Learn Your Water Footprint

By now we should all be getting the message: Conserve water. There’s a water shortage.

The hand writing is on the wall: aquifer pumping has become a concern in neighboring Doña Ana County. Since the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) has chosen to deliver more water sooner to Mexico, thus depriving Texas farmers, Texas State Agricultural Commissioner, Todd Staples, fired off a strong letter to the IBWC. You can see for yourself that the Rio Grande is dry. More water may not be released until June. EPWU CEO Ed Archuleta encouraged all of us in an El Paso Times op-ed piece to conserve more and to participate in the utility’s Less Is the New More program. For now, watering our yards twice a week is a suggestion. One wonders when it might have to become mandatory.

EPWU’s Less Is the New More program is a good one for all of us to get involved with. Do check out our water utility’s conservation page; and, as you do more spring planting, see their plant page.  Like and follow EPWU’s Facebook page.

Water conservation programs that encourage or require our watering our gardens less or using water-efficient shower heads are great short-term solutions to periodic drought. Even the Texas Department of Agriculture has a poll on its home page that suggests that conserving water is just a matter of using better appliances, fixing leaky faucets and taking shorter baths. What we have to realize is that water is embedded in everything that we use – the food we eat, the clothes that we wear, the gasoline that we put in our cars. We need to know our water footprint.  National Geographic has a water footprint calculator that educates as well as demonstrates how much water we use. Also visit the Water Footprint Network and try out their calculator.

Get to know Sandra Postel. Watch one of her videos on elpasonaturally and see more at YouTube. She knows about the concept of a water footprint.

One issue Postel raises is our need to irrigate our crop lands more efficiently. An elpasonaturally reader recently told me that Middle Eastern students visiting UTEP are always aghast at how we irrigate our fields and even the water-hungry crops that we grow. Note that only a handful of people can vote in the elections of board members of the El Paso Water Improvement District. Yet, your voice for water conservation and irrigation reform should be heard.

Read between the lines of Archuleta’s El Paso Times op-ed piece. If 50% of our water comes from our river, and if Caballo/Elephant Butte is down to 18%, then what happens to the draw rate on the Hueco Bolson and who’s water will we need? How much water farms require to grow water-hungry crops needs to be questioned especially now that the Rodriquez/Quintanilla bill cut 75,000 people out of public decisions on an essential public good – water. Your non-public Public Service Board and officers of EPWU endorsed that bill. Whose behind it? Big donors to Silvestre Reyes who control the EPWID whose general manager is Silvestre’s brother, “Chuy”.

I guess that there is no mistaking that I support Beto O’Rourke for Congress and am delighted by the EP Times endorsement. The recent pandering to local conservationists by Rep. Reyes on the issue of Castner Range was a big yawn. Beto gave a solid response.

I recently wrote an email to Jim Carrillo of Halff Associates, Inc. regarding the updating of the City of El Paso Parks and Recreation Master Plan. I posted that email on the blog and hope you will read it. I argue that, more than just recreation, Parks can help us to become more connected with nature.

Finally, elpasonaturally is saying more about bicycling. There are more activities in El Paso for Bike Month. Check them out.

Sandra Postel: Water Conservation Is More Than Watering Less

Get to know Sandra Postel and what she has to say about water. It's not just a matter of conserving water by turning off the tap as we brush our teeth. With global warming strategies that deal with episodic droughts are not enough. It's a matter of knowing that water is embedded in everything and knowing our "water footprint". It's about eating less beef, recycling paper or using less, buying fewer clothes or checking out that Thrifty store on the corner.


Here's a 2010 video with Postel that can help get you acquainted with what she is teaching:

O'Rourke Responds to Reyes Castner Chicanery

From Beto O'Rourke, candidate for Congress:

Dear Open Space Advocates:

I want to thank you for all of your work to preserve Castner Range. While I'm excited to see some movement on this issue at the federal level, it is clearly not enough. Instead of a suggestion to preserve Castner Range, we need a clear congressional directive to preserve Castner Range. We also need the funding to clean up the unexploded ordinance so that El Pasoans can enjoy hiking and biking this wonderful community asset.

I have worked with many of you to make conservation a priority in El Paso. We have developed Open Space plans, preserved major open space assets and put in place dedicated funding to preserve those natural spaces that matter to El Pasoans, like the Palisades. It is because of these community efforts that generations to come will be able to enjoy these rare special places. We need the same outcome for Castner Range.

Thanks again for your efforts and for your consideration. 

Sincerely,

Beto O'Rourke

New Community Garden Opens Its Gates

This past Saturday gates opened at the Vista Valle Park in the Cielo Vista neighborhood of El Paso. The garden is the culmination of work done by Virginia Galarza and Marci Tuck Havlik. Rep. Emma Acosta, Neighborhood President Mark Benitez and other dignitaries were on hand to cut the ribbon. A number of organizations had booths including La Semilla, El Paso Permaculture, Master Naturalists, Master Gardeners and several more including even sponsor, Home Depot.

Marci Havlik, Jim Tolbert, Rep. Emma Acosta, Nanette Smejkal, Mark Benitez, Deborah Hradek and Virginia Galarza cut the ribbon for the grand opening of the Community Garden.

El Paso Permaculture's Robert Leal talks to people about permaculture principles.

People begin tending their plots.

Reyes Attempt to Grandstand Gets Just a Yawn

A thin crowd gathers and awaits Reyes to arrive

It was politics pure and simple and it read like an El Paso Times headline with words like "may" or "could". Last Thursday, Rep. Reyes' office issued a press release entitled "Silvestre Reyes Announces Passage of Legislation to Add Castner Range to the Franklin Mountains State Park". Problem is there was no passage by either the House or the Senate and no Presidential siganture. 


It is true that the House Armed Services Committee did vote to approve the Fiscal Year 2013 National Defense Authorization Act that included language that Castner Range may be conveyed to the Department of Parks and Wildlife of the State of Texas for inclusion into the State Park. "May" is pretty squirmy and not firm like the words "will" and "must" that Silvestre's opponent, Beto O'Rourke, wants to see used in the language of the bill. 

Dr. Richard Teschner along with other members of the Castner Conservation Conveyance Committee are really to be thanked for their efforts to conserve and convey the Range to the State Park.

The land may be conveyed as long as unexploded ordnance is cleaned-up first. What land is clean may be conveyed. What land awaits cleaning will have to be done with State or private money - as high as $65 Million possibly according to Dr. Richard Teschner, a key player in conservation efforts through the Castner (Range) Conservation Committee, a joint effort of the Frontera Land Alliance (Dr. Teschner is Vice-President) and the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition.


El Paso Times reporters, Aaron Bracamontes and Alex Hinojosa, in stories on Saturday and Sunday both saw the Emperor unclad. Reyes was not exactly upfront with this pre-mature announcement the weekend before early voting was set to begin. Also in his Thursday press release his office states: "Reyes also secured $300,000 for a study to determine how best to apply a conservation conveyance to the Range." That $300,000 was done in 2010 but the press release made it sound like just one more goodie Reyes has brought home to voters in recent days.


It is true that Reyes has helped conservation efforts and persons in his office such as Julie Merberg, according to Teschner, have been "extremely helpful". But the real credit should go to the Castner (Range) Conservation Conveyance Committee and thousands of jet miles by Teschner and others back and forth between El Paso and Washington D.C. Clearly environmentalist, Beto O'Rourke, favors preserving the land. So, even if he is elected over Reyes, the efforts will continue and probably will do so as "musts" and not "mays". 


The language inserted in the bill is a step forward. But, as another hard worker for Castner conservation, Judy Ackerman, says: "The news is a very big step in the right direction, but we are not done yet. There is much more work to do before Castner belongs to the Park."

Connecting People to Nature Should Be a Key Goal in Any City Parks Master Plan

Currently Jim Carrillo of Halff Associates, Inc. is assisting the City's Parks and Recreation Department with its updating of the Parks and Recreation Master Plan. I just emailed Jim the following ideas:

We tend to think about parks and recreation in very two-dimensional, traditional ways: green spaces for playing and picnics and sports fields and facilities for organized games and senior and community activities which are carefully planned and directed. All of this is good and as it should be but then we set our goals based on this two-dimensional model only. Perhaps a model that adds a dimension of relating us to our natural world can open us up to some new possibilities.

You may already know about the Green Gym program in Great Britain. If not, you can get acquainted here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZ81ToYh3Cc.  There’s a longer clip but with more explanation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aT3xJO4lSqs&feature=related. The btcv green gym web page: http://www2.btcv.org.uk/display/greengym. Green Gym is just one example of many ways in which to involve people in the outdoors with conservation by tackling a wide-range of projects. It need not be limited to a municipal parks and recreation department – but such a department is a good place for this kind of program. Also this kind of program suggests others and is merely a “manifestation” of many ways in which people are re-connecting with nature: community and neighborhood gardens, permaculture and so forth.

There must be a number of ways in which people can become more involved in animal habitat. This weekend our local Audubon group will visit two El Paso parks: Memorial and Billy Rogers Arroyo Park. Imagine if there could be more birdhouse programs, bat houses built, citizens planting trees. Even simple storm water management programs with “rain barrel” technology would be good.

I suggest that we involve more people in more nature-oriented projects most of which would be grass-root generated by citizens and their organizations.

Obviously the City of El Paso has set a goal to have healthier, less obese people. There is even a new walking program in the downtown area. It’s a bit tame – but a start. Many of our parks can be “connected” merely by defining walkways that people can use between and among neighborhoods with signage similar or not to that used for the downtown walking program. This same kind of park to park path-finding can be utilized to connect parks with natural open space. From our nice neighborhood park (Newman) we are easily connected on Sunday mornings to the natural open space that leads into the Franklin Mountains State Park at the other end of Scenic Drive. The City should identify other walkways to close on Sundays so that bicyclers, walkers, joggers and even Chihuahuas (on leashes of course) can wend their way from one point to another and even into a number of trailheads leading to the State Park without the presence of motorized vehicles. The use of GPS devices can be tied to City guided tours overseen by Parks and Recreation. Geocaches at various parks and at trailheads can encourage exploration and adventure.

Certainly where utility easements and other “paths” can be used as walkways, they should be.

One of our biggest natural assets in the City – one that holds tremendous potential as an eco-tourist and eco-tourist dollar magnet – is the Rio Bosque Wetlands Park. It is amazing that no dollars are dedicated to it and that it isn’t even mentioned in our Quality of Life Bond wish list. No effort is being made to solve its agonizing water problem and the current Parks and Recreation policy seems to be happy with letting UTEP manage the program on their own. The Park is part of our Parks and Recreation inventory and is a jewel of a place for relating people to nature.

And, of course, neighborhood and community gardens should be fostered. Tomorrow we open a new garden at Vista del Valle Park. It should be a prototype and the beginning of more such gardens around the City and an integral part of the Parks and Recreation program. Along with more community gardens should be an emphasis on ethnobotany – native plants that can be foraged for nutrition and medicinal purposes. I lived for 18 years in the Issaquah, Washington area. Along one boulevard were apple trees which people would pick from in the fall. Imagine re-connecting with mesquite beans, chokeberries and prickly pears. Imagine a “recreation” of milling and canning and not just bingo and dominoes.

Bottom line: I’m suggesting that the added dimension to any Parks and Recreation Plan be ways to connect people to Nature and get them involved with conservation, ecology and environmental protection. It would be a program that would help re-build the eco-system that we have so damaged or destroyed not just in El Paso but in cities and towns everywhere.

New Hike, Bike and Birding Events

The Sunrise Hikers group of the El Paso Hikers is back (although they are hiking a bit after sunrise).

Join veteran hiking legend, John Moses, on Tuesday, May 15^th, at 7:40 a.m. at the Franklin Mountains State Park headquarters in McKelligon Canyon.  (Map)  We will leave most vehicles there and then carpool to the Stoney Hill Trailhead for a hike up the Stoney Hill Arroyo over the ridge into McKelligon Canyon.

On Thursday, May 17^th, do the Schaeffer Shuffle in the Tom Mays Unit of the Franklin Mountains State Park. Plan to meet at 7:00 a.m. sharp at the park entrance (map). Pay your $2 Sunrise Hiker fee. We will go to the trailhead and do the shuffle. This is a moderate hike on good trails and can be enjoyed by the beginning hiker. Expect 2 hours. The toughest part is ascending the hill back to the parking lot/picnic site at the end of the hike. We will not be in a hurry and nobody will be left behind. Hikers will be able to identify some plant species and perhaps see Mule Deer. Any geocachers may want to do a quick side trip to find the geocache along the way. 

The El Paso Ridgewalkers, the  El Paso Hiking Meet-up and the Las Cruces Hiking Meet-up  have some great hikes coming up as well including a Tramway Trails hike and a Geocache Hike this Saturday as well as a difficult Palisades arroyo hike this Sunday.

By the way, consider purchasing a Texas State Park Pass for just $70. When we return to the park headquarters on Tuesday is a good time to do so. Also consider a donation to help your parks.

Join the Audubon Society this Saturday, May 12^th  for a birding trip to Memorial Park and Arroyo Park.  The Warbler migration is in full swing and Warblers, Vireos and Orioles have been seen at Memorial Park.  Meet at 7:00 a.m. at the Garden Center at 3105 Grant and  bird Memorial Park first.  Then move on to Arroyo Park where you might see Flycatchers, Gambel's Quail and possibly Tanagers.  Nonmembers and beginners are always welcome.  Contact Mark at 637-3521 or mperkins4@elp.rr.com for more information.

May is National Bike month and the City of El Paso has a number of activities to honor the month. (Fortunately, elpasonaturally has posted these events as you will search in vain on the City web site for anything about it.)

The Adventure Cycling Association has blogged about some great trails in Far West Texas. Be sure to visit Texas Mountain Trails and their daily photo blog and see some great videos. Bicyclers: learn about the El Paso Uplands Loop.

Of course, there is great biking (and walking and jogging) on Scenic Drive since it is closed every Sunday morning from 6 to 11 a.m.  It’s a 4.1 mile hike from one side to the other.

The El Paso Bicycle Club is now a meet-up site.

The Guadalupe Mountains National Park wants your input on enhancing the usage of the Salt Basin Dunes Area.

Check out the American Hiking Society.  They offer Volunteer Vacations – 3 this summer in New Mexico. Get all the facts and details.

Finally, we may need to change the name of this e-letter from El Paso Hikers to something that suggests what we are truly becoming – a publication that gives information about a myriad of ways to enjoy our great El Paso region outdoors including hiking, walking, biking, birding and more. Any suggestions?

Excelsior!