Open Space Equals Millions of Eco-Tourist Dollars

Picture of Franklin Mountains courtesy of Scott M. Cutler

Read the following press release dated July 18, 2014 from Karl Pierce of Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Now imagine preserving more of our Franklin Mountains, saving Cement Lake, providing enough water for the Rio Bosque Wetlands Park and conserving Castner Range. Come on, El Paso! Good stewardship of open space means major eco-tourist dollars!

Tourism to Guadalupe Mountains National Park creates $8,500,500 in Economic Benefit

Report shows visitor spending supports 111 jobs in local economy

Pine Springs, TX – A new National Park Service (NPS) report shows that 145,670 visitors to Guadalupe Mountains National Park in 2013 spent more than $8.5 million in communities near the
park. That spending supported 111 jobs in the local area.

“Guadalupe Mountains National Park is proud to welcome visitors from across the country and around the world,” said Superintendent Dennis A. Vásquez. “We are delighted to share the story of this place and the experiences it provides and to use the park as a way to introduce our visitors to this part of the country and all that it offers. National park tourism is a significant driver in the national economy - returning $10 for every $1 invested in the National Park Service - and it’s a big factor in our local economy as well. We appreciate the partnership and support of our neighbors and are glad to be able to give back by helping to sustain local communities.”

Vásquez continued “as we begin to wind down summer and head into fall, which is traditionally the busiest time for park visitation, people come from around the region to enjoy the colorful fall foliage in McKittrick Canyon, Smith Spring, Dog Canyon and Devil’s’ Hall during Fall Colors. In the coming weeks, we will open the new Salt Basin Dunes Day Use Area, near Dell City, and are confident that visitors will enjoy that unique area of the park, which contains the third largest gypsum dune field in the world. The park contains the largest Congressionally-designated wilderness area in the state of Texas, and we hope everyone will join us as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act of 1964 this fall. We look forward to partnering with the Texas Mountain Trail, the Texas Master Naturalists and others on a variety of programs. We invite our neighbors, from throughout Far West Texas and Southern New Mexico, to actively participate in upcoming park planning efforts, such as a new wilderness stewardship plan,
through http://parkplanning.nps.gov, through participation in public meetings, or by contacting your park with questions, concerns or suggestions, in addition to enjoying the wonderful natural, cultural and recreational resources that this park offers.”

The 2013 economic benefit figures are somewhat lower than the 2012 results. The 16-day government shutdown in October 2013, along with closures of the park, which resulted from historic
flooding and storms damage in September 2013, accounted for most of the decline in park visitation. The authors also cited inflation adjustments for differences between visitation and visitor spending, jobs supported and overall effect on the U.S. economy.

The peer-reviewed visitor spending analysis was conducted by U.S. Geological Survey economists Catherine Cullinane Thomas and Christopher Huber and Lynne Koontz for the National Park
Service. The report shows $14.6 billion of direct spending by 273.6 million park visitors in communities within 60 miles of a national park. This spending supported more than 237,000 jobs nationally, with more than 197,000 jobs found in these gateway communities, and had a cumulative benefit to the U.S. economy of $26.5 billion.

According to the 2013 economic analysis, most visitor spending was for lodging (30.3 percent) followed by food and beverages (27.3 percent), gas and oil (12.1 percent), admissions and fees
(10.3 percent) and souvenirs and other expenses (10 percent). 

The largest jobs categories supported by visitor spending were restaurants and bars (50,000 jobs) and lodging (38,000 jobs).

To download the report visit http://www.nature.nps.gov/socialscience/economics.cfm. The report includes information for visitor spending at individual parks and by state. To learn more about national parks in Texas and New Mexico, and how the National Park Service works with Texas and New Mexico communities to help preserve local history, conserve the environment, and provide outdoor recreation, go to www.nps.gov/Texas or www.nps.gov/NewMexico.
-NPS-

Call for Action: Help the Rio Bosque Wetlands Park

Below is a letter from Sal Quintanilla, President of the Friends of the Rio Bosque. He is asking us to email PSB members and/or attend the PSB meeting on Wednesday, November 13. At issue is building a pipeline from the Bustamante treatment plant to the Rio Bosque in order to provide much needed irrigation. 


Dear Friends of the Rio Bosque,

You know what a wonderful place we have in the City of El Paso’s largest park – the 372-acre Rio Bosque Wetlands Park.   In 1997, a project intended to create wetland habitat was launched at this park to mitigate for impacts associated with building and operating the concrete-lined American Canal Extension next to the Rio Grande in El Paso.  The Rio Bosque is a tremendous asset to El Paso and could be more so, IF it only had water.  The El Paso Public Service Board (PSB) will decide whether to build a pipeline to bring effluent from the Bustamante Waste Water Treatment Plant (BWWTP) to water the Park.  You can check the PSB website on Friday 8 Nov for the agenda.  Please plan to attend the PSB meeting on Wednesday 13 Nov, starting at 8 am at 1154 Hawkins Blvd, El Paso, Texas and sign up to make public comments.  Also, please contact all PSB members to explain why El Paso should have a wet Rio Bosque Wetlands Park and urge them to vote “Yes”.  PSB members’ e-mails are below and additional background information is attached.

What would El Pasoans gain by having water in our Wetlands Park?  Instead of giving away 80 to 90 acre feet of effluent each day, for free, we could store that life-sustaining water in our own aquifer (see attached Malcolm Pirnie Arcadis Bullets).  Bird watchers and outdoor recreation enthusiasts would come from far and wide and Elpasonaturally estimates that the Rio Bosque could bring $18 million in Eco-Tourism dollars to El Paso.  Educational opportunities abound in a wetlands park where our youth can experience nature, be inspired to study Science and become more involved with our community.  Graduate level UTEP students could conduct aquatic research at the Park and bring grant money to our area.  El Paso Water Utilities is already world renowned for water conservation and education and could also be a shining example of how to restore wetland and riparian habitat in the desert. Ecosystem services provide a myriad of benefits to mankind including clean air, clean water, and esthetic, cultural and spiritual value.  Services provided by wetlands include stormwater storage, nutrient removal and climate regulation.  Using extremely conservative estimates by highly regarded researchers, Robert Costanza et al, the value of the Rio Bosque Wetlands Park ecosystem services would be over $1.7 million per year.  Please urge PSB members to bring these gains to El Paso by building the pipeline from the BWWTP to the Rio Bosque Wetlands Park enhancing this resource for future generations.

Sincerely,
Sal Quintanilla 
President, Friends of the Rio Bosque
915-778-0274

Name                                                 Email Address

Dr. Richard T. Schoephoerster           rschoephoerster@epwu.org
Ruth Katherine Brennand                   rkbrennand@epwu.org
Dr. David C. Nemir                              dcnemir@epwu.org
Dr. Richard C. Bonart                          rcbonart@epwu.org
Henry Gallardo                                    hgallardo@epwu.org
Terri Garcia                                          tgarcia@epwu.org
Mayor Oscar Leeser                             oleeser@epwu.org
President and CEO John Balliew         jeballiew@EPWU.org


Attachment:
Rio Bosque Bullet Points by Malcolm Pirnie Arcadis

Real Adventure Is Still Alive in El Paso

Note how often outdoor recreation in natural open space is included in this promotional video. Shouldn't we preserve our natural open spaces for a number of reasons including their attraction to others to visit El Paso? Concreting our natural arroyos won't bring in millions in tourist dollars. Concreting our natural arroyos will cost us millions for maintenance and upkeep perpetually. It's too bad that the unaccountable Public Service Board just doesn't get it.

El Paso as a Regional Eco-Tourism Hub

This past Friday I had the great fortune of joining a group put together by County Commissioner Veronica Escobar's office: the Eco-Tourism Committee. Its agenda opened with the message, "El Paso: The Gateway to Sustainable, Responsible, Multifaceted, Cultural Nature-Tourism." The agenda was comprehensive and each of the topics should be blogged about.

I'd like to begin with what I think is the most ambitious item: Rick LoBello's quest to create one big International Peace Park out of Big Bend National Park and adjacent, protected lands in the state of Coahuila, Mexico. As long as I have known Rick, the creation of the Peace Park is his passion. (He has others as evidenced by his energy in compiling web sites such as ILoveParks.com and the one for the Chihuahuan Desert Education Coalition. Rick is the Education Curator at El Paso Zoo. He blogs frequently.

The saga to create such a park has a long history and there is renewed hope that President Obama's recent talks with President Calderon included the park.

One might wonder how such a park could benefit El Paso. Big Bend is a good half day's drive from El Paso. Nevertheless, the park is this side of Pecos River and the closest international airport to it is in El Paso, Texas. Big Bend already showcases the diverse beauty and wildlife of the Chihuahuan Desert. A peace park would attract even more visitors to our region just as similar parks around the world do. In 2005, Brewster County, Texas (which encompasses Big Bend National Park) benefited from tourist trade to the tune of $17 million. Imagine the trade that El Paso County could generate from international tourists flying into El Paso, taking advantage of the numerous nature tourism sites and activities in the County and region prior to visiting Big Bend or the U.S./Mexico Peace Park. Combine that visit with a tour of the Guadalupe Mountains National Park and perhaps the Sacramentos or Gilas, and El Paso and its sister cities could richly benefit. (A similar "grand circle tour" includes the Grand Canyon, Zion and Bryce National Parks in Arizona and Utah.)

LoBello also suggested an El Paso Great Southwest Tour: 7 Days, 7 Natural Wonders: the Franklin Mountains, White Sands, Carlsbad Caverns, the Guadalupes, Big Bend, Big Bend Ranch Park and a Davis Mountain loop that would include McDonald Observatory.

The eco-tourism committee enthusiastically and unanimously agreed to sponsoring a resolution in support of an International Park Commission - a resolution to go to local governments for adoption. Such a resolution was abandoned by Rotary International. However, that was Rotary. This is LoBello.