Friday, November 11, 2011

November 2011

Next Meeting: Wednesday, November 16, 2011

MEETING LOCATION: Our meeting will be held at The Garden Center, Memorial Park, 3105 Grant St. from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. Map:



CASTNER RANGE

~ Richard Teschner, Vice President, The Frontera Land Alliance and Member, 4-C’s


Mike Gaglio, Frontera President and judy Ackerman, FMWC Secretary, present a copy of the Castner Report to Congressman Reyes.

Conservation Conveyance Report for Castner Range Now Available: The Castner Report is now available! This 104-page study was prepared for the Castner Conservation Conveyance Committee (“4-C’s”) by CALIBRE Systems, Inc. of Alexandria, VA with funding from a $300,000 Office of Economic Adjustment/Department of Defense grant obtained through the offices of El Paso’s Congressman Silvestre Reyes. The 4-C’s, an ongoing entity consisting of members of the boards of directors of The Frontera Land Alliance (Mike Gaglio, Richard Teschner, Doug Echlin, Kevin von Finger, John Moses, Scott Cutler) and the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition (Judy Ackerman, Pat White and, again, Scott Cutler), were led in their activities by Project Manager Steve Bonner of the SONRI Corp. (Boerne, TX). Work on this project by the 4-C’s, CALIBRE and SONRI began in the fall of 2010. The project is a major component in the ongoing effort to deploy a conservation conveyance on the 7,081-acre/eleven-square-mile Castner Range property located on El Paso’s Northeast Side between the Franklin Mountains State Park (FMSP) and the U.S. 54 Patriot Freeway. Since the late 1960’s, Castner (a live artillery/ordnance firing site inaugurated in 1923) has been a “closed” range and thus not considered a part of the Fort Bliss Training Complex. Governmental bodies at all levels—the El Paso City Council, the County Commissioners’ Court, the Texas House of Representatives and the Texas Senate—have gone on record in favor of applying a conservation conveyance to Castner as an intermediate stage in the transfer of the property from Department of Defense ownership to ownership by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department as part of the FMSP.

The report itself—accompanied by a CD—consists of a one-page Executive Summary plus four chapters: Background (including Demographics, Environmental Conditions, Ecological Information, Cultural Resources, Future Land Use, and Munitions and Explosives of Concern), Real Estate Options (among them Conveyance of Surplus Real Property for Natural Resource Conservation, Cooperative Research and Development Agreements, Conveyance of Property at Military Installations to Limit Encroachment, Disposals to Public Agencies under Public Benefit Statues, Enhanced Use Lease, and Early Transfer), Liability concerns, and Recommendations. Among the topics dealt with in the Appendices are the exact legal status of Castner Range, previous deployment of conservation conveyances at two other military properties, unexploded ordnance remediation, contacts with local, state and national officials, liability issues, Texas and federal law, Army contingent funding, Army-retained conditions, and the specifics of a draft Conservation Conveyance Cooperative Agreement with the Army, including a likely time line that sets forth the various stages any Agreement would go through. Maps, photos and a glossary conclude the appendices.

The 4-C’s goals for the immediate future include continued contact with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to plan what a conservation-conveyed Castner Range would look like if it became part of the FMSP. In addition, contacts established between the 4-C’s and military officials have been firmed up and will be expanded upon.

For copies of the Castner Report, contact Frontera’s new Executive Director, JanaĆ© Reneaud Field, 915.351.8352 in Frontera’s new offices at 1201 N. Mesa, Suite D-3, El Paso, TX 79902.


TRANSMOUNTAIN CORRIDOR
~ Jim Tolbert, El Paso Naturally

Best environmental updates in town from Jim Tolbert at his blog El Paso Naturally. Bookmark, sign up for email notifications. You can catch up on Transmountain Scenic Corridor NW and many other issues on his blog. Strongly recommend subscribing.

Please visit and bookmark http://www.elpasonaturally.blogspot.com/.

Some updates from Jim’s blog, reprinted with permission:

October 21: Again this past Tuesday City Council took up a resolution authorizing the City Manager to sign a an amendment to the agreement with Dover Kohl updating the Northwest Master Plan to smart code and preserving land (the “Scenic Corridor”) in perpetuity. Unlike the Tuesday before, all hands were on deck and the vote at the end of the debate was unanimous in favor of the resolution. For petitioners, this is a huge victory as it puts the City on target to preserve land permanently. For City planners, the PSB and the business community, it can also be seen as a “win” for it fits preserved land into an updated plan. An holistic solution is sought and not a hodgepodge. It’s not so much trying to put a square peg in a round hole, but working out the jigsaw puzzle in a way that fits all interests.

See http://elpasonaturally.blogspot.com/2011/10/beginprocess.html  that includes the Dover Kohl proposal and two agreed-upon amendments to the proposal.

September 21: Please check out http://elpasonaturally.blogspot.com/2011/09/petitioners-council-and-others-will.html for a few more details including my remarks and what I’m calling the McElroy Process for coming to an overarching plan for re-doing the Westside Master Plan and preserving the land in the corridor.

The bottom line is that Council voted to postpone action on the petition ordinance for 90 days while the process is pursued. What is a huge positive is that agreeing to process means agreeing to preserving the view shed of the Scenic Corridor. I can report that I saw unanimous consent from Council members to find a win/win solution and to pursue a Smart Code plan that most certainly will mean more natural open space and a hard look at Paseo del Norte. We didn’t exactly hold hands and sing “Kumbaya” – but it was close.

Of course, petitioners have the option to begin collecting signatures now for a ballot referendum. Keep in mind though that, even if Council had passed everything in the proposed ordinance (and there weren’t the votes), there still would have had to have been time to determine the mechanisms for preservation, etc., etc.

Looming is the Sierra Club lawsuit against TxDOT and a meeting about that lawsuit is happening imminently. The petition ordinance doesn’t address the widening of Transmountain and is a separate issue except for how Paseo del Norte may or may not connect with the TxDOT overpass/interchange.

Editor: Thank you, Jim Tolbert, for your continuing efforts on behalf of the natural glories of El Paso!


RIO BOSQUE UPDATE

Rio Bosque still facing some very tough times. Please see this article for an update.

http://elpasonaturally.blogspot.com/2011/10/options-and-obstacles-for-water-at-rio.html




23 Oct Clean-up Success

FMWC Transmountain Clean-Up On 23 Oct 2011: Great success! Many thanks to those who were able to participate. 8 volunteers: Scott Cutler, Robin Ricart, Pat White, Cinda Cotham, Kathy Barton, Nicolas Havlik, John Nunez, Judy Ackerman. In 3 hrs, we collected 22 bags of trash, 3 tires and some big pieces of wood, 8 bags of recyclables that Robin took home. Of the 2 mile stretch, we cleaned MAYBE 1 mile. Let’s do it again soon. Be cool to see more volunteers next time!



PARK NEWS

7th Annual Chihuahuan Desert Fiesta Message from Cesar Mendez, Ph.D., Park Superintendent:

On Saturday September 17, 2011, we successfully had our 7th Annual Chihuahuan Desert Fiesta in conjunction with the 4th Annual Chili Cook Off at Franklin Mountains State Park - Tom Mays Unit. The Fiesta featured fun, educational, and interpretive activities for the public. Some highlights included great food, interactive exhibits from El Paso Water Utilities; horseback rides and hayride shuttle provided by the Serna Ranch; Van Shuttle provided by Southwest Expeditions, birding activities by Texas Parks and Wildlife Urban Biologist Program; exhibits on conservation efforts by Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition, among many others that provided valuable information on the natural history and culture of the Chihuahuan Desert. The Fiesta was the result of numerous hours that many individuals invested during the pre-event meetings and the day of the event. Once again, the Chihuahuan Desert Education Coalition (CDEC) members played a key role in the logistics and organization of the Fiesta. Many other park staff and volunteers were also critical for the completion of both events. Even though I would like to mention all persons that helped during the events, I will not because it would be very difficult for me not to accidentally omit names. I am confident to say that in Franklin Mountains State Park we arenot only surrounded by beautiful desert mountains but by great staff, volunteers, and partners. In general, we received positive comments from visitors, volunteers, and exhibitors during and after the events. Over 25 organized groups contributed to both events. We all witnessed how the events were carried over smoothly and with no major incidents. This is a clear example on how strong partnerships, commitment, and organization result in things that enhance our community. Although we did not exceed last year's attendance, I am pleased to say that we had over 600 participants in both events. But most important many participants were new to the area, thus being exposed for their first time to the wonders of the Chihuahuan Desert. On behalf of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Franklin Mountains State Park I want to thank all of you for the outstanding team work that all of you demonstrated on Saturday's events. Your help and efforts substantially contribute to our mission in Texas Parks and Wildlife. Please extend my thanks to every person in your team. At Franklin Mountains State Park we feel honored and privileged to count with collaborators as you all. We will continue our commitment to joint conservation and educational efforts for enriching the lives of the people of El Paso through outdoors experiences.


Greetings All! from John Nunez, FMSP:

Business as usual at the park, with so many events and a few changes, all of us have been busy with all that is happening on the mountain. First, we welcome two new employees to Franklin Mountains State Park. We welcome Steve Taylor, Maintenance Specialist II. Steve was originally stationed at the Wyler Aerial Tramway State Park. However, due to the major cuts at the Tramway, Steve was transferred over to Franklin back in August. We are glad to have Steve with us as he has many years of experience with maintenance, construction and mechanics as well as an extensive knowledge of the park and the mountains as a whole. We also welcome Adrianna Weickhardt, who has filled the position of Park Ranger II/ Interpreter. Adrianna has been at Franklin now since the middle of October. We are glad to have Adrianna join our team as well. Adrianna has so much experience with working at other parks across the nation and as well as trail work. Adrianna has many new creative ideas for increasing the interpretive programs at Franklin Mountains State Park. All of us are very grateful for the addition of these two highly experienced individuals that have already made huge contributions to all the hard work that goes on at the park.

Many special events have been happening at the park. In anticipation of the Texas Outdoor Family event, all park staff were busy preparing the park grounds. All 15 campsites were polished up for the event. The event was held on October 8 and 9. We had six families, 25 people in total, participate in this event. This was an opportunity to introduce the wonders of outdoors and camping to folks that have never had the experience of camping. Park volunteers Richard Love, Heath Shawhart and George Murray helped with the event, including guided tours of the Nature Trail and West Cottonwood Mine Shaft.

On October 10, the Wyler Aerial State Park was vandalized extensively. There was a great deal of damage done to the park, but thankfully the Tramway itself was not damaged. Unfortunately, no suspects have been found as of yet.

On October 11, Park Police Officer Fernie Rincon witnessed a robbery at the Radio Shack on Trans Mountain Road while he was making the park bank deposit. Officer Rincon pursued the vehicle which had three suspects. Two suspects managed to flee on foot as the vehicle proceeded to drive off. However, Officer Rincon pulled over the vehicle and arrested the driver. El Paso Police Dept., Department of Public Safety and Texas Dept. of Criminal Justice police dogs assisted in the search for the two other suspects. One suspect later turned himself in to EPPD.

Park staff, have been working on the Lower Sunset trail with the help of the TDCJ work crew. Also, park staff has been working ongoing field and grounds maintenance throughout the park. A major part of our daily duties include patrolling the outer reaches of the park. Park staff welded a new chain and installed a lock on the gate on the Pipeline Rd. in far Northeast El Paso. The gate at the Texas/ New Mexico boundary had been vandalized and the lock had been shot off.

Park Maintenance IV Robert Pichardo travelled to Bastrop State Park to assist with the clean-up efforts after the devastating fires. Robert came back on October 15 from the trip.

Park volunteer Robert Newman has recently completed the first half of the new Sotol Forest hike/ mountain bike trail in the Northeast end of the park. This new route will continue from Sotol Canyon north towards Hitt Canyon and will intersect with the Hitt Canyon hike/ mountain bike trail. On Sunday, November 6, the Borderland Mountain Bike Association sponsored a trail day workshop and assisted Robert Newman with trail construction. It was a great day for trail building as the weather was ideal! BMBA members Dave Wilson, Brent Sanders and local rider Pablo, along with Maintenance II John Nunez, were part of this fantastic event. It was a great deal of intense work since there were quite a bit of large boulders that needed to be removed. Approximately a quarter mile of trail was built.

So many exciting events and occurrences at the park, as we all feel there is never a dull moment with all that happens in the Franklins. All of us have so much to offer to get the job done and all of us come home after a hard day’s work feeling a sense of fulfillment and pride in all the hard work we do. We are a family of unique individuals that are all behind the park 100%, including all park volunteers and employees. Some days are harder than others, but in the end, we are all a team that manages to get the job done!


MARK YOUR CALENDARS

Poppies 2012

Planning already underway for Poppies Celebration 2012: The Franklin Mountain Wilderness Coalition, in collaboration with several local organizations is excited to announce the date of the sixth annual poppies celebration next spring. The 2012 Franklin Mountains Poppies Fest on Castner Range will take place on Saturday, March 31 at the El Paso Museum of Archaeology at 4301 Transmountain Road. Join us for a full program of nature talks, wildlife displays, educational exhibits, demonstrations, music and refreshments. Everyone is welcome to come out and enjoy the beauty of the mountains and the poppies during this free educational family fun event.

If you are interested in becoming a sponsor or volunteering for this event please contact Naima Montacer (email: naimamontacer@yahoo.com  cell: (806) 683-2242)

Castner Range is a former artillery range known for its cultural, geologic and unique biology. If the rain and weather cooperate, it is most known for its beautiful and vast display of Mexican Poppies in the spring.


Borderland Mountain Bike Association

Check out http://bmba.wordpress.com/  for the latest.


El Paso Museum of Archaeology

November Calendar

Exhibits:

Ancient Mexico
October 13, 2011 through January 15, 2012

Free Admission: In collaboration with the El Paso Museum of History’s new exhibit “Mystery of the Mayan Medallion,” the Museum of Archaeology will emphasize its collections from early Mesoamerica. Artifacts representing the Maya, Aztecs, and lesser known great civilizations from Mexico will be on display. Vintage and recent photographs will be added to the gallery to link the artifacts with the great artistic accomplishments and monumental architecture of these past civilizations. The exhibit includes five featured Maya ceramic vessels which were graciously loaned by the University Museum of New Mexico State University.

November 19, 2:00 pm
Curator’s Tour of the Diorama Gallery, open to all ages, groups or individuals, free admission:

During this tour our Curator, Dr. Matt Taylor, takes visitors on a journey through 14,000 years of El Paso’s Indian heritage in our diorama gallery exhibits. Those attending will learn about Paleoindians who lived here 14,000 years ago continuing through time to the Mescalero Apache people of today. Reservations are not necessary but contact the museum if you plan to attend, 915-755-4332; guidamr@elpasotexas.gov.

November 20, 2:00 pm
Elizabeth Ann Owen, speaks on research at Gila Cliff Dwellings for the El Paso Archaeological Society, Free Admission

December 3, 2:00 pm
Dr. Rani Alexander, NMSU Archaeologist, speaks on the Maya collapse in the 16th Century, Free Admission

December 10, 11:00 am
Cesar Mendez, Superintendent of Franklin Mountains State Park, speaks to the Master Gardeners/Master Naturalists meeting, open to the public, free admission, for information on the topic, call the museum at 915-755-4332

El Paso Museum of Archaeology,4301 Transmountain Road, El Paso Texas 79924; 915-755-4332;
guidamr@elpasotexs.gov ; www.elpasotexas.gov/arch_museum/


Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 9 am to 5 pm; Sunday, 12 to 5 pm , Closed Mondays and City Holidays


Southwest Environmental Center
~Kevin Bixby, Executive Director

A Native Returns:
On October 11, five Mexican grey wolves (“lobos”) were released in the San Luis Mountains of northeastern Sonora, near the New Mexico border. It is the first reintroduction of lobos into Mexico since they disappeared from their historic range in that country more than 30 years ago. The release was coordinated by the federal SEMARNAT agency, and Naturalia, a non-governmental conservation organization.

Reintroducing wolves into their historic range in Mexico is an important and long-overdue step towards recovery of the highly endangered Mexican wolf. It is absolutely critical that wolves be allowed to move freely between the U.S. and Mexico to establish a genetic connection needed for healthy populations and long-term survival. SWEC is working to make sure the U.S. does not construct additional border fencing that prevents the movement of wildlife.

How endangered are Mexican wolves?

Here’s how the number of lobos in the wild compares with some other animals considered endangered or critically endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN):

Mexican wolf   ~50
Ethiopian wolf   ~210
Red wolf   ~150
Javan rhino   50-70
Asiatic cheetah   60-100
Giant panda   ~1600
Amur tiger   ~500
Vaquita   <500

Mexican wolves still on the brink of extinction

More wolves needed in New Mexico--now!

With only 50-60 Mexican wolves in the wild, it is time to pick up the pace of wolf recovery in the Southwest.

The Southwest Environmental Center has joined with biologists and other groups in urging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to jettison an obsolete and politically-motivated rule that prevents the direct release of captive-bred wolves into New Mexico, where the best unoccupied wolf habitat occurs. The rule was a concession aimed at gaining New Mexico’s cooperation before the Mexican wolf reintroduction program began in 1998. At the time, the state’s Governor and Game Commission opposed the wolf reintroduction.

The rule stipulates that direct releases of wolves can only take place in the Arizona portion of the Mexican wolf recovery area, despite the fact that 75 percent of the recovery area is in New Mexico. Arizona wolves can subsequently be moved into New Mexico for management purposes, and they are allowed to move there on their own.

Wolf experts have long criticized this rule. In 2001, a review team lead by the University of Calgary’s Paul Paquet concluded that modifying the rule to allow direct releases into New Mexico “is by far the most important and simplest change” that could be made to improve the reintroduction effort.

Wolf activist Jean Ossorio, a Las Cruces resident and former SWEC board member, agrees. “Much of the good lobo habitat in Arizona is already occupied by existing packs. In the wake of the Wallow Fire, it’s even harder to find good release sites. Meanwhile, the number of wolves that have already been in the wild in Arizona and are eligible for re-release into New Mexico is limited,” she said.

Although FWS claims to support this rule change, it has yet to take the first step needed to make it happen; namely, publishing the proposed change in the federal register and preparing an environmental assessment.

What you can do:

Please contact FWS Regional Director Benjamin Tuggle and let him know that you want to see a rule change that would allow for the release of Mexican wolves directly into New Mexico as soon as possible. If you are a New Mexico resident, please also contact Senators Bingaman and Udall and tell them the same thing.

DR. BENJAMIN N. TUGGLE
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
P.O. Box 1306
Albuquerque, NM 87103-1306
(505) 248-6911 RDTuggle@fws.gov

US SENATOR JEFF BINGAMAN (NM)
703 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(800) 443-8658
http://bingaman.senate.gov/ (email at site)

US SENATOR TOM UDALL (NM)
B40D Dirksen Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-6621
http://udall.senate.gov/ (email at site)

For more information about what you can do, visit http://www.wildmesquite.org/  or contact Jason Burke at (575) 522-5552 or jason@wildmesquite.org .


FMWC In Cyberspace

This is the blog version of the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition newsletter. It is also available by e-mail and by US Post . If you would like to receive another version, please contact: judy Ackerman at j.p.ackerman@sbcglobal.net.


FMWC BOARD

President: Scott Cutler

Vice President: Jane Fowler

Secretary: Judy Ackerman

Treasurer: Pat White

At Large Members:

Raul Amaya and Nick Havlik


LONE STAR LEGACY

You can make a lasting contribution to the future of Franklin Mountains State Park with your tax-deductible donation to the Lone Star Legacy Endowment Fund. Checks, payable to “Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation”, can be sent to: Lone Star Legacy Endowment Fund, c/o Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation, P.O. Box 191207, Dallas, TX, 75219. Mark your donation to the endowment fund for Franklin Mountains State Park.