12th Annual Chihuahuan Desert Fiesta this Saturday

Click on each image to enlarge.

For more information, go to chihuahuandesert.org and celebmtns.org.

The Friday Video: El Paso Speaks out - Proposed Castner Range National Monument

The Friday Video: El Paso Outside: A Promise For Future Generations

Landscaping with native plants is the way to go. Just take the next step and create a back or frontyard habitat that will attract birds and butterflies and other wildlife. It doesn't have to be done all at once and it's easy to do. You can even register your front or backyard with the Chihuahuan Desert Education Coalition (CDEC). Their program makes it fun to landscape for beauty and for habitat with native plants. Also check out the City of El Paso's Get Outside program, a joint effort between the Office of Resilience and Sustainability and the Zoo. Visit and like CDEC on Facebook. BTW, CDEC's 11th Annual Chihuahuan Desert Fiesta, a Celebration of Our Mountains event, is coming up on September 19th from 9 AM to 3 PM at the Tom Mays Unit of the Franklin Mountains State Park.

Now watch an outstanding video:

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693!

Image courtesy of Benny Pol

475 adults and 218 children. That's the gate for this past Saturday's 2013 Chihuahuan Desert Fiesta as recorded by Park Superintendent, Cesar Mendez. That exceeded 450 from the year before. Indeed, in spite of the massive construction to widen Transmountain Road and the current lack of signage to the park, the turnout this past weekend was greater than expected. In previous years the numbers have dwindled. But not this year.

Credit goes to Diane Perez, Rick LoBello and Carlos Rodriguez. Many thanks to all the CDEC (Chihuahuan Desert Education Coalition) board and members and all those who participated in this year's event with booths, vending, entertainment and speaking. 

Be sure to check out, bookmark and keep visiting the CDEC web site.

Indian Fried Bread Tacos were a hit!

Image courtesy of Doug Agee

Park Superintendent and Daddy, Cesar Mendez

Master Naturalist Prez Bill Hoover in background

Image courtesy of Doug Agee

Aztec Troupe poses before performance.

Image courtesy of Benny Pol

The hay rides are always popular with the kids.

Image courtesy of Doug Agee

Two young dancers

Image courtesy of Doug Agee

CDEC to Re-Landscape City Hall

Chihuahuan Desert Education Coalition to launch Healthy Families Live Outside the Box education initiative with wildscape project at El Paso City Hall

Volunteers needed Friday and Saturday May 11 and 12

The Chihuahuan Desert Education Coalition (CDEC) is in need of dozens of volunteers to help with a new native plant wildscape at El Paso City Hall. (Map) CDEC Director Dr. Gertrud Konings has been working with a small committee and city officials in planning the wildscape since late 2011. The project is part of a City of El Paso’s Think Tank project called "Healthy Families Live Outside the Box" presented to the City Manager by El Paso Zoo Education Curator Rick LoBello in March of 2011. 

This educational initiative is designed to get people outside while encouraging them to help restore wildlife habitat loss by development.  The idea is to get people outside planting backyard desert landscapes in hopes that in doing so they will connect with our desert by learning about plants that use little water and provide habitat for wildlife.  People who invest in a few desert plants will help (1) to provide habitat for wildlife like birds and butterflies that have displaced by development, (2) experience lower water bills and (3) hopefully become more active outdoors by discovering natural areas like Franklin Mountains State Park and Rio Bosque.

The first step in launching this important community project is putting in a demonstration habitat on the front steps of El Paso City Hall.  What a great idea thanks to the input from one of our education partners.  He said to me that if you want the community to get on board with this effort you need to start in the heart of the city where our elected representatives work.  I hope you will agree that this effort is an important step in helping our community become more aware of our natural environment.  We need your help in volunteering on Friday and Saturday morning, May 11 and 12.   You can learn more online at www.chihuahuandesert.org. 

Volunteers are needed for two hour shifts on Friday, May 11 and Saturday, May 12 to help replace non-native plants in the current landscape with native plants of the Chihuahuan Desert. Details for the two day project are below.

Friday and Saturday, May 11-12, 2012
8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Volunteers will remove shrubs and weeds and replant some plants in a different area. Soil and rocks will be moved to a cactus garden.

Volunteers need to bring shovels or a pickax, knippers, gloves, plastic bags, buckets and have a hat and water.  Volunteers who can provide a pickup truck are also needed to go to the plant recycling location on Doniphan Drive and pick up plants at a local nursery.

Once the landscape has been completed, plant ID graphics will be added and a new webpage will be launched with information on how residents can landscape their front and back yards with drought-tolerant native plants. For more information and to sign up to volunteer, contact Rick LoBello at lobellorl@elpasotexas.gov or by phone at 915-217-4233. 

Chihuahuan Desert Fiesta Schedule

Click to view. Open file at bottom of new window. Click to enlarge.

New Blog on the Block

Rick LoBello has done it again. As creator of the web site for the Chihuahuan Desert Education Coalition and other sites (including the very popular Facebook group Share El Paso with Native Plants and Wildlife) connecting people with nature, Rick has begun a blog where organizations can post post their events: chihuahuandesertcoalition.blogspot.com.

Sign-Up for Chihuahuan Desert Fiesta

7th Annual Chihuahuan Desert Fiesta, September 17, 2011

The 7^th Annual Chihuahuan Desert Fiesta is sponsored by Texas Parks and Wildlife and the Franklin Mountains State Park at the Tom Mays Unit. Park staff, members of the Chihuahuan Desert Education Coalition, and other environmental education groups will be on hand to offer free demonstrations, guided tours, guest speakers and informational booths designed to introduce the curious to the wonders of our fascinating desert.

For more information on how to have a free information or demonstration booth contact Diane Perez at deperez@epwu.org

For more information on how to be a vendor selling gift items, crafts, artwork or food contact Dr. Cesar Mendez at Cesar.Mendez@tpwd.state.tx.us

For more information on how to be a speaker contact Rick LoBello at rickllobello@cs.com

For more information on how to sign up to be an entertainer contact Veronica Myers at myersvx@elpasotexas.gov

Passive Rainwater Harvesting in the Chihuahuan Desert

Here's a presentation by UTEP Engineering Professor, John Walton. The presentation was first made at the Annual Meeting of the Chihuahuan Desert Education Coaltion this past July 6. You can click on the presentation to enlarge.

Rainwater Harvesting Chihuahuan Desert

A Greater Threat Than Any Quarry

When it appeared that Avispa Quarry would swallow a portion of FEMA 41A, the arroyo long designated as the mountain to river corridor, there was an outcry not just from environmental groups but all those who desire to preserve the natural beauty of the Franklin Mountains. The Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition began an information campaign and promoted a petition. The issue was finally resolved and quieted when Stanley Jobe worked with the GLO to grant an easement to the PSB that would preserve the arroyo as it passes through the land that Mr. Jobe had leased for mining. It appears now that the Jobe quarry was a far smaller threat than what is being proposed by TxDOT and quietly promulgated by Ed Archuleta, the President and CEO of the El Paso Water Utilities Public Service Board.

On Tuesday, the City Council agreed to an $80 million TxDOT plan to convert a portion of Trans Mountain Road into a freeway that would include 4 overpasses. For the El Paso Times story, go here. Also, check out the excellent slide show presentation given to Council by Open Space Advisory Board chairman, Charlie Wakeem. I will refer to certain slides in this post.

Transmountain - Wakeem

As slide 3 shows, the first 1.5 miles of land from I-10 going east on Trans Mountain is privately owned. Those landowners have vested rights and can develop under the ordinances in place when they applied to develop. However the land also had a mountain development area overlay which allowed some concessions for developing this area. These concessions mean that land must be re-vegetated, well landscaped and there must be a hike and bike trail that matches the Pat O'Rourke Trail along Resler. Although TxDOT does not have to follow those conditions, I have learned that Chuck Berry of TxDOT has pledged that he will.

But here is where the real concern is: beyond that first stretch of 1.5 miles is another stretch of 1.7 miles most of which falls east of the gas line road. Mr. Wakeem pointed out that the gas company picked a good place for the road as it navigates flat land for the most part. It is beyond that point that we come to beautiful foothills on PSB land below the Franklin Mountains State Park. Also just beyond the gas line road to the east is Paseo del Norte - a "line" that could become a major thoroughfare with a freeway overpass built where it intersects with Trans Mountain as part of the $80 million project.

Take a look at Charlie's slide 8. It looks east along Trans Mountain and he has identified where gas line road is. Note the lovely hills just beyond that. Now imagine plenty of residential areas and some commercial all lining the Paseo del Norte thoroughfare serviced by a 24 to 28 foot freeway overpass. Say goodbye to the beautiful Franklin Mountains. Now, when people enjoy the view from the Upper Sunset Trail or Mundy's Gap, they will look down on rooftops and concrete and asphalt and interchanges and more. It's all part of the Northwest Master Plan (See slide 4) and the Archuleta plan to make more money for the utility (to buy more water outside of El Paso because it won't be that many more decades when we will have to find more water because we are encouraging unsustainable sprawl and destroying our natural mountainside in the process.)

To prevent the PSB plan from going further, City Council Representative Steve Ortega proposed on Tuesday that the entire PSB area beyond gas line road be rezoned NOS - Natural Open Space. That immediately got the reaction from Ed's buddy, Mayor John Cook, that they would have to run that by the PSB first. Really? What about the Open Space Advisory Board? What about CPC? What about the fact that the decision is really City Council's. Ever hear of the tail wagging the dog?

But here are the real rubs: Nothing has ever been zoned NOS and Ed Archuleta has always opposed a Natural Open Space zoning designation. There is no bigger threat to his plans. I have learned that already some on Council are backing off the idea of rezoning the PSB land NOS. If that is the case, why are OSAB members wasting their time reviewing this matter per their charge to do so under ordinance, when it appears that members of Council will capitulate anyway?

Note that the proposal for a freeway never came before OSAB in the first place even though its enabling ordinance clearly states that it has purview over all MDA cases. In addition, one wonders how well this TxDOT freewau would fit into the overall plan that is being developed by the one of the best consulting firms in the country, Dover Kohl: Plan El Paso. A presentation by Representative Byrd revealed that she understands modern traffic planning. However, others didn't quite seem to get it. But let's keep spending big bucks for excellent consultants and just not do what they suggest. I can hear it now when Dover Kohl comes back with their plan - "Oh had we only known this before the freeway vote!"

I sincerely hope that a line will be drawn in the sand - Gas Line Road and nothing beyond it that is public land can ever be developed which means there is no need for an overpass at Paseo del Norte. Besides, imagine how much traffic will be generated if the Berry/Archuleta scheme goes forward. Also consider that fact that, before the $80 million, there was no need for doing anything at Paseo del Norte. Suddenly under the new plan, something must be done; after all, we have $80 million to spend.

It would be good for the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition to muster its forces again and launch another campaign to save the mountains. After all, a bigger threat than the Avispa quarry is before us now. A threat, by the way, that will soon be duplicated by the powers to be on Castner Range - count on it.

Save This Date for Chihuahuan Desert Conferece

Click on poster to enlarge

A Desert Without Borders

The Chihuahuan Desert Education Coalition will hold the first annual desert conference in 2010. They are currently looking for sponsors, speakers:

Chihuahuan Desert Education Coalition to sponsor Chihuahuan Desert
Conference, November 12-14, 2010“A Desert without Borders”

The Chihuahuan Desert Education Coalition (CDEC) is making plans to sponsor the First Annual Chihuahuan Desert Conference on November 12-14, 2010 at the Tech H2O Water Resource Center in E Paso.

The mission of the conference is to promote education about the Chihuahuan Desert and to encourage educators and researchers working in the Chihuahuan Desert to network and share knowledge. The Chihuahuan Desert Educational Coalition is a bridge-building organization that encourages people to come together on behalf of conservation and education of the Chihuahuan Desert.

Kelly Serio, a Park Ranger at Franklin Mountains State Park and a member of the planning committee said that "the goals of the conference include creating opportunities to learn about the Chihuahuan Desert, providing opportunities for people who are doing conservation work or research to network and providing a space and time for researchers to present their findings."

To learn about how to sign up to present a paper or poster at the conference a Chihuahuan Desert Conference Proposal Submission Form is available online at www.chihuahuandesert.org.

For more information on the Conference contact Rick LoBello at lobellorl@elpasotexas.gov. For sponsorship information contact Judy Ackerman at j.p.ackerman@sbcglobal.net