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A real Southwest
Treasure
by Joseph.R. Calamia
Editor's Note: The El Paso Zoo is currently supporting the Northern Jaguar
Project.
July 7, 2010. The southwest is a virtual depository for unusual stories
and tales about ghosts, mysteries, and naturally… lost treasures of various
kinds.
Most of us have heard about “the Lost Padre Mine,” Pancho
Villa’s lost gold, and the infamous treasure trove supposedly found by “Doc Noss”
at Victorio
Peak in Donna Ana County
New Mexico during the 1930’s.
These are but a few of the stories regarding lost treasure
reaching from West Texas into the boundaries of Southwestern,
New Mexico and into the rugged mountain ranges that cross between Northern
Mexico, and Arizona. Despite the fact these treasure tales
are alluring, and spark our imaginations, the realities of their existence and
tangible proof are… sadly lacking.
However, there is another kind of treasure that has, on
occasion been located and re-confirmed since 1996. This is a
treasure of which few people are aware even exists.
I am not talking about treasures of gold
bars, jewels, and historic artifacts, but one that is actually living and
breathing.
I am referring of course to “Panthera Onca” or, better
known as, the Jaguar!” Yes, the same type of jaguar that roams the jungles of
Central America and as far south as Paraguay
and Northern Argentina.
Believe it or not, this animal was once native to many parts of the
United States.
On August 31, 1996, Jack L. and Anna Childs were running
their hunting hounds in the Baboquivari
Mountains southwest of Tucson, Arizona.
Suddenly, the hunting hounds caught the scent of something and began the
tracking procedure. These hounds had “treed” many a Mountain
Lion in the past and it was probably, “just another mountain lion” or so, Mr.
Childs’ thought.
When Jack Childs reached the ‘treed” animal he was
astonished. It was a lion, but not the typical mountain lion
that populated the Arizona
and New Mexico
area. This was an honest to goodness Jaguar (spots and all)!
Mr. and Mrs. Childs filmed the animal for about 30 to 40 minutes and
then, retreated allowing the animal to leave unharmed. It was this encounter that sparked a whirlwind of
conservation activity that continues to this day.
The Jaguar was again later captured by the Arizona Fish and
Wildlife Service and a radio collar was placed on the animal so that it could be
tracked properly. This Jaguar became known as “Macho B.”
Although, “Macho B” recently died of natural causes, Mr. and Mrs. Childs
along with Game department officials were able to follow and study this animal
for about 13 years! In addition, it is now believed that four
(4) or perhaps six (6) others jaguars are roaming in and out of the Arizona/New
Mexico mountain ranges. These animals were found to be
traveling through various wilderness corridors from Northern Mexico and into the
United States.
The Jaguar is listed as an “Endangered Species” and also
considered as “Near Threatened” species as well. It is both a
State and Federal violation to kill one of these magnificent animals.
In an ongoing effort to keep this treasure from becoming as
lost as the “Padre Mines” a great conservation effort is raging.
In fact; both the United States
and Mexico have aligned a certain
partnership to help keep this animal’s northern range from becoming totally
barren.
In 2002 the Northern Jaguar Project (NJP) was born.
The NJP was started by a small group of conservationists from the
southwestern United States,
and works in conjunction with Mexico’s sister
organization known as, “Naturalia”. The NJP is a non-profit
organization seeking to educate the public while trying to revitalize the
Northern population of the Jaguar and his ongoing travels. It
is hoped that eventually, there will be enough Jaguars coming from Northern
Mexico’s ranch areas to actually begin procreating within the
United States boundaries to initiate needed
species enhancement. The on-going influx of the occasional
jaguar into the United States
from Mexico
would also help guarantee a necessary variant gene pool.
Ironically, a very recent Federal Court ruling has ordered
that specific habitats be set aside for the Jaguar Recovery Program both in Arizona, and New
Mexico.
The Northern Jaguar Project and Naturalia is also trying to
support these conservation efforts by scientific research projects, on-going
educational classes to the public (in both countries), reimbursement allowance
for livestock deprivation by any Jaguars, and helping to develop Northern Jaguar
Reserves.
These honorable efforts by the NJP, “Naturalia”, U.S. Fish
and Game Departments, and now, the diligent work by Defenders of Wildlife are
not without their own struggles. The main points of
contention within this massive conservation effort are:
-All Jaguars within the Northern border area must be protected
from unlawful killing.
-State and Federal (civil and criminal) penalties should be
equally enforced and enhanced if, necessary.
-Additional studies and information regarding this animal
should be shared by all agencies and organizations involved in
its conservation.
-The border habitats should be managed in ways which would
help provide the basic essential elements necessary for the
livelihood of the jaguar. Habitats should include
knowledge of proper native prey, natural cover and shelter, and
natural resources such as water availability, etc.
-Outreach educational programs to the public should be updated
and continued on a regular basis.
-Jaguar conservation programs must also be amenable and able
to integrate with those of
Mexico’s efforts.
In addition to the above proposed Jaguar conservation
needs, perhaps the most critical is:
Open corridor ranges which would allow the animal’s natural
roaming instinct to be free and unimpeded by man-made barriers
such as large walls, fences, or other such construction. *
The recent Border Wall between the U.S.-Mexico border will
ultimately become a major problem and concern for both the
Jaguar Conservationist, State Law Enforcement, and
U.S. Government (i.e.: Homeland Security, Border Patrol, DEA,
FBI, etc.).
The security of one’s nation is or at least should be,
paramount to one’s ideals. The future Border Wall construction and its ongoing
impact upon the Northern Jaguar Reserve remains yet unseen at this point.
Perhaps, a compromise of sorts could be agreed upon wherein, certain
sections of an “open-corridor” could be controlled by enhanced field officers,
air surveillance, electronic monitoring or, various other possibilities other
than a restrictive wall.
A similar problem occurred in Spain regarding the extremely
endangered “Iberian Lynx.” Various corridors were
subsequently built between an agreement with Spain
and Portugal.
Based upon that agreement, the animal is continuing to free-range as it should.
None the less, the precarious future of the Jaguar
continues to rest with us. The animal is a true living
treasure and to have knowledge of its existence and yet, do nothing to enhance
its survival is… an even greater loss!
Note: For those interested in the
conservation efforts of the Northern Jaguar, donations and or, additional
information can be located by checking with:
Defenders of Wildlife.com
Northern Jaguar Project.com
Arizona Game and Fish Department /Jaguar management (www.azgfd.gov).
New Mexico
Fish and Game Department
Amazon.com book section on Jaguars.
Salazar and Rodriguez highlight Recovery Act Projects at Big Bend National Park,
encourages International Conservation Partnership with Mexico
March 12, 2010. BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK, TX –
Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Congressman Ciro Rodriguez today
highlighted more than $10.4 million in projects that are creating jobs at Big
Bend National Park under President Obama’s economic recovery plan.
During a tour of the park, Salazar and Rodriguez also strongly supported
expanded international cooperation between Mexico and the United States in
conserving and managing the unique natural areas on both sides of the border,
including the potential establishment of a Big Bend/Rio Bravo International
Park.
“The investments at Big Bend under the President’s economic recovery plan are
paying off both in terms of getting Americans back to work and upgrading the
facilities at one of our great national parks,” Salazar said. “Thanks to the
work being done here, visitors will enjoy a better park and a more enjoyable
experience.”
“I am honored to host Secretary Salazar during his visit to one of the greatest
natural treasures in the 23rd Congressional District,” said Congressman
Rodriguez. “I’m proud to represent this area and look forward to having a
dialogue with the Secretary about how best to preserve and enhance the Park
using Stimulus funding and other resources.”
Investments under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act signed last year by
President include:
$9.2 million to perform preservation treatment on 123 miles of roads in the
park.
$619,000 to clean up and repair campgrounds damaged by floods in September
2008
$418,000 to rehabilitate historic law enforcement quarters to allow for
year-round occupancy.
$199,000 to improve visitor safety by rehabilitating trails.
Salazar and his Mexican counterpart Juan Rafael Elvira Quesada also are
considering a proposal first put forward by Franklin Roosevelt and
then-Mexican president Manuel Ávila Camacho more than 70 years ago to establish
an international park along the U.S.-Mexican border. In the decades since, the
National Park Service and its Mexican counterpart, the National Commission for
Natural Protected Areas, have worked closely to coordinate management of the
area.
Added to the Santa Elena and Maderas del Carmen Protected Areas, the recent
designation of the Ocampo Protected Area and the Monumento Natural del Rio Bravo
form a Mexican complex that, together with. Big Bend National Park and the
designation of the Rio Grande as a "Wild and Scenic River," comprise one of
North America's largest and most important conservation areas.
"The United States and Mexico are neighbors sharing a beautiful treasure,”
Salazar said. “Our two nations could and should engage in an even higher level
of cooperation to conserve this remarkable area and its wildlife while providing
more opportunities for visitors to enjoy it.”
“In particular, this would help us better address key issues to the area such
protection water and air quality, control of invasive species, and management of
wildland fire,” he said.
Salazar noted that each country would maintain management
responsibility for their side of the border, similar to the relationship between
the United States and Canada at the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park.
Learn More: Friends of a US Mexico Giant Park in the Big Bend
Region of Texas & Mexico
Click map for
larger view
Zoo welcomes arrival of
Texas
horned lizards
Conservation project to safeguard State lizard’s declining
population
El Paso,
Texas
– July 25, 2009 – Last
Saturday, staff members of the El Paso Zoo welcomed to
El Paso
three (3) Texas Horned Lizards. These unconventional passengers were
transported, with the help of Southwest Airlines, from
Austin,
Texas.
The lizards were brought to El
Paso as part of the El Paso Zoo’s role
within a larger conservation project to help protect the waning population of
the species in the wild, which is listed with a “threatened” status in the state
of Texas.
The collaboration began over a year ago, with the El Paso Zoo
Conservation Committee’s selection of this conservation project to help save the
Texas Horned Lizard in the local community. The El Paso Zoo Conservation
Committee selects local, regional, national and/or international projects to
participate in.
“The
Zoo’s conservation committee was looking for a local project to help balance out
some of the international and regional wildlife conservation projects that we
are involved in. We were already working with burrowing owls and wanted to do
more,” said Steve Marshall, El Paso Zoo Director. “When I first moved to
El Paso
and saw my first horned lizard, I pointed it out to the person that I was with
and their reaction was that they had not seen a horny toad in years. My question
was, why not?
“Our
staff started researching who in the state was doing horned lizard work and how
we could help. Now we are working with Texas
Parks
and Wildlife, Texas
Christian
University,
University
of North Texas,
and
Fort
Bliss.”
As part of this project, the Zoo is looking to increase the
public’s awareness of the scarcity of these lizards in the natural environment
through conservation education, as well as through research on the species and
potentially through efforts to grow the population.
TAKE ACTION:
Please report your Horned
Lizard Sightings in El Paso
If you see a horned lizard the
Zoo kindly asks the public to not pick up these lizards or to take them
to their homes. Due to their threatened status in the State of Texas, it is punishable
by a $500 fine if anyone attempts to sell or keep Texas Horned Lizards as pets.
These lizards are very difficult to keep alive in captivity as their temperature
and diet requirements are very specialized.
Please report your sighting to
the Collection Supervisor at El Paso Zoo at 915-521-1859 with the following
information:
-Your name
-Your phone number & a good time for zoo staff to call
you back
-Date of most recent observation
-Location of those Texas Horned Lizards (street address,
GPS reading, etc.)
-How many Texas Horned Lizards seen at that time
-How you were they able to identify the lizards as Texas
Horned Lizards
-Any other information to share about this sighting
If the lizard is obviously
injured or you think it is in trouble, you should contact the local volunteer
wildlife rehabilitation group, Chihuahuan Desert Wildlife Rescue (CDWR), via
their dispatchers:
Debbie Lofton: Dispatcher - El Paso
area: (915) 772-6011
Helen Bigelow: Dispatcher - El
Paso/Las Cruces area: (575) 882-2910
(No long distance charge -
El Paso)
And if needed, the El Paso Zoo, at 915-521-1850
Threatened Texas
horned lizards still survive within El Paso City limits, but for how long?
by Rick LoBello
Most children growing up in El Paso have never seen one and
for those older folks many remember the days when horned lizards, commonly
called horned toads, were much more common than they are today.
I have always been fascinated by these dinosaur-like little creatures.
Whenever I see one I am reminded of how so many people are unaware of the
diversity of native Chihuahuan Desert animals and plants we have living here in
our city.
One of fourteen species of horned lizards in North America these spiked bodied
reptiles feed mainly on harvester ants, but will also eat termites, beetles and
grasshoppers. They live in the
hottest parts of the desert protected from the sun in shade provided by small
rocks and boulders, creosote bushes, lechuguillas and prickly-pear cactus.
Why is the horned lizard listed by the Texas Parks and
Wildlife Department as threatened?
Their website says that “its
disappearance has been blamed on many factors, including collection for the pet
trade, spread of the red imported fire ant, changes in land use, and
environmental contaminants. For the most part, however, the decline of the Texas
Horned Lizard has remained a mystery with little understanding of the management
actions that could be taken to restore it.”
We can easily add to that explanation the loss of
habitat including the loss of one of the lizard’s favorite food supplies –
harvester ants. One of the reasons
why we have few harvester ants is not just habitat loss, but because they are
pushed out of their habitat by imported red ants.
These ants are believed to be a major factor in the decline of harvester
ants because of the way they prevent new colonies from forming when they prey on
the mated queen harvester ants.
The red imported ants may also prey directly on the Texas horned lizard
by attacking and eating the lizard’s eggs.
Both factors along with the other reasons listed above
explain why so few kids growing up in our city have ever experienced an up close
look at a Texas horned lizard, the official State Reptile of Texas.
When I saw the horned lizard pictured above a couple of weeks
ago at the very same time I saw one of the reasons why horned lizards are
disappearing in our city, a new skate park is being built on the west side.
It’s not just new shopping centers, factories and housing developments
that are taking away horned lizard habitat; it’s also places we are building
where children and teens can have fun and recreation.
Think about this, if we have a choice between a skate park and habitat for a
threatened species like the Texas horned lizard, what is more important for the
children growing up in El Paso?
I'd say that both are important, but can’t we learn to share our world with these
amazing creatures? Can’t we
look at the habitat needs of native animals like the Texas horned lizard that
barely survives here and make room for people and lizards?
I say we can, but first we have to want to and time is running out.
Hopefully a little more awareness of the situation will help our
community learn how to share our city with the wild creatures that have made El
Paso home long before the coming of the first humans to North America.
Will you speak out for horned lizards?
Will the dream of a giant park on the border be
revived after Obama’s visit to Mexico?
by Rick LoBello
This area is just
four hours east of El Paso and the creation of the international park would
greatly enhance ecotourism in the West Texas.
El Paso, Texas, April 19, 2009.
Earlier this month I learned that a new effort is underway in Mexico that could
re-open US/Mexico talks on the long proposed international park in the Big Bend
National Park region of West Texas. Two sources
that I have in Acuna, Coahuila and Monterrey, Nuevo Leon confirm that the
Governor of Coahuila was working on a presentation for President Obama and
President Calderon
proposing that Mexico and the US once again seriously consider the creation of
what once was reported on in El Paso as the “Giant Park Proposal.”
It is unclear at this time if the park proposal was discussed. An article posted
on yesterday's
El Universal.com indicates that the two presidents did discuss numerous
projects on the border that could help with Mexico's economy opening that the
possibility the park was discussed as a ecotourism initiative.
You can see an historical
timeline about the proposal going back to 1935 by clicking
here.
During the late 1930s meetings were held about the park in El Paso,
Texas, but the international park was never realized even though Big Bend
National Park was established nine years later in 1944.
Today the park is well known in the Southwest as one of the crown jewels
of the National Park System, but what most people do not know is that half of
the original proposed park is missing.
The originally proposed
international park needs to be completed and I hope that President Obama and
President Calderon found time to discuss the proposal.
An international park combining Big Bend National Park with protected areas
across the border in Coahuila and Chihuahua will:
(1) help to call international
attention to the transboundary protected areas and the need to promote the long
term protection of the region's fascinating flora and fauna including a number
of rare and endangered species,
(2) become a permanent monument
and symbol of peace between the US and Mexico, one that President Roosevelt said
would celebrate the friendship between the two countries and be a meeting ground
where the people of both countries and citizens from all parts of the world
could come together to learn about each other’s culture while coming to better
understand the natural world that they all share.
(3) help to call the region's
attention to the needs of people living in rural areas without adequate running
water, electricity, sanitation and educational opportunities. The people living
in the area cannot be expected to support the long term protection of the region
if their needs are not also taken care of.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt
and President Harry Truman were strong advocates of the US/Mexico international
park and Roosevelt proclaimed six months before his death that “"I do not
believe that this undertaking in the Big Bend will be complete until the entire
park area in this region on both sides of the Rio Grande forms one great
international park."
I
Read the Story from the El Paso
Herald Post in
1936
El Paso Herald Post, November 6, 1936
Will Discuss Big
Bend Park
Arno M. Cammerer, director of the National Park Service, will
be in El Paso, Sunday, to discuss with Mexican officials boundaries of a
proposed International Park, the American half which would be in Brewster
County.
PROPOSED PARK
GIANT PROJECT
Officials Will Arrive Here Sunday for Parley On Recreation
Site
The proposed Big Bend International Park will be one of the
biggest developments ever undertaken by the National Park Service, according to
Assistant Director Conrad L. Wirth, who is enroute here with other Washington
officials of the National Park Service to attend a two-day conference opening
Sunday with representatives of the Mexican government. 'Boundaries of the park
will be discussed.
In my opinion," said Mr. Wirth, "the Big Bend International
Park will be one of the greatest recreational and educational ventures ever
undertaken by the National Park Service. The benefits to the people of Mexico
and the United States will be almost unlimited."
Director Arno B. Cammerer and Assistant Directors Wirth and
G. A. Moskey will arrive here Sunday morning with Herbert Maier of Oklahoma
City, regional officer of the National Park Service, in charge of cooperative
development of state parks in Texas. and other Southwestern States.
They will be met here by representatives of the U. S.
Biological Survey and the International Boundary Commission, to confer with
Daniel F. Galicia and other from the. Department of Forestry; Fish and Game of
Mexico.
Tentative boundaries have been agreed upon at previous joint
meetings of the two commissions.
The sessions here are expected to result in final
determination for presentation to the respective governments. It is probable
these boundaries will include about 788,000 acres for the Big Bend National Park
of Texas—all in Brewster County- and approximately 400,000 acres for the Mexican
National Park in the States of Chihuahua and Coahuila.
The two-parks would be linked by a bridge across the Rio
Grande at Boquillas.
Junior Rangers at
Franklin Mountains
State Park
Franklin Mountains
State Park
invites children and their families to participate in our new Junior Ranger
Program. Junior Rangers will learn all about the
Chihuahuan
Desert
at Franklin
Mountains
State Park.
Those who complete the program will receive a custom edition Junior Ranger Patch
featuring the protected Texas Horned Lizard!
Junior Rangers will participate in a
number of tasks such as hiking a number of trails, identifying native plants and
animals and picking up litter.
The Junior Ranger program is a
terrific opportunity for children and parents alike to learn about their natural
world. Experience is not necessary!
Those families interested in
participating in the Junior Ranger can attend an Orientation and Kids Chihuahuan
Desert Survival class on Saturday March 28th
at the Tom Mays Unit at 10am. Participation in the Junior Ranger Program is
free. Recommended ages 8 -12. For information call 566-6441 ex.24
kelly.serio@tpwd.state.tx.us
Critical Land Protected Along
Lower Rio Grande in Selden Canyon
Public will benefit from wildlife habitat, recreation values
DONA ANA, N.M. —
New Mexico State Parks, The
Trust for Public Land, and the World Wildlife Fund announced today the permanent
protection of 783 acres of land along a critical stretch of the Rio Grande in
Selden Canyon. The land, part of the Broad Canyon Ranch, is immediately adjacent
to N.M. 185 about 15 miles north of the city of Las Cruces. The property
contains two of New Mexico’s most rare and threatened habitats: wetlands and
riparian forest.
The land acquisition includes a 30-acre wetland known as
Swan Pond and approximately one mile of riparian forest along the Rio Grande.
The property also has access to grazing leases on an additional 4,830 acres of
Chihuahuan Desert grasslands owned by the Bureau of Land Management and the New
Mexico State Land Office, which will be leased and managed for wildlife habitat
and recreation by State Parks. The Selden Canyon property also will be
astride the route of the Rio Grande Trail, a proposed multi-use trail along the
river through New Mexico.
The dedicated support and cooperation of Gov. Bill
Richardson and the Legislature, nonprofit
groups, federal agencies and private landowners have made it possible to
preserve and link critical riparian habitat for both wildlife and outdoor
recreation,” said Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Cabinet Secretary
Joanna Prukop.
"This is a wonderful addition to the State Parks “string of
pearls” along the Rio Grande,” said State Parks Director Dave Simon.
The new property will advance State Parks’ long-range vision
to establish more conservation reserves along the lower Rio Grande in order to
accomplish river ecosystem restoration, expand education and recreation
opportunities and improve river access. The property will be another
important link along this stretch of the river owned by State Parks that
currently includes Elephant Butte Lake, Caballo Lake, Percha Dam and Leasburg
Dam state parks, and the new Mesilla Valley Bosque State Park.
Conservation of Broad Canyon Ranch also will contribute to
landscape-level protection efforts along the 11-mile Selden Canyon on the Rio
Grande. The ranch connects public federal lands in the Sierra de Las Uvas
and Robledo Mountains with the Rio Grande and the large Chihuahuan Desert
Rangeland Research Center ranch owned by New Mexico State University, which
provides connections to the Dona Ana Mountains, the Jornada Experimental Range,
and the San Andres National Wildlife Refuge.
The national land conservation organization The Trust for
Public Land (TPL) acquired the ranch in November 2008 and conveyed it to State
Parks. The Trust for Public Land worked with the landowners, ranchers Joe
and Karen Gray, on the purchase during much of the past year as part of TPL’s
Rio Grande Protection Program. The Grays had owned the property since the
1960s.
“We are very pleased to have helped protect this important
ranch for future generations of New Mexico and to have been a part of a
successful coalition that included State Parks and many, many partners,” said
Jenny Parks, Trust for Public Land state director. “The protection of Broad
Canyon Ranch was possible only by putting together a creative combination of
state, federal and private funds.”
The lower Rio Grande is a key ecological corridor for the
northern Chihuahuan Desert, one of the world’s most biologically significant
deserts. It is a priority area for the conservation efforts of the World
Wildlife Fund (WWF), which has been working with partners Elephant Butte
Irrigation District and the U.S. International Boundary and Water Commission on
a large restoration initiative known as the Rio Grande Canalization
Collaborative Project. The partners hope to better integrate flood
control, irrigation deliveries and habitat conservation restoration along a
105-mile reach of the river from Caballo Reservoir to American Dam, Texas,
including Selden Canyon.
”Selden Canyon is a focus area for the World Wildlife Fund
because it provides a wonderful mosaic of native river habitat including
wetlands, meadows, and riparian forest” says Beth Bardwell, manager of WWF’s Las
Cruces Chihuahuan Desert Program office. “It also has its share of exotic
vegetation like salt cedar which we hope to remove. Broad Canyon Ranch
will provide great opportunities for recreationists as well as multiple benefits
for wildlife. World Wildlife Fund is thankful to State Parks for their
pivotal role in acquiring and managing this important land.”
The total purchase price of the acquisition was $1.65
million. Key components of the funding included: $400,000 from the Doris
Duke Charitable Foundation and The Nature Conservancy; and $1.25 million through
New Mexico State Parks that was a combination of state and federal funds,
including $500,000 from the State of New Mexico’s Land and Wildlife
Program. The federal funds came through the Land and Water Conservation Fund,
which has been supported by the New Mexico congressional delegation, including
U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman. Additional funding came from capital outlay
appropriations provided by Sen. Mary Jane Garcia (D – Dona Ana) and Rep. Jeff
Steinborn (D – Dona Ana).
“The effort seen at Selden Canyon is conservation at its
finest,” said State Senator Mary Jane Garcia. “This project not only
provides the people of New Mexico with enhanced quality of life today, but also
it protects a pristine area for the benefit of future generations. It was
truly and honor and a privilege to be able to participate by securing state
funding for such a wonderful endeavor.”
The NM Land and Wildlife Program, which is managed by the
Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department, has been funded by the
Governor and Legislature for the last two years and is a successful and
important source of funds for land protection in New Mexico.
The Selden Canyon land acquisition
is one of many partnership initiatives begun during New Mexico State Parks
75th Diamond Anniversary celebration in 2008. Over 75 years, State Parks has
evolved from a federal New Deal initiative in 1933 to a vibrant system of 34
parks serving over four million people annually. For more information, call
888-NMPARKS or visit
www.nmparks.com.
The Trust for Public Land is a
national nonprofit land conservation organization dedicated to conserving land
for people to enjoy as parks, gardens and other natural places, ensuring livable
communities for generations to come. Founded in 1972, TPL has protected 2
million acres nationwide. Find TPL on-line at
www.tpl.org.
World Wildlife Fund is an
international conservation organization whose mission is the conservation of
nature and has an office in Las Cruces as part of its Chihuahuan Desert program.
Find WWF on-line at
www.worldwildlife.org.
Franklin Mountains State Park to Grow By Almost
1,700 Acres
Rarely seen desert mule deer are one of numerous
wildlife species that will benefit from the growth of the park and the habitat
it protects. Photo by Rick LoBello
Nov. 10, 2008. AUSTIN, Texas — The
largest urban wilderness park in the continental United States —
Franklin Mountains State Park in
El Paso — is destined to grow even bigger as a result of action taken Thursday
by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission.
Commissioners directed the executive director to take steps necessary for the
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to acquire roughly 1,670 acres in two
separate tracts from the El Paso Water Utilities Public Service Board to add to
the 24,247-acre state park. The 80th Texas Legislature required TPWD to acquire
the additional park land and allocated $162,000 for that purpose.
The larger piece of new real estate, a 1,470-acre tract adjacent to the Castner
Range, would expand the Franklin Mountains State Park boundary at the
northeastern corner of the park. The smaller 200-acre tract on the western side
of the Franklins would provide the state park some protection against pending
development in the southwestern corner of the park.
"At the end of the day, the property acquisition will give us a buffer between
previous state park boundaries and pending development areas," says John Moses,
director of El Paso’s state park complex that includes Franklin Mountains State
Park. "The buffer zone on the east side of the mountain will be where we’ll put
trailheads that will connect new communities in northeast El Paso with the
park."
Franklin Mountains State Park is the United State’s largest urban park, being
entirely located within the city limits of El Paso. The state park offers rock
climbing, mountain biking, rock climbing, primitive overnight camping,
picnicking and guided tours.
Hundreds visit Rio Bosque Wetlands
Northern harriers are commonly seen flying over the Rio
Bosque Wetlands, photo by Robert Shantz.
Communicate with others about
this event and Rio Bosque :
Community Blogspot.
Friends of
Rio
Bosque Wetlands Park in the Lower Valley area of East El Paso hosted a
special Discover Rio Bosque Free Community Event on Saturday morning,
November 15. Event planners are concerned about the new Border Wall being
constructed at the park's edge and want more El Pasoans and other people living
in the region to be aware of the park's wetlands habitat so important to local
wildlife species and migratory birds.
Friends of the Rio Bosque Vice President Sal Quintanilla told the El Paso Times
last week that he feared that the wall will seriously diminish the park's
wetlands habitat so important to hundreds of wildllife species. The city,
UTEP and volunteers from the area have worked hard to restore the wetlands area
over the past 10 years. In expressing his frustration and the concerns of
many others about the controversial wall being built by Homeland Security,
Quintanilla said "Let the animals cross. Let the animals come into this
park."
For more information on the plants and animals of Rio
Bosque Wetlands Park
Click Here.
Directions from I-10:
Take the Americas Ave. (Loop
375) exit (Exit 34) and head southwest towards the Zaragoza Bridge. Enter the freeway portion of
Loop 375 and take it to the exit for
Alameda Ave., Socorro Rd., Pan American Dr. and
Zaragoza Rd.
Exit to the frontage road and continue straight ahead, crossing both
Alameda Ave. and Socorro Rd. At Pan American Dr.,
turn left. After driving approximately 1.1 mile on Pan American, you'll
cross a bridge over the Playa Drain. At 1.5 miles, you'll reach a second
bridge, which crosses the Riverside Canal right before the gated entrance to
the Jonathan Rogers and Roberto Bustamante water-treatment plants. Proceed
about 2.5 miles to the Visitor Center. For a map visit
http://www.riobosque.org
John Sproul,
Program Coordinator/Manager of the
Rio
Bosque
Wetlands
Park wrote
comments regarding the Impact of the Border Fence on Rio Bosque Park
that were published in Newspaper Tree in April 2008. Sproul said, “At Rio
Bosque Wetlands Park, our management goal is to re-establish over time
approximate examples of native plant and animal communities historically found
in the river valley. The proposed fence would compromise our ability to achieve
that goal.”
“At the Park, the visual impact of the fence will be immediate and obvious. The
ecological impact will be gradual and more subtle, but no less real. For many
animals, the fence will be a barrier to movement between the Rio Grande
and the Park and a barrier to genetic exchange. Over time, the fence will affect
what species get established at Rio Bosque and, for some species, the long-term
health and viability of the populations present. Visit the border-fence page to
learn the current status (http://research.utep.edu/Default.aspx?tabid=54582)
.”
NM Game Commission votes to continue support for Mexican Wolf recovery
By a 3-2 vote (with two members absent), the NM Game Commission reaffirmed its
support for and continued active participation in the Mexican Wolf
reintroduction program at its meeting in Deming yesterday. The Commission also
expressed support for more “adaptive, proactive and effective” management of
Mexican wolves—a welcome sign to wolf supporters concerned about current
management that solves problems primarily by removing wolves from the wild.
|
News
Archive
These articles were recently posted on our site. You
can also find other items in past issues of our
newsletter in PDF files.
Guidelines for Submitting Research Requests to
the El Paso
Zoo
The El Paso Zoo encourages submission of proposals for
collaboration in scientific research. Highest priority will be given to projects
that will benefit the management or conservation of wildlife or captive
wildlife. The Zoo’s management team is actively soliciting community use of the
Zoo’s collections in research, especially through collaborative projects with
regional educational institutions.
Only non-invasive or minimally invasive animal research is
carried out at the Zoo. This may include behavioral observations, collection and
analysis of waste material, or analysis of biological specimens obtained during
routine physical exams or husbandry procedures. The Zoo is also supportive of
non-animal research into human attitudes and education regarding wildlife and
conservation.
Where applicable, research results are expected to be
published in appropriate journals and/or presented at scientific meetings with
appropriate credit and publication reprints being provided to the Zoo. Project
significance and results should also be very briefly summarized in layman’s
terms for use in the Zoo’s educational outreach and research support efforts.
Whenever possible, researchers are strongly encouraged to share results and
their significance with Zoo staff in the form of an informal educational
presentation on Zoo grounds.
All research proposals including tissue or other biospecimen
requests will be evaluated by the Research Committee for scientific merit,
humane animal care and use, availability of requested resources, and impact on
wildlife and captive wildlife management and conservation.
For more information contact Dr. Victoria Milne at 915-521-1850.
Habitat Workshop helps Burrowing Owls in El Paso
By Virginia Galarza
December 5, 2009. On Saturday, November 21st,
forty-one (41) community members consisting of adults, youth and even Girl Scout
Troop #7 of Juarez, Mexico; undertook a service project mentored by Texas Parks
& Wildlife Department and Texas Master Naturalists.
The Artificial Burrowing Owl Habitat
educational workshop included a service project to install two artificial
burrowing owl (BUOW) habitats at the Carlos M. Ramirez TecH2O Water Resource
Learning Center’s property.
Why install artificial burrowing owl habitats? Burrowing owls need our
HELP! The burrowing owl is a native to El Paso and the Chihuahuan Desert.
Lois Balin, Urban Wildlife Biologist gave a lesson in the uniqueness of the
burrowing owl and the issues concerning their loss of habitat. Ed Dominguez &
Sal Quintanilla, Texas Master Naturalists, steer headed the installations of the
habitats. The materials used were recycled PVC water pipes and old garden boxes
where the owls will eventually build their nests. BUOW populations are
declining in portions of their range in North America and lack of suitable
nesting burrows is thought to be one of the main factors contributing to
population declines. As people build on land where the owls live, the owls
adapt and often create nests in the drainage pipes of the buildings or storm
water drains. When the rains come, the nests and eggs get washed out of
the drainage pipes and into the streets and parking lots, where they are
eventually destroyed.
This species are valuable to humans and the ecosystem. They consume small
rodents such as mice, voles, and pocket gophers and prevent outbreaks of insects
and invertebrates such as locusts, grasshoppers, beetles, crickets, scorpions,
and earwigs.
This project served as a great contribution to the resident burrowing owls at
the TecH2O Center, where several have been seen nesting in the storm drains that
surround the center and desalination plant. It has been seen that within a
couple of weeks of installation, the burrowing owl will move into the artificial
burrowing owl nests box.
This installation was in perfect timing for their mating season and we hope that
they will be able to be seen perching around their new homes.
The Artificial Burrowing Owl Habitats will serve as a natural educational
exhibit and teach the students conservation of this species. With the
preservation of native grasslands and protection of burrowing mammals, we can
retain this unique species for the viewing by future generations.
Ysleta ISD Dual Language Program at Del Valle High School translates our first
pages into Spanish
November 29, 2009.
Thanks to their teacher Yvette Garcia our website now has a new
Spanish section
with information about the coalition. We hope to add many more pages in
the future.
Yvette said that she is "very
proud of my Dual Language students. The summer class that did the translation of
the website were featured in the September 2009 issue of Texas Monthly. It is a
great little article about the students and the program."
Dual language program students at Del Valle High School within YISD who helped
were:
Shea Sizemore
Andy Vargas
Juan Cazares
Georgina Gastelo
Biancan Valles
Dorian Gutierrez
David Gomez
Amy Martinez
New border fence video and website
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology has posted an excellent video about the potential
ecological impacts of the border wall on the wildlife of the
Lower
Rio Grande Valley
in Texas, an area of extraordinary
biological diversity and home to many species of birds found nowhere else in the
United States. As the video points out, the
border wall is undermining years of conservation efforts in the region. The
federal government itself has spent more than $80 million to acquire habitat for
endangered wildlife in recent decades. The web page also has many links to other
resources related to the border fence. Check it out
here.
El Paso officials support Rio Grande restoration and
efforts to establish an international park in the Big Bend
by Rick LoBello
August 23, 2009. El Paso, Texas. In
response to requests made by El Paso’s Ecotourism Committee, government
officials in El Paso have called upon the federal government to take action in
support of important environmental initiatives along the US Mexico border. Two
resolutions approved by the El Paso County Commissioners Court on August 10 and
17 and the El Paso City Council on August 18 call upon the International Water
and Boundary Commission to adopt a “no mow policy along the banks of the Rio
Grande” to help provide for recovery of native cottonwood and tornillo habitat
and the Department of the Interior to create an International Commission to help
promote the establishment of an International Park in the Big Bend National Park
area and adjacent region in Mexico.
Resolutions in support of Rio Grande habitat
restoration and the establishment of a giant US-Mexico international park are
important to borderland conservation efforts to conserve the Chihuahuan Desert,
one of the conservation hotspots identified by major groups like the World
Wildlife Fund.
El Paso has long supported conservation in the region.
In the 1970s local residents worked for the creation of Franklin Mountains State
Park, the largest urban park in the nation at 24,247 acres, covering some 37
square miles, all within the city limits of El Paso.
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By providing links to other sites, we do not guarantee, approve or endorse
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www.chihuahuandesert.org. |