural Open Space

PSB to Hear Resolution Against Natural Open Space

Save Our Wildlife Programs

Many of our State wildlife programs are affected by the federal budget.

Our urban wildlife biologist, Lois Balin, emailed the following information that informs about the current federal budget process. Along with the information, Lois, includes a note from Mark Humpert, the Director of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies with suggestions as to how we each can help:

Dear supporters of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) Urban Wildlife Program, Texas Master Naturalist Program, Wildlife Diversity Branch, and State Parks:

The federal government passed a temporary continuing resolution last week which means that there are now a couple of weeks to educate constituents should they choose to contact members of the U.S. House and Senate. The Senate Finance Committee met last week and heard testimony regarding Texas Parks and Wildlife's top priority budget requests. TPWD Executive Director Carter Smith made several requests of the committee that would provide additional flexibility to the agency in managing the proposed reductions.

The next step in the process is for the Senate Finance Committee to break into smaller work groups to discuss the requests and amend the bill. That will be taking place over the next week or so. Once the mark-up is completed, the bill will go to the full Senate for a vote. The same process is occurring on the House side as well; and, once the two bills are approved, a conference committee will be appointed to work out any differences. Only after an agreed upon budget bill is approved by both the House and Senate and signed into law will TPWD know exactly what the numbers will be for the budget that will take effect September 1^st.

Your voice is needed. Here is an excerpt that Mark Humpert of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) sent out to Teaming With Wildlife Coalition members on how you can help:

Good Morning:

You may have seen in the news that the Senate passed and the President signed a short-term continuous resolution this week. This will prevent the federal government from shutting down over the weekend but does not change much regarding defunding of the State & Tribal Wildlife Grants program for FY11. No funding for the State & Wildlife Grants Program has been or will be made available to states and their partners for this fiscal year until Congress passes a budget, and then only if funding is restored. Vice President Biden has been pulled in to help lead negotiations between Senate and House majority and minority leadership. Press accounts are saying this morning that the two parties are not very close to an agreement. One account said that the Democrats have found about $50B in cuts from the President's FY11 request but that the Republicans want a minimum of $100B in cuts. It's urgent that members of Congress hear from us while negotiations are happening .

THREE WAYS YOU CAN HELP.

1. Send letters from you agency/organization to the US Senate asking them to restore funding for the State and Tribal Wildlife Grants Program. Use the attached template.

1. Add you organizations' name to the national sign-on letter supporting restoration of funding. So far 169 organizations have signed on. View the letter to sign on.

2. Call (and ask your friends and family members to call) your members of the US Senate and the House to register your concerns about the proposed elimination of funding.

Municipal Clerk's Office Counting Signatures

Some of the petition gatherers enjoy a light-hearted pose as they wait for the Municipal Clerk's office to time stamp and copy petition pages.

As most of you probably know from El Paso's other media sources, the Municipal Clerk's office accepted both petitions, time stamped each page, made copies for me and presented me with a receipt for each petition. Through the grapevine I have learned that they are going through the tedious process of verifying whether each signature is from a registered City of El Paso voter and may be finished as early as next Thursday or the week after that. The magic number for certification is 1547. Even as I was walking to the Clerk's office on Tuesday after a brief comment to City Council members, two people gave me more petition pages! I had counted over 1800 signatures on both petitions prior to that. They gave me nearly a hundred extra signatures so I know we were close or over 1900 total for both petitions. That's pretty good padding.

A number of citizens stood behind me as I told the Council my intention to submit signatures immediately to the Municipal Clerk. I told Council that, in addition to submitting, I would be making copies for the Federal Highway Administration which is reviewing the TxDOT Environmenal Assessment for the proposed $85 million Transmountain project. A public meeting for that is scheduled on March 22nd and I'll be posting more details about that meeting and where you can begin submitting your comments.

I also invited Council members to call or email me and I would take them on a hike of the land in question. It is not flat as PSB/EPWU President Archuleta has publicly claimed.

The petitions call for preserving land in what has come to be called the Scenic Transmountain Corridor - a mere 742 acres. It represents a compromise from an earlier suggestion to preserve all the land in the Westside Master Plan. It has been a reasonable suggestion all along but has received the greatest amount of resistance from Ed Archuleta, John Cook and others. Hopefully the petitions will give members of City Council yet another chance to do the right thing. Perhaps now they cannot rezone that land as Natural Open Space. However, they can get a conservation easement, they can dedicate it as parkland, or they can deed restrict it - 3 possibilities.

Stay tuned. For all of you who worked so hard to gather petiitions: a HUGE thanks. One thing that became clear: as more and more El Pasoans heard about this effort, more and more wanted to join an effort to save the Scenic Transmountain Corridor. It's too bad that the City Engineers and their consultant prepared a Traffic Impact Analysis of the area in which all the models point to not building Paseo del Norte through the area and yet they claim that they know better. More on that craziness later.