The Chihuahuan Desert: Our North American Outback by Kevin von Finger

Here is an excellent little video written and produced by Kevin von Finger:

RIP Kevin von Finger

To say that El Paso's conservation and environmental community has lost one of its usual suspects would be a colossal understatement. Not just environmentalists but all El Pasoans lost a giant. The word went out by email and Facebook yesterday that Kevin von Finger had died. A neighbor and 911 respondents found Kevin dead in his home where he had lived alone. He was near one of his legendary and much-admired fish tanks.

His bio on the Frontera Land Alliance web site is short and sweet:

"Kevin von Finger is an ecologist and environmental consultant. He currently serves on the City of El Paso's Open Space Advisory Board, the El Paso County Eco-Tourism Committee, the Southwest Environmental Center Board of Directors, the Paso del Norte Watershed Concil Executive Committee, the International Boundary and Water Commission Rio Grande Citizens Forum Board, and the Keystone Heritage Park Board of Directors, where he also serves as the Habitat Committee Chairman and is actively involved in riparian restoration of the Keystone wetlands."

All of the above is not to mention that he was also, of course, on the Board of Directors for the Frontera Land Alliance.

Kevin was an ecologist. He held degrees from Knox College in Illinois and the University of Texas at El Paso. In 2003 he had retired as the Senior Ecologist for the Directorate of Environment at Fort Bliss after nearly 28 years of service. He became self-employed as an environmental consultant. He also authored a number of scientific papers. 

Wherever I went in the El Paso conservation community, there was Kevin. He frequently asked me how I find time to do all that I do. The fact of the matter is that few match or matched Kevin's activism. Kevin was not a complainer, not an arm-chair environmentalist. Kevin was a roll of your sleeves and solve problems scientist. He had a burly, manly kind of guy persona but a real softness when it came to just being a friend. He could talk business. He could also be personal and caring. Many who are active, take charge, get things done kind of people often miss the people in their worlds. Not Kevin. You mattered to him. 

I missed his last annual party. An arduous hike had made me home bound and couch bound that late afternoon. I figured that I wouldn't be missed. I was wrong. The next time Kevin saw me at an Open Space meeting, he said to me: "You missed a good one." 

I'm missing a great one now. 

Melodies Under the Milky Way

Click on image to enlarge. 

The public is invited to “Melodies Under the Milky Way” for an evening of music in the mountains and a mini-program of presentations and activities about the sun, moon, and light pollution.  

Park Ranger Adrianna Weickhardt adds: "We are pleased to be hosting Travis Manning, a musician from Las Cruces, New Mexico, who will be providing musical entertainment including tunes from the classic rock era as well as some surprise 'astro-tunes'.  Hot cocoa and coffee will be available, as well as a few astronomically decadent treats such as Mars bars, Milky Way bars, and Starbursts.  We’ll have at least one telescope out to use after the program concludes to observe Jupiter and the crescent moon.  

This program is presented to you by your park rangers from Hueco Tanks SP&HS and Franklin Mountains SP, and astronomers from the El Paso and Las Cruces astronomy clubs.

After entering the Tom Mays Unit, drive all the way to the end of the park. (Map)

Rio Bosque Has Water!

From John Sproul:

Just before 9 a.m. this morning, staff at the Roberto Bustamante Wastewater Treatment Plant switched the discharge of the plant’s effluent from the Riverside Canal to the Riverside Drain.  By 10 a.m., when my Introductory Tour group reached the Rio Bosque Wetlands Park inlet, water was just beginning to enter the park.  By 12:30 p.m., the water had advanced ~400 meters in the old river channel within the park, negotiating its way through piles of tumbleweeds deposited by yesterday’s windstorm. 

This is the first delivery of effluent to the park in 287 days. 

All of the Bustamante effluent is currently going to the Riverside Drain, and we are diverting as much as possible to the park.  A lot of the water is going to soak in initially, but some should start reaching the park’s wetland cells soon. 

Other Rio Bosque water news:

• On Tuesday 13 November, the U.S. Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission is scheduled to begin construction of the short diversion channel needed to deliver water from the planned turnout on the Riverside Canal to the old river channel in the park.  Once the diversion channel is complete, El Paso County Water Improvement District #1 will install the turnout. 

• On Wednesday 14 November, the City of El Paso’s Public Service Board will meet, starting at 9 a.m.  Item 9 on its agenda (attached) is:

9. Consider and adopt a Joint Resolution between the City of El Paso and the El Paso Water Utilities – Public

Service Board concerning the transfer of the Rio Bosque Park from the City to the management and control of

the Public Service Board and the assignment of the License Agreement between the City and the University of

Texas at El Paso to the Public Service Board.

If adopted by both the PSB and the City Council, the joint resolution (attached) would place Rio Bosque in the PSB’s land inventory.  El Paso Water Utilities could then deliver some water from the Bustamante Plant to the park year-round as part of EPWU operations and without cost to UTEP.  The management direction for the park would not change.  Rio Bosque would continue to be a public park, and UTEP would continue to be the site manager. 

John Sproul

Manager, Rio Bosque Wetlands Park

Center for Environmental Resource Management

University of Texas at El Paso

500 West University Ave.

El Paso, TX  79968-0684

915-747-8663 office

915-861-4361 cell

jsproul@utep.edu

www.riobosque.org

Deal for Water Almost Complete on the Rio Bosque

Item #9 on the Wednesday, November 14th PSB agenda regards a simple transaction transferring Rio Bosque to the PSB and having the PSB assume the license with UTEP.  It will be drafted in the form of a Joint Resolution between the PSB and the City and has "obtained approval by the Asst. City Attorney and the Parks Director" according to Open Space Chairman Charlie Wakeem.  "This action will pave the way for reclaimed and/or treated effluent from the Bustamante Waste Water Plant to flow to the Rio Bosque in the very near future." Only City Council approval will be necessary after Monday evening assuming the PSB adopts the resolution. However, all signs point to adoption since helping the Bosque became a major issue at this year's strategic planning meeting as reported here at elpasonaturally in an earlier post.

The PSB/EPWU will continue an unchanged relationship with UTEP according to CEO Archuleta in an earlier email to me. "We have no intention of changing the relationship with UTEP and thus would maintain the license agreement as it," Ed Archuleta told me. "This is also the request from UTEP since I have spoken to Dr. Natalicio about this and also Dr. Schoephoerster. [Schoephoerster is the Dean of the College of Engineering at UTEP and a member of the PSB.] We would simply assume the license agreement."

In an email to Richard Teschner, Chairman of Senator Rodriguez's Environmental Advisory Committee, David Ornelas, the Wastewater System Division Manager for EPWU wrote: "The good news is that we are near an agreeement with the City and EPCWID#1 that will result in a water supply for the Rio Bosque that does not require a permit amendment. An announcement will be forthcoming."

John Balliew, EPWU VP, confirmed what Ornelas said: We [PSB/EPWU] have a verbal agreement with Joyce Wilson and a written agreement will be signed shortly. The irrigation district is in agreement."

In spite of a claim by Ornelas that water is already running to the Bosque "no water releases will be authorized until the City and the PSB approve the agreement," according to EPWU CEO, Ed Archuleta.  

However, it is no longer a matter of "if" but "when" the water will begin running.

There is more to this happy saga to report but I shall do so after the ink is dry  on the resolution and all the i's dotted so to speak. It is safe to say that Mr. Archuleta paved the way for this long-awaited solution through a meeting with the water district. That's a story to tell!

For now, those who have long cared about saving the Rio Bosque may want to attend next Wednesday, November 14th meeting of the PSB at 1154 Hawkins Blvd. The meeting begins at 9:00 a.m. 

Conservation Workshop Tomorrow Morning

The Frontera Land Alliance, the El Paso area’s only non-profit 501 c (3) land trust organization, is hosting a Conservation Workshop beginning tomorrow, Friday, November 2 beginning at 8 a.m. at the downtown El Paso Doubletree Hotel, 600 N. El Paso Street, just south of I-10.  This is a great opportunity for advisors, landowners and anyone else interested in getting up-to-the-minute information on various ways to conserve land. Please join their guest speakers—several attorneys from Braun and Gresham, PLLC and Robertson/Smith Attorneys at Law—to hear all about the many conservation tools that are available.  More information online here and here.

Here are a couple of other events of importance:

City Representative Carl L. Robinson is hosting Ed Drusina, the Commissioner of the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) at his monthly breakfast meeting tomorrow, Friday, November 2^nd, at the Denny’s Diner at 4690 Transmountain Road at 7:30 a.m.  The IBWC provides “binational solutions to issues that arise during the application of United States - Mexico treaties regarding boundary demarcation, national ownership of waters, sanitation, water quality, and flood control in the border region.” With the issues of drought, water scarcity and looming water “wars”, we should all become very familiar with the key players such as the IBWC and Mr. Drusina.

If you are a dog lover and you are looking for a furry hiking buddy, mark your calendar now for Happy Tails and Happy Trails on Saturday, November 3^rd beginning at 9 a.m. at the Tom Mays Unit. I’ve posted the info for this on my neighborhood association blog. Be sure to click on the image to enlarge and read all of the information. We just have to find Lambert (and his buds) a home. This event is yet another great brain-child of Park Ranger Adrianna Weickhardt. Kudos, Adrianna!  Be sure to see the November schedule of events and hikes sponsored by the Franklin Mountains State Park.

Congratulations to the Borderland Mountain Bike Association for the completion of the Lost Dog Trailhead. I comment about it and the Palisades in a blog post.

Take note that the Sierra Club’s lawsuit against TxDOT over Transmountain has come to an end.

Finally, you read here or in the Times about Professor Phil and Kathy Goodell generously donating  a new Center of Entrepreneurial Geosciences at UTEP, a brainchild of Dr. Goodell.  Read the UTEP News story. It gives some fresh and interesting details.

Is There a Future for the Palisades Trailhead?

Click on image to enlarge.

This past Saturday, Lost Dog Trailhead (Redd Road Trail Head), was dedicated by the Borderland Mountain Bike Association. On hand were Martin Bartlett, representing the EPWU/PSB and Marci Tuck of the City's Parks and Recreation Department. Members of the West Texas Urban Forestry Council (Los Tree Amigos) presented a check from a grant that went to landscaping the trail head with Honey Mesquites.

BMBA officer and emcee for the dedication, Brent Sanders, shared the cost figures for the trailhead. The final cost of the project was $30,000. "The BMBA ponied up about $10,000 cash for permits, PSB fees to rent the land, fines (the City hit us with a whopping $600) and materials," according to Sanders. "The rest of the money came from donations of both materials and people's time." A big contributor was Jobe Materials that provided gravel and rock.

Now let's move to the Palisades - an uncompleted Open Space project because of an earlier failure to purchase enough land and the usual bureaucratic red tape - much of which is wrapped around the City's Engineering Department.

After the Palisades was purchased with Open Space money, plans for trail improvements including amenities were drawn by Huitt-Zollars and McGann and Associates. Here's one scenario:

Click on image to enlarge.

Here's another:

Click on image to enlarge.

There's a third scenario. It seems all 3 are now in the bowels of the City's Engineering Department - what is it - two, three years after the purchase and bids went out for designs. 

Unfortunately, the scenarios weren't ever vetted first by neighbors, hikers or mountain bikers. The failure to include neighbors in the planning led City Council Representative, Ann Lilly, not to specifically target bond funds for the Palisades entrance. The project still can be done with other bond money. The hope is that there will be more input first. Some neighbors fear that the improvements will only lead to more pedestrian and biking traffic behind their homes resulting in more noise and other nuisances. This picture shows the proximity of some homes to the main trail:

Click image to enlarge.

It was an easy walk from the backyard of the home in the picture to the trail. 

I'm sure that much of the concern can be addressed by educating hikers and mountain bikers about respecting the privacy due residences in the area. Signage showing where the Palisades open space ends and private property begins could also help although boulders mark the boundary in this location:

Click image to enlarge.

A simple sign can be created saying something such as "Please help keep the noise level down until the top (or bottom) of the hill and respect the privacy of neighboring homes. Thanks for your understanding and help." 

Simple improvements to the parking (which is now done on gravel at the bottom of the hill anyway) along with some signage and amenities can make this entrance to premier El Paso open space and, eventually, into the State Park very attractive. It's not just a matter of promoting natural open space and recreation but a way to show our civic pride. People will be good neighbors if asked.

Time to pick Zollars 1, 2 or 3 or follow BMBA's lead. It will be interesting at the November 7th OSAB meeting to see how Engineering has tweaked the plans - stalled them is more like it.