Category Archives: Uncategorized

This is a picture Santa Elena Canyon and the Rio Grande with the Santa Elena Canyon Protected Area, Chihuahua, Mexico on the left and Big Bend National Park in Texas on the right. By Rick LoBello, Board Member Background Big Bend National Park was first officially proposed on February 16, 1935 when Texas Senator MorrisContinueContinue reading “Can we realize Roosevelt’s dream for a transboundary conservation area by developing a plan for a sustainable future?”

The Chihuahuan Desert Education Coalition (CDEC) is pleased to announce the creation of the Castner Range National Monument in the Franklin Mountains. Over the past twenty years CDEC in collaboration with the El Paso Zoo and Botanical Gardens and thousands of citizens in El Paso and across the country has advocated for the protection ofContinueContinue reading “El Paso celebrates Castner Range National Monument”

Reticulated gecko By Rick LoBello, Board Member Every year I find one or more geckos under things in my yard or climbing on a wall.   For most of us in El Paso if we find a gecko we are more than likely seeing a Mediterranean gecko, an exotic species in the U.S. first reported inContinueContinue reading “Only in the Chihuahuan Desert: the reticulated gecko”

Conservation Ambassadors help the El Paso Zoo and Botanical Gardens with its mission of celebrating the value of animals and natural resources and in creating opportunities for people to rediscover their connection to nature. The Zoo has a new Chihuahuan Desert Exhibit and the City of El Paso Volunteer Program offers numerous opportunities to engageContinueContinue reading “Volunteer at the Zoo as a Conservation Ambassador”

By Jacob Croft Western Screech Owl Megascops Kennicotti Status: Least Concerned Size: 7.5-9.8 inches Habitat: Woodlands The Western Screech Owl, looking much like the Eastern Screech Owl, is found in the western US and Mexico. They live here in El Paso, but are not commonly seen. Watch for them in the evenings or early mornings. They are nocturnalContinueContinue reading “Chihuahuan Desert Wildlife: Western Screech Owl”

Natural entrance to Carlsbad Caverns, home to a maternity colony of Mexican free-tailed bats. By Rick LoBello, Board Member Prior to moving to El Paso my friends used to call me Batman because of my job at Carlsbad Caverns National Park.   From 1992 to 2000 I lived in government housing a stone’s throw away fromContinueContinue reading “Free tailing it up to Carlsbad”

By Stephen Hummel, Board Member Fireflies are not an insect species commonly associated with the desert. They are typically found in humid, dark, wooded environments typically found in the eastern half of the United States and elsewhere. Relatively few fireflies can be found in the dry conditions of the western United States. One exception isContinueContinue reading “Sky Island Fireflies”

By Rick LoBello, Board Member Spring is in the air and here in El Paso one of our most vocal resident birds is busy preparing for the breeding season. If you don’t see them when you wake up in the morning you can certainly hear them and this beautiful bird has a very distinctive song.ContinueContinue reading “Meet your neighbors: who cooks for who?”

The Chisos Mountains, Big Bend National Park. Photo by Gary Nored, Wikimedia Creative Commons The Chihuahuan Desert Education Coalition and the El Paso Zoo and Botanical Gardens are teaming up to host a third Chihuahuan Desert Conference in El Paso on November 15-17, 2023. To learn more about the meeting visit the conference website at http://chihuahuandesertconference.org. ContinueContinue reading “Call for Abstracts for Oral Presentations and Posters at the 2023 Chihuahuan Desert Conference”

The coyote is the largest and most common apex predator in El Paso. Well known across North America from Canada to Central America, if you haven’t seen one yet don’t be surprised when you do. Their numbers in our city appear to be increasing as they move into neighborhoods looking for what we all wantContinueContinue reading “Coyotes are El Paso’s most common apex predator”