Pipelines and Violence

Burned out building in Guadalupe, Chihuahua. Photo from Marfa Public Radio.

Check out this story from Marfa Public Radio. 

Thank you, Ray Rapisand for sending the link.

Mule Deer on Stanton

It's always good to see our Mule Deer friends. The picture above was taken by Marshall Carter-Tripp on North Stanton last Wednesday. I'm sure that the deer are seeking water. Wouldn't it be great if the City or the State could install some stock tanks for them and other animals. Such a suggestion was made by Dr. Rick Bonart for the wildlife corridor at Tom Mays. A pump can keep the tank full and the tank should be shallow enough so that smaller animals don't drown.

Good News for Glass Recycling?

From AndelaProducts.com

Word on the street today is that Cemex has run out of Franklin Red. That means they have gouged out as much of that beautiful rhyolite from the McKelligon Canyon Quarry as they can. That's sad news because it means the beauty of that rock has been forever taken from that large portion of the south end of the Franklin Mountains.

There is yet another tidbit of news coming from the Pendale Citizen Collection Station: Cemex wants to purchase 200 tons of recycled glass! "What for?" I inquired. "Possibly to experiment with" was the answer. Problem is that the Pendale glass crusher has only produced 10 tons of glass mulch so far. 10 tons is good news. Even better news is that El Paso residents are using it. This means El Paso's glass recycling program is working.

It also means that El Paso should think about getting a larger glass crusher. Las Cruces has a $186K crusher purchased from Andela Products. 

Again, 10 tons is great news. However, I still run into people who aren't even aware that they can recycle glass not to mention use the crushed glass for mulch, landscaping and art. 

Save your glass and take it to the collection station nearest you. Go to the Pendale Station to get your free crushed glass.

For further reading 

City of El Paso Garbage Collection Do's and Don't's 

What to Recycle in El Paso 

Benefits of Glass Recycling

Wildlife Corridor Progressing

Click image to enlarge. Photo by Rick Bonart

Rick Bonart who took the picture above had this to say about the underpass/wildlife corridor at the Tom Mays Unit of the Franklin Mountains State Park: 

"The wildlife corridor is coming along. Note it's done in 2 sections to allow natural light in the middle, and dirt bottom, and water will drain in a separate section to avoid erosion... ‎in other words best practices design."

Bonart is proposing a small stock tank nearby to support wildlife. "I just want a bunch of birds, deer, javalina rabbits, ferrets, etc.," he said.

Many are recommending that the underpass be named the "Bonart Wildlife Corridor" after Dr. Rick Bonart who has spent years advocating for this structure.

For further reading:

5 Things You Need to Know about Wildlife Corridors

Wildlife Corridor

10 important wildlife corridors

The Spine of the Continent

The Friday Video: Castner Range Video with Mr. Lopez

Mr. Pablo Lopez teaches at hillside Elementary. He was born, raised and still lives in the Segundo Barrio. A graduate of Bowie High School and UTEP, he is the President of the Southside Neighborhood Association.

Please help make Castner Range a National Monument. Visit castnerrangenationalmonument.org to find out how.




Remember: if you receive elpasonaturally as an email, you won't see the video. Go to elpasonaturally.blogspot.com to view.

The Friday Video: Robert's Fruit & Vegetable Container Garden

If you get elpasonaturally by email, the video may not display. Go to elpasonaturally.com to view.

Alternatives to Releasing Helium Balloons

From the blog, Children of Vietnam.

The topic of releasing helium balloons at funerals (or weddings - how ironic) came up this morning during a meeting of the Executive Committee of the local Sierra Club Group. The Group plans to continue to handout free reusable tote bags as an alternative to throwaway plastic store bags. However, on the topic of balloons, it was decided that there was really no way to change the recent cultural behavior of balloon releases at funerals. 

As you know, as the balloon rises higher and encounters lower pressure from the atomosphere, it expands and eventually bursts. The plastic balloon falls back to the ground where it becomes a hazard to wildlife. The overuse of helium is another issue as well.

I googled alternatives to releasing balloons at funerals and discovered How to Have a Safe Balloon Release or Use a Meaningful Alternative. Check it out. To that list I would add burning incense which is part of the burial ritual of Vietnamese. (See also the blog post, Saying Goodbye.) Burning incense is also the custom in many other religions and cultures and incense is used in the burial rites of liturgical Christian churches.