ACTION ALERT! Protect Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument

Travel-National Geographic image

The designation of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument could be in danger of being Trumped. Back in April, President Trump issued an executive order directing the Department of the Interior to conduct a review of all national monuments designated since 1996. The Southwest Environmental Center writes: "The intent behind this order is clear: to reduce or eliminate monuments to make way for more mining, logging, and extraction."

SWEC tells you where to go online to make a comment. It even gives you some tips for making an effective comment. Go HERE.

Tomorrow (June 27) at 9AM the Doña Ana County Commissioners will consider a resolution to save Organ Mountains-Desert Peak. If you want to attend, follow this Action Alert from the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition:

Creation of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument in 2014 inspired Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition’s efforts to make Castner Range a National Monument (these efforts continue).

This Tuesday, the Doña Ana County Commission will be voting on two Resolutions that will potentially impact the future of our Organ Mountains Desert Peaks National Monument.

We urge you to attend the County Commission meeting on Tuesday and contact the Commissioners now asking them to pass the Resolution supporting the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument, and oppose any anti-Monument resolution or amendments.

The stakes couldn't be higher-it's crucial that the County Commission take a strong stand of support of our National Monument. YOUR voice is critically needed on Tuesday to make this stand.
Help Protect Public Lands
What:  Dona Ana County Commission Meeting
Date:  Tuesday June 27th
Time:  9 AM
Location:  845 N. Motel Blvd. Las Cruces, NM  88007
Agenda:  HERE

Urge Doña Ana County Commission to protect our public lands and oppose any anti-Monument resolution or amendments.
Here are the Commissioners Email Addresses and office phone numbers:


District 1
BILLY G. GARRETT
Office:      (575) 525-5808
E-mail: bgarrett@donaanacounty.org

District 2
RAMON S. GONZALEZ
Office:      (575) 525-5804
E-mail: rgonzalez@donaanacounty.org

District 3
BENJAMIN L. RAWSON
Office:     (575) 525-5807  Cell:  575-649-4153
E-mail: brawson@donaanacounty.org or brawson@rawson-inc.com

District 4
ISABELLA SOLIS - CHAIR
Offfice:     (575) 525-5810
E-mail: isolis@donaanacounty.org

District 5
JOHN L. VASQUEZ - VICE CHAIR
Office:      (575) 525-5809
E-mail: jvasquez@donaanacounty.org
Additional Background Information

Join the Facebook Event HERE.
Article: "Pearce urges Zinke to shrink Organ Mountains monument" HERE.
Friends of Organ Mountains Desert Peaks Information HERE.
Monument Official Site HERE.

Sierra Club has more information HERE.

From the Albuquerque Journal. Click on image to enlarge.

Castner Range Celebration

Click on image to enlarge.

Stop Mountain Development in Northeast El Paso

From our friends at Franklin Mountains Wilderness Society:

ATTEND City Council! 
An outpouring of attendance at City Council can spur their action.
!!  Attend  !!
What:  City Council Meeting, Call to the Public
Date:   Tuesday, 19 Apr 2016
Time:  8 am
Location:  City Hall, 300 N. Campbell. MAP
Sign up to speak during Call to the Public HERE.  
Sign up to speak on “Save Our Sierras” (SOS) even if you change your mind later.  That way your opinion counts.  

Why:  City Council must commit to, and initiate negotiations with willing land owners in order to preserve privately owned land around our mountains.  The owners of this land have stated their willingness to sell or trade.
Background:  Land owners plan to develop over 600 acres in Northeast El Paso between Hondo Pass and McKelligon Canyon, including the Sierra del Puerte development.

Recent Events:

On 5 Apr, SOS and Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition (FMWC) members asked City Council to stop the Sierra del Puerte development on our mountainside in Northeast El Paso.  City Council heard us.  Now we need to follow through.  Our message is simple: “Only City Council has the power to protect our mountains.” and “What has the City done on negotiating with the land owners?”   You can view the entire 5 Apr meeting HERE under City Council Meetings for that date.

On 9 Apr, the El Paso History Radio Show interviewed land owners Sherry Mowles and Dan Knapp about their plans for developing and the history of their land.  You can listen to the entire interview HERE.  

On 24 Mar City Planning Commission approved all exceptions to the Planned Mountain Development subdivision code that the developer requested.  The reason the developer needed exceptions was because of “severe topographical conditions.”  Members of Save Our Sierras spoke in opposition and you can view the entire meeting HERE under City Planning Commission for that date.

!!  Attend  !!
!! Sign up to Speak!!

Our Mountains need your presence and your voice.

Save Our Sierras!

Castner Range Conservation Clears First Hurdle

Please ask President Obama to designate Castner Range as a National Monument.

David Soules gives a presentation about the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument.
Photo by John R Miller, Happy Destiny Photography

Frontera Land Alliance Executive Director,  Janae' Reneaud-Field, announced at a joint annual dinner last evening that her office has now received well over 1,000 letters addressed to President Obama asking him to designate Castner Range as a National Monument. Of course, many more letters will need to be signed; but the first deadline has been reached.

The dinner at the elegant El Paso Club was a joint meeting of the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition and the Friends of the Rio Bosque. Richard Teschner, President of the Friends of the Rio Bosque, made arrangements for the event. 

Scott Cutler, President of the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coaltion, spoke about FMWC and Castner Range and introduced the guest-speaker, David Soules, who was instrumental in having the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks designated as a National Monument.

John Sproul, the Manager of the Rio Bosque Wetlands Park, then spoke about the huge difference that year-round water has made at the Rio Bosque. The park is truly beginning to be a sustainable wetland thanks to the PSB/EPWU which constructed a pipeline from its Bustamante Water Treatment Plant to the Bosque.

Scott Cutler speaks with Congressman (and future President) Beto O'Rourke.
Photo by John R Miller, Happy Destiny Photography

Of course, what really generated enthusiasm last evening was the buzz about Castner Range. Rep. Beto O'Rourke, who has introduced legislation for its preservation, greeted members of both prominent El Paso environmental groups.

Again, more letters - many more letters - are needed. Please go HERE to download a letter to President Obama asking him to designate Castner Range as a National Monument. Then print and mail your letter to Janae' Reneaud-Field, Executive Director, Frontera Land Alliance, 3800 N. Mesa St., Suite A2-258. El Paso, TX 79902. You can also scan and email your letter to her at Janae@Fronteralandalliance.org. Don't mail your letter to President Obama. Janae' will do that.

O'Rourke Seeks National Monument Designation for Castner Range

The office of Beto O'Rourke announced just a few minutes ago that Rep. O'Rourke has introduced legislation to preserve Castner Range. The proposed legislation is in concert with a current letter campaign which asks President Obama to use his "authority under the Antiquities Act to protect the Castner Range landscape in western Texas as a national monument that honors the cultural, historical, scientific and environmental connections to the region."

You can download the letter from HERE. After printing it and signing, send to Janaé Reneaud Field, Executive Director, Frontera Land Alliance, 3800 N. Mesa St., Suite A2-258, El Paso, TX 79902 or email Janae@Fronteralandalliance.org.

Congressman O'Rourke's office issued this press release:

"Today Congressman Beto O'Rourke introduced the Castner Range National Monument Act. Castner Range is a 7,081-acre mountain range surrounded by the Franklin Mountains State Park in Northeast El Paso. This bill would protect Castner Range in perpetuity by making it a national monument.

The bill is the result of a community effort led by the Frontera Land Alliance, the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition and other environmental community leaders who have been working to protect Castner Range since the 1970s.

O’Rourke’s legislation will ensure that the public can continue to enjoy these lands forever while shining a national spotlight on El Paso. Castner Range would become the first national monument in West Texas and also the largest in any major metropolitan U.S. city. A national monument designation would also help El Paso realize new opportunities for economic development through tourism and outdoor recreation.

This legislation eventually transfers the mountain range from the Department of Defense (DoD) to the Department of Interior.

Congressman Beto O’Rourke said, “Castner Range is the crown jewel of West Texas. It deserves to be protected and preserved in its natural state. This legislation is written to do just that. I am grateful to the Frontera Land Alliance, the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition and our environmental and community partners for helping me write this legislation.”


For more information:
The Frontera Land Alliance's Castner Range Facebook page and Twitter page. 

Castnerrangenationalmonument.org should soon be live.

Save the Sierras

Here's another Derek Spear video produced yesterday and uploaded to his YouTube page, Adventure Drone. About this video, Derek writes: "Flight over the eastern slopes of the Franklin Mountains. The site is currently being studied for a planned development called Sierra del Puerte. Save Our Sierras was formed as a committee of the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition in an effort to preserve the area in its natural state."

The Knapp family has been trying to sell the property to the City for several years now. My understanding is that they want a very reasonable price. The land including arroyos is beautiful. I have hiked there and I can tell you that there is a spot which always makes me stop and keep silent. It is a place where I have experienced the numinous as Rudolf Otto named it in his book The Idea of the Holy: mysterium tremendum et fascinans. 

This land is powerful and beautiful. We have already developed too much of our mountainsides. The family that owns it wants to preserve it also. The City needs to step up and care.

An Open Letter to All Those Who Attended OSAB Yesterday

"We the People" begin to gather for yesterday's Open Space Advisory Board meeting.

To all of you great people who attended the Open Space Board meeting yesterday and spoke out during the call to the public:

I've said it before and I'll say it again: "Leadership for real change must begin with We the People. We cannot afford to be complacent and disorganized any longer." I wrote that in a blog post apologizing to the Knapps and saying that they have every right to develop their land and have no choice but to do so since they have found no accommodation with the city after six years of trying. The land has value and it is taxable.

On the other hand, I hope that they don't develop. They like you and me value our mountainsides. It's not them. It's the city and the politics of the city. Money for open space is drained for pork barrel projects, the park ponds. Money evaporates because of bureaucratic failures. Money protects the monied interests and not the interests of the public. Who pays for it? You and me. Just look at your ridiculous property taxes. If you are a business person, just look at all the waste caused by onerous city rules and regulations. If our city politicians had the will to do what is right and not what is in the interest of their big contributors, we could do more with improving our infrastructure, preserving our natural treasures of mountains, desert and wetlands, and restoring our historic buildings. 

People spoke out.

Each of you yesterday took a giant leap for that leadership for real change. "We the People" came to OSAB yesterday.

As a member of that board and as someone who wants to see real change in this city, I was elated by your presence. You were not there in vain. Although the issue of the Sierra del Puente development was not on the agenda, it has been an item of discussion before. You came to discuss your real concerns during the call to the public which was perfectly appropriate. Since Sierra del Puente and the Stoney Hill property are open spaces with clear stormwater functions, you came to the right place. Also, just the fact that you came - nearly a 100 of you - has already sent a message to city government. You spoke truth loudly to power.

Mayor Cook and Chris Cummings were right. The next step is to call your representatives. Rep. Carl Robinson was there and said that he was already working with the Mayor on the issue. State Rep. Joe Moody urged board members to discuss the issue with the representatives who appointed them. I sure plan to speak with Claudia Ordaz, a great public servant.

Your points were good ones: the concern about flooding, overcrowding of already overcrowded schools, protection of the viewshed and access to the State Park, protection of wildlife including endangered or protected wildlife and protecting your homes from damage caused by preparing that rough landscape for development.

You made your points. You were in the right place. You will take the next steps. Work with the Knapps. Work with your Neighborhood Associations. Work with Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition. Work with the City. After yesterday, you have their ears. Be ceaseless and enthusiastic. 

elpasonaturally is with you. Make this your podium too.

For those of you who draw inspiration from books of scripture, here's the beginning of the 121st Psalm:

"I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
    where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, 
the Maker of heaven and earth."

Lift up your eyes to the mountains. There is inspiration and motivation right there.


Please support elpasonaturally©. Go HERE to donate and help turn El Paso "green".

Save Our Sierras

[A new group has formed: Save Our Sierras. It consists of neighbors below the proposed Sierra del Puente and Stoney Hills developments. Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition is sending out a call to action in their newest e-letter. Below is a list of actions and how you can help.]

Development Next to Mountainside Neighborhood

Are you ready for a swath of new houses between your home and our Franklin Mountains?  The heirs to Dick Knapp are working on development plans for the hundreds of acres they own between McKelligon Canyon and Hondo Pass.  You may have seen bulldozers and graders “improving” roads so that surveyors will have access.  Land owners are carefully abiding by all regulations and are within their rights.

However, development of our pristine mountain sides is NOT inevitable.  Creation of our Franklin Mountains State Park (FMSP) in 1979 and preservation of Kern View Estates II in April of this year demonstrate that citizen action can result in critical land conservation.

To protect our mountains, all neighbors must organize and take action to inform City officials of their desire that the land at the eastern edge of the Franklin Mountains State Park remain in its natural state. 

Please attend the next Open Space Advisory Board meeting and bring your friends and neighbors.  Anyone can speak during “Call to the Public.”  The agenda should include items related to this development.

Wednesday, August 5th, 2015, 3:00 P.M.

City 3 Building, 801 Texas Avenue

Basement, Thorman Conference Room

Other options to TAKE ACTION:

1.      Join the Mountainside Neighborhood Association.

2.      Join the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition at FranklinMountains.org.

3.      Stay informed with blogs such as ElPasoNaturally.com.

4.      Attend meetings such as City Council and Open Space Advisory Board.

5.      Make your voice heard!

YOU can help save our sierras!

To sign the petition and for more information contact judy Ackerman, jpackerman53@gmail.com, 915-755-7371.

Please support elpasonaturally©. Go HERE to donate and help turn El Paso "green".

The Friday Video on Monday: We the People Petition

Please do four things: 

Watch the video
Forward this link to your friends and ask them to watch the video.
Sign the petition.
Ask your friends to sign the petition.

This is a beautiful video by Rick LoBello on behalf of the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition. To learn more about the petition and to download a copy to sign and get other signatures (if you can), go to franklinmountains.org. 

The Monday Links: Colorado Snow Pack, Smart Building, Gluten and Trees

[Monday is "Links Day" with links gathered over the past week to online "stuff" to read and sites to surf that impact us directly or offer information about our regional issues. Please feel free to send me links to any conservation, environmental, simple living, city planning, energy and water, etc. stories that you have come across online.] 


John Fleck's Blog (Definitely bookmark and read.) 2 recent entries:

Bad January, worse February in Colorado, Rio Grande basins (If you only have time to read one of his posts or even one of these links, this is the one to read.)
"half-told stories about the value of water"
Water in the desert, Fountain Hills edition


Megadroughts:

California, Here Dry Come!


Energy Efficient Architecture and Building:

Aggressively Passive Maine Dorm


Off the subject but interesting:

The Real Problem with Bread (It's Probably Not Gluten)


Visit, bookmark and surf these sites:

franklinmountains.org
Open Tree Map

We the People

Click on image to enlarge.

We the people want preserved, in its natural state and in perpetuity, all of the undeveloped land owned by the City of El Paso on the western side of the Franklin Mountains that is north of Transmountain Road, east of the EPNG Pipeline Road and south of the New Mexico/El Paso boundary and on the eastern side of the Franklin Mountains that is north of Transmountain, west of Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. and south of the New Mexico/El Paso boundary.

The Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition, the Sierra Club El Paso Group and elpasonaturally have launched a new "We the People" petition for everyone in El Paso to sign calling upon our leaders to work together in saving what remains of the lower elevations of the Franklin Mountains. You and your family and friends can help send a message to our City by printing out a petition today and collecting signatures between now and May 1.

Go HERE for the petition.

Completed petitions can be scanned and emailed to me (Jim Tolbert) at diegotolbert@gmail.com or snail mailed to me at 2701 Frankfort Ave., El Paso, TX 79930.

You can find the petition, a map of the lands covered and a fact sheet including instructions at franklinmountains.org. 

Be sure to read the Fact Sheet which gives 6 good reasons for preserving this land including lowering our onerous property taxes.

Want an impassioned plea to save our mountains? Read Joseph Pacheco's comment to my post about preserving Castner Range.

Here is his comment in full:

I truly hope this [preserving Castner Range] can be done, but I am doubtful. After all the western portion of the park is, in my humble opinion, lost as development will fully engulf the whole are within 5 years. It is truly sad that El Pasoans could show so little interest in protecting their mountains, placing shopping and access to McDonalds of higher importance. Once I finished my graduate degree in central TX I fully planned on returning home to El Paso, but each time I go home to visit the direction the city has taken and the urban sprawl that El Paso's leaders have progressed makes me sick to my stomach, making my return very doubtful. 

I constanlty avoided going thru loop 375, because I did not want to see what was done to my beloved desert, but when I finally did it was very sad and I almost wept at seeing what has happened to the entire area: new neighborhoods springing up only a mile or so from the park, a giant freeway closing the entrance to Franklin State Park, a new giant medical complex right on Transmountain Rd. I am all for a new hospital, but not on Transmountain Rd. More and more development will happen. Neighborhoods are almost at the base of the picnic/scenic area of South Franklin Mountain. In my opinion the entire mountain range is under siege and the park itself in a few short years will no longer be worth visiting, because who wants to see the roofs of homes or traffic as part of the outdoors experience. 

El Paso leaders or its residents just don't see the tragedy happening right before their eyes or they do and just don't care. A perfect example is the Tramway. A wonderful idea that is a tourist magnet. But, it being right next to a giant quarry ruins the entire experience and destroys the point that El Paso was trying to make by resurrecting the Tramway in the first place and that is El Paso is a unique city, wild and mountainous, respectful of nature and appreciative of our natural geology. But, again instead tourists who go to the tramway are shocked by the giant eyesore of a quarry which destroys the whole purpose of the tramway. Not only that, McKelligon Canyon is also a victim of this rock quarry. 

As if El Pasoans are not satisfied enough with destroying the Franklin Mountains they seem fully set on tearing down the Hueco Mountains as well. 

El Paso had the opportunity to be a unique city and setting an example. It could have been an opponent of urban sprawl and protected the cities natural beauty. It could have built smart, set a new pathway for cities of the 21st century. El Paso could have become a tourist city by promoting its natural beauty and becoming a green city. But the city chose the corrupt way, the way which required little vision and no wisdom. Only short term financial and political gain.

It does not surprise me of El Pasoans apathy regarding this topic. I would always speak to fellow El Pasoans about the mountains and tell them just how lucky we are to have such beauty in our city. I would tell them El Paso is the only city in the Untied States that has a mountain range right in the middle of it and I thought that has always been awesome! However, most of the time I would just get a glazed over look as if my fellow El Pasoans had no idea what I was talking about. They just did not care or think much about it.


While our fellow neighbor Las Cruces protects its mountains and has gone so far as to get the Organ Mountains designated as a National Monument. El Pasoans only care is to get from the Northeast to the West side 15 minutes faster so the can stop at the new McDonalds to eat and shop at the new Wal Mart, both of which are being built right next to the former great Franklin Mountains State Park. 

Castner Range Is Being Destroyed Not Preserved

This past Saturday, the Frontera Land Alliance unveiled a new video produced by Jackson Polk entitled "Conserving Castner". Elpasonaturally posted it this last Monday. It has been a dream of many El Pasoans, the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition and Frontera to conserve this land now owned by Ft. Bliss by making it a part of the Franklin Mountains State Park. Since it was used for artillery practice, the Army has been reluctant to turn it over until unexploded munitions have been accounted for and destroyed. One would think that the range remains in pristine condition since it is off limits. Trespassing will result in a heavy fine . . . if you are caught that is.

Think again about that pristine state. The truth is that people do explore Castner particularly the higher elevations. There are places of great beauty - that is, there were places of great beauty. Castner is not protected. The United States Army cares nothing about natural beauty (including huge sections of the Hueco Bolson that they now trample and destroy playing war games). The longer Castner remains without real conservation, the more of it gets destroyed. 

Although members of the FMWC and others have tried to get Castner transferred to park land for decades now, the issue remains unresolved and seemingly no closer to resolution. All the while, gangs despoil the natural beauty with graffiti and camp sites. Litter and paint are left behind. There is little outcry from the media probably because there has been little publicity about the matter. The Range is off-limits, remember.

It is high time that people see the destruction of pristine canyons and arroyos in their Franklin Mountains. It is time that the U.S. Army deed land to the State Park if only the higher elevations in the beginning. If the Army cares, they should send up battalions to wipe-off the graffiti from the rocks of the Franklin Mountains. After all, they have been stewards of this land for a very long time and their legacy is nothing more than unexploded ordnance and ugly graffiti.

MPO Delays TxDOT Attempt to Defund Park Entrance

Judy Ackerman was our woman on the ground for the MPO meeting today.  Below is her report along with a message that she will send out again to FMWC persons.  I include it here for everyone.  Apparently the MPO delayed decision on taking funds from the park entrance project and spending them on doodads and frills (those boring Lone Stars that TxDOT likes to use for its big freeway exchanges instead of real live landscapes - and, in this case, in stead of a safe, visible entrance to our Franklin Mountains State Park which will include an animal corridor as well as bicycle and pedestrian paths that will connect the southside of Transmountain with the North.  Lone Stars in TxDOT's planning come before human safety or wildlife preservation.  

Judy told me that the Chairwoman of the MPO, Judge Veronica Escobar, made it clear that the MPO wanted to see consensus in the environmental community.  With the exception of one person, there is unanimous favor for the TPWD's preferred alternative - an underpass at the entrance not a 3 mile round-trip diversion from Paseo del Norte that will cut through an arroyo and valuable archaeological assets. 

It is critical that you let TxDOT, the MPO, Judge Escobar and City Manager Joyce Wilson know that you prefer the TPWD's choice and no others and that you are part of the environmental community.  Judy has published a list of email addresses below.  I add two more:

Robert Bielek, TxDOT Engineer for El Paso: Robert.Bielek@txdot.gov

Ted Houghton, State TxDOT Chairman: ted4@houghtonfinancialpartners.com

I have also learned from an undisclosed source close to MPO and TxDOT that TxDOT person's have been told to lie about the alternative - to claim anything besides the truth which is that they want to divert funds from safe, visible entrance preferred by the Park and use those funds for Lone Star doodad frills.

Judy's Report

Today, MPO Delayed a decision on agenda items 10 – 15 http://www.elpasompo.org/2013Agendas/TPBAgenda040513.htm.  TXDOT’s proposal to Defund Option 4 was based on an agreed upon suspense of 30 Aug to let the funds.  Joe Pickett believes he can slip the suspense. MPO wants to hear from the public and says their recommendation to defund will go forward unless the community comes to consensus at the meeting 10 Apr.  IF Pickett can NOT ensure the money will still be available after 30 Aug, MPO will have a special meeting to decide whether to defund.

judy

Email to FMWC Community 

You - the Public will determine the fate of FMSP Entrance.  Your participation will determine if Franklin Mountains State Park (FMSP) will have a safe, appropriate entrance.  The Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) will base its approval of the TXDOT project on the public comments at next week’s meeting.  If there is no public conscious, the FMSP Entrance project will be de-funded. 

Please attend TXDOT’s public meeting on Wednesday, April 10, 2013, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Canutillo High School, 6675 South Desert Boulevard, El Paso TX 79932.

We need an entrance to FMSP that is safe for vehicles, pedestrians, bikes and animals.  TPWD completed an in-depth analysis and determined that TXDOT’s Option 4, with an underpass into the Park, is the only acceptable option.  Links to their reports are available at:  http://www.franklinmountains.org/.

Expanding Transmountain Road cuts the Park in half, fragmenting habitat and making it impossible for visitors to safely get from trails south of Transmountain Road to amenities that are north of the road.

Links to details about the environmental community’s preference can be found at http://elpasonaturally.blogspot.com/2013/02/fmsp-staff-makes-case-for-best-entrance.html.   

The MPO board members repeatedly reminded FMSP advocates that public participation is the key to funding Option 4.  Whether you can attend the meetings or not, please contact all the elected officials and government personnel listed below and let them know that you support a safe and appropriate entrance to our nation’s largest urban park.

Written comments from the public regarding this project are encouraged. Comments may be submitted either at the Public Meeting or within 10 days after the meeting. Written comments may be emailed to the following address: Blanton & Associates, Attn: Loop 375 at the Franklin Mountains State Park Entrance, 5 Lakeway Centre Court, Suite 200, Austin TX  78734. Comments may also be e‐mailed to

ELP‐FMSParkEntrance@txdot.gov.

Comments must be postmarked on or before Saturday, April 20, 2013 to be included as part of the public record. If you have any questions or would like to discuss the project in more detail, please contact Ms. Martha Gandara, TxDOT Project Manager, at (915) 790‐4255.

Here is a sample message you can copy and paste:

Dear City, County and State Officials,

I urge you to support and fund TX Parks and Wildlife Department’s (TPWD) preferred entrance to the Tom Mays Unit of the Franklin Mountains State Park (FMSP) known as TXDOT Option 4.  This is the only option that is safe for vehicles, pedestrians, bikes and animals. 

As someone who deeply cares about our State Park and the safety of motorists and wildlife, I want the TPWD front-door alternative back on schedule and fully funded.

Here is why you should support an improved entrance to the Tom Mays Section of the Franklin Mountains State Park (FMSP) that includes an underpass. (This is known as TXDOT Option 4.) 

·         Ensures safe access to the FMSP for vehicles, pedestrians, bikes and wildlife. 

·         The TPWD and FMSP personnel are the experts on the Park.  They have reviewed the entrance options and we should respect TPWD’s professional decision on what is the best entrance to the Park.

·         Ensures that emergency vehicles will have the easiest access and swiftest response times when dealing with emergencies in the park.

·         Safeguards orderly traffic flow for an estimated current 35,000 – 40,000 vehicles that visit FMSP each year - and the number is growing.

·         Minimizes habitat and terrain distribution.

·         Leaves the FMSP’s richest archaeological site undisturbed.

·         Preserves mountain vistas.

·         Provides a world-class entrance to a world-class Park, not the back-door entrance proposed in other options.

·         The best long-term investment in local transportation.

Just copy this list and paste into the “To” field of your email. Robert.Bielek@txdot.gov, mmedina@elpasompo.org, escobar@epcounty.com, johnfcook@sbcglobal.net, lillyam@elpasotexas.gov, byrdsm@elpasotexas.gov, acostaea@elpasotexas.gov, robinsoncl@elpasotexas.gov, noem@elpasotexas.gov, holguinec@elpasotexas.gov, ortegasx2@elpasotexas.gov, nilandcc@elpasotexas.gov, mcelroymx@elpasotexas.gov, wilsonja@elpasotexas.gov,

joe.pickett@house.state.tx.us, joe.moody@house.state.tx.us , jose.rodriguez@senate.state.tx.us

PSB Recommends Access and Animal Corridor into State Park

They've got to stop it. The PSB I mean. They are going to ruin my reputation - or theirs. We are agreeing too much. I was delighted when they endorsed a conservation easement. Today they recommended an access to the State Park that makes sense to me. 


Some background: With the widening of Transmountain, the current entrance and exit from the Tom Mays Unit of the Franklin Mountains State Park will become even more dangerous than it is today. Although the TxDOT plan to widen Transmountain does not address this danger, most people are reasonably concerned. Some alternative plans have been proposed.


Dr. Richard Bonart DVM, a member of the PSB recently gave a presentation with his suggestions:
Bonart Plan for Access to Tom Mays

His suggestion puts an access road alongside Transmountain to the north and takes into account planned hike and bike trails. (Slide 4) It also makes mention of existing culverts just to the east of the current entrance that could be retrofitted to become solely an animal corridor with use by hikers and mountain bikers as well. (Slide 5) The model for the corridor would be those used in Oregon (Slide 6). 

The alternative proposed today in a presentation given by Pat Adauto is similar to Dr. Bonart's. It provides an access road off of Paseo del Norte (as does Dr. Bonart's) and enters the park a bit to the north of Bonart's - using an existing trail that is the beginning of the southern route of the current Lower Sunset Trail. That alternative also has the advantage of following a road to be built to a "resort" as approved earlier by City Council. Indeed this route was also mentioned years ago by Dr. Bonart to TxDOT.


Too often some people see those of us in the conservation/environmental community as in lock-step singular agreement on all things. For example, I don't always agree with the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coaltion and vice versa. I don't write for the Open Space Board nor am I affiliated in any fashion with Frontera Land Alliance, a non-political/non-profit land trust organization. I recently encouraged members of a neighborhood association to oppose a recommendation for a zoning change given by OSAB to the City Plan Commission. I was one of only two votes against this egregious recommendation - enough said at least for now. Obviously some in the conservation community take quite an exception to my views about the ballpark (more on that later). And the recent election put many of us in the O'Rourke camp and many in the Reyes camp. We have our differences and we aren't all the same though we share common goals.


One proposal from the conservation community for access to the State Park would build an interchange off of Transmountain about where there is an existing runnaway lane. That interchange would provide an underpass for safe entrance to and exit from the park. It could also be utilized by animals for nocturnal passage. Although this plan would provide safe access and egress for motorized vehicles and human beings, I have two serious reservations about it. First, the interchange would be a mini-spaghetti bowl blocking the view shed of the mountain. Second, I really don't want to mix vehicles with animals even if you expect no cars after 10 p.m. and animals only from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. (Animals can be rather sloppy about their time keeping.) I've seen Mule Deer out during the day - many in those parts.

Dr. Rick Bonart (in red) explains his plan to (counter-clockwise from foreground) Dave Wilson, Borderland Mountain Bike Association, Ed Escudero, Chairman of the PSB, Brent Sanders, BMBA, and Dr. Cesar Mendez, Park Superintendent standing in culvert.

The PSB's Alternative 1 also means that a resort can become a grand entryway into the park - an encouragement to get people outdoors and an opportunity for eco-tourism and eco-tourist dollars for the City as well as places for retreats, strategic planning, museum space. Think of a place like Indian  Lodge in the Davis Mountains State Park. A mini-spaghetti bowl only eats up more natural open space. A simple access road tied into an Indian Lodge-type resort provides an opening into natural open space.


Not only did the PSB recommend Alterantive 1 but they recommended the Bonart animal corridor at the place where the culverts are now.


So stop it, PSB! You're ruining my reputation!


Actually, keep it up!

TxDOT Plans Animal Corridor Not Meant for Animals

Party for the Planet at the El Paso Zoo this Saturday and Sunday, April 21-22. (Map)

Want to see what a TxDOT wildlife corridor looks like? I’ve posted the plan. It’s 600 feet in length and I have it on so many good authorities that no animal is going to traverse this tunnel. Of course, I’m talking about the corridor which is going underneath their Transmountain Freeway. TxDOT did tell the public that they had communicated with the Texas Parks and Wildlife. However, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Urban Wildlife Biologist for El Paso, Lois Balin, said: "I have never seen this design before nor discussed anything even close to a 600 foot culvert." Another wildlife expert told me: “TxDOT is only trying to placate outraged citizenry who do not know much about wildlife and might think that a tunnel is a good faith effort to show that they care about our wildlife.” What is the tunnel for really? Really?

Many of you have noticed how quickly contractors are obliterating a wide swath of natural landscape on both sides of Transmountain on the west side of the mountain. Keep in mind that the Sierra Club is suing TxDOT and asking the court to order a more thorough environmental study. In fact, last week Sierra Club asked the court for an injunction to stop the work and we are still waiting for that result. The faster the land can be cleared, the more an injunction or the study becomes moot. In fact, the easier it becomes for TxDOT to argue that too much has been done already and too much money has been spent. A threat of a counter suit by the contractor, Sundt Construction, becomes a greater possibility as well. Their argument will be that they have too much time and money into the project now. The genii, as they say, is out of the bottle. Stay tuned.

On the other side of the mountain on both sides of Transmountain is Castner Range. Attempts to preserve it have been going on for a much longer time than efforts to save the Scenic Transmountain Corridor on the west. The Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition has been working for a long time with elected officials and Fort Bliss to save the Range as natural open space. Many of you are most familiar with Castner Range during the annual Poppy Fest. This year the poppies were more dazzling than troupes of edelweiss in the Austrian Alps. (El Paso didn’t have Maria von Trapp but we sure had our Native American drummers.) You can see at today’s elpasonaturally post pictures of this year’s poppies along with information and background about the Range and why it is critical that it be preserved. There is also an announcement of an upcoming meeting on Wednesday, April 25^th, of the Fort Bliss Restoration Advisory Board at 6:30 p.m. in Chaparral, NM just off the tip of NE El Paso. RAB needs to see more and more and more El Pasoans who want to see Castner Range preserved as natural open space once it is wiped clean of any still unexploded ordnance (the reason for all those “No Trespassing” signs around the perimeter of the range).

UTEP Engineering Professor, Dr. John Walton, gave a presentation about passive rainwater harvesting in the El Paso region to members of the City’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Board last week. You can see the slide show from that presentation.

Speaking about water, you are probably keeping up with the serious situation regarding the early release of large amounts of water from the Rio Grande to Mexico meaning less water now for Texas farmers. “State officials are taking a stand against the binational International Boundary and Water Commission over the release of Rio Grande water to Mexico. They say the water payments will cause substantial losses to U.S. crops and run counter to the 1906 pact governing water shares in the West Texas and New Mexico region.” Read more from MySanAntonio.com: Tempers boil over border water battle.

It’s not just nations vying over water: stakeholders along three Texas rivers are unhappy with a TCEQ ruling.

Get used to water wars but know that the public needs to have a greater voice about its water. That is why the Rodriguez bill last year was so egregious. You can get more background from three El Paso Times stories from earlier years here, here and here.

Finally, want to find out how walkable your neighborhood is? Go to walkscore.com.  Be sure to read what makes a neighborhood walkable and the benefits of living in such a neighborhood.

RAB Meeting Gives Opportunity to Support Preservation of Casner Range

Click on image to enlarge.

Elpasonaturally has focused primarily on the preservation of land in the Scenic Transmountain Corridor on the west side of the Franklins. The effort to preserve Castner Range on the east side has been going on for a much longer period of time. It involves cleaning up unexploded ordnance since the Range which is still property of the U.S. Army was used for many years for artillery practice. Once that "cleaning up" has occurred, then the land could be transferred to the State Park and preserved in its natural state. Cleaning it up is ongoing. Transferring is still not a done deal. That is why it is so important for all of us who want to see our natural treasures preserved begin to be seen by the Fort Bliss Restoration Advisory Board. Enlarge the image above for more information about their next meeting in Chaparral, NM. (Map)


Here is a publication by the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition which is valuable reading. Along with information and background about the Range, it states the reasons for preserving Castner in its natural state:
Castner Range Educational Flier

Castner Range is the area where the Mexican Poppies have become prolific. I even saw poppies grow on Knapp property just south of the range on the other side of Hondo Pass. Some plants have now been found on the west side of the mountain. Here are three pics from this year's Poppy Fest which is held at the El Paso Museum of Archaeology which is surrounded by Castner Range:

Bullwinkle Formation in background

 Maggie, Phaedra & Finn Moses

Today's E-Letter: Reyes Deputy Chief of Staff Loses Control

Value conservation, preserved open natural space, green infrastructure/low impact development? Head doesn’t bob like a dashboard ornament? APPLY TO SERVE ON THE PUBLIC SERVICE BOARD. The Public Service Board is accepting applications for one vacancy. Applicants must have education and professional expertise in the field of Communications, Public Administration or Education. Go here for more information. Hurry. The deadline for receiving applications is Monday, November 28, by 5 p.m. Any application received after 5:00 p.m. on November 28 will not be considered.

Here’s a story you won’t read in the Times: Representative Silvestre Reyes’ Deputy Chief of Staff, Sal Payan, lost all control at the regular monthly meeting of City Council Rep. Susie Byrd whose guest was candidate Beto O’Rourke. The meeting happened on November 3^rd at Tierra del Sol Mexican Restaurant. It’s sad to report that a tax payer-paid staff member of Congressman Reyes verbally assaulted Mr. O’Rourke. Since the elpasonaturally post about this matter, I’ve interviewed five other people who were witnesses. All told the same story about Mr. Payan’s rudeness and incivility which even caused kitchen staff to come into the dining area to see what was wrong. The behavior of a Chief of Staff says a great deal about the caliber of representative we currently have.

There is a story that you will read in the Times probably on Sunday and it will be worthwhile to read. It is great news about Castner Range, Frontera Land Alliance and Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition. I’ll let top-notch reporter, Chris Roberts, tell it. The Castner Conservation Conveyance Report is now published. The study was done by CALIBRE Systems, Inc. of Alexandria, Virginia with funding from a $300,000 Office of Economic Adjustment/Department of Defense grant.

If you want to give input and suggestions for projects for the 2012 bond election, visit the home page of the City of El Paso. Here’s the message:

“City and County Officials and downtown business leaders have announced the beginning of the public process for a November 2012 bond election. Our city is constantly changing, lifestyles are shifting and the needs and opportunities are abundant. The proposed election will create new ideas for bold economic development and quality of life initiatives.

“The call for community projects is the beginning of a public process to provide voters the opportunity to request projects to improve the quality of life in El Paso and recommend key signature projects to create a more dynamic environment for downtown.”

Of course, voters may still be in a foul mood in a year for anything having to do with “spending”. They certainly were with regard to Propositions in the last election. Although a majority of people in El Paso County who voted last Tuesday wanted the kind of Regional Park District as recommended by a Blue Ribbon Committee for the City and championed by all of El Paso’s State representatives, a majority of Texans probably saw the words “ad valorem taxes” in Proposition 7 and voted it down as if what happens in El Paso will affect their jerking knees. Those same Texans favored big contractor water projects (Proposition 2) but opposed the conservation efforts of Proposition 8.

There seems to be a real effort to encourage American consumers not just to buy American but buy local during the upcoming holidays. “Christmas 2011 -- Birth of a New Tradition” is the subject of an email that has gone viral and is being picked up by web sites and blogs of all varieties and persuasions. The opening paragraph reads:

“As the holidays approach, the giant Asian factories are kicking into high gear to provide Americans with monstrous piles of cheaply produced goods -- merchandise that has been produced at the expense of American labor. This year will be different. This year Americans will give the gift of genuine concern for other Americans. There is no longer an excuse that, at gift giving time, nothing can be found that is produced by American hands. Yes there is!”

If you haven’t gotten the message in your e-mail, read it here.

Buying local is living sustainably. Get a copy of the El Paso Scene or visit it online. You'll find a list of bazaars and fairs on their Round-Up page. You can get a list of local El Paso businesses at Homegrown El Paso. Do check out Craig’s List for El Paso. El Paso has a great bilingual publisher for your holiday shopping: Cinco Puntos Press.

Also for sustainable living, check out the El Paso Freecycle Group. It’s part of the Freecycle Network, a “grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (and getting) stuff for free in their own towns and thus keeping good stuff out of landfills.” Many thanks to Judy Ackerman for this link. Check it out, folks.

Finally, here’s a dream for the City of El Paso’s open space policies and programs: Visit the Open Space page for the City of Albuquerque. Imagine.