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Del Carmen white-tailed deer, Big
Bend National Park, Texas Building on successful collaborative conservation projects in
the Big Bend Region of the Chihuahuan Desert, three agencies within the
Department of the Interior - the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), the U.S.
Geological Survey (USGS), and the National Park Service (NPS) - along with the
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) signed a Memorandum of Understanding
(MOU) this fall, establishing the Big Bend Conservation Cooperative (BBCC). The MOU will strengthen cooperative working relationships in
the Big Bend region to advance the conservation of natural resources, including
Big Bend National Park, the Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River, Black Gap,
Elephant Mountain and Sierra Diablo Wildlife Management Areas, Balmorhea, Big
Bend Ranch, Chinati Mountains, Davis Mountains, Franklin Mountains, Hueco Tanks,
Monahans Sandhills, and Seminole Canyon State Parks, and the Devils River State
Natural Area. Working together over the last several years the parties to
the MOU worked with other conservation partners on several projects in the Big
Bend region which have resulted in demonstrable, on-the-ground conservation.
Projects have included the control of exotic species such as saltcedar and giant
river cane along the Rio Grande; re-introduction of the endangered Rio Grande
silvery minnow; and the restoration of grassland areas. Going forward, the
parties to the Big Bend Conservation Cooperative want to build on shared
successes and more strategically address conservation by reaching out to a
larger group of agency and non-governmental conservation partners in the U.S.
and Mexico to create a forum for designing, planning, and implementing
conservation actions. From bighorn sheep at the top of rugged mountains to silvery
minnows at the bottom of the Rio Grande, there is a diverse array of plants and
wildlife that depend on the grasslands, scattered mountains, rivers, creeks, and
springs of the Chihuahuan Desert. The parties to the MOU intend to work
together across land management boundaries to increase efficiency and
effectiveness in restoring and conserving the Rio Grande and Chihuahuan Desert
in the Big Bend Region for people and wildlife. “With protected lands on both
sides of the border within the greater Big Bend region approaching three million
acres, we have a unique opportunity to work together to manage for conservation
at broad, landscape scales and really make a difference for conservation in the
Chihuahuan Desert,” stated Bill Wellman, Superintendent of Big Bend National
Park. Big Bend National Park is working closely with their counterpart
agency in Mexico, the
Comision Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas (CONANP), to develop a strategic
plan for increased cooperation amongst federally managed conservation areas in
the U.S. and Mexico. In addition to managing trust resources, such as threatened
and endangered species and migratory birds, the FWS provides technical
assistance and funding for conservation projects on private lands through their
Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program. “We are very lucky to be working with private landowners who
are implementing large scale restoration in the Big Bend region,” stated Aimee
Roberson, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Biologist. “We are happy to be
able to contribute to the great work our conservation partners are doing to
improve the health of sky islands, grasslands, riparian areas, and streams on
both private and public lands.” The USGS serves as the primary research and monitoring agency
of the Department of the Interior and works with other agencies to link
scientific information to conservation planning and implementation. “We’re particularly excited about our work with the Fish and
Wildlife Service, National Park Service, and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
to provide science in support of their efforts to re-establish the Rio Grande
silvery minnow,” stated Bruce Moring, Senior Biologist at USGS’s Texas Water
Science Center. “We are creating detailed maps of the Rio Grande to improve our
understanding of how different river flows affect habitat for the Rio Grande
silvery minnow and other fish.” TPWD manages 11 properties for wildlife conservation and
public recreational use within the Chihuahuan Desert in Texas and also provides
technical assistance and funding for conservation projects on private lands
through the agency’s Technical Guidance Program, Landowner Incentive Program and
Watershed Conservation Program. “In nature, each species plays its part in a healthy and
resilient ecosystem,” said Gary Garrett, a TPWD fisheries scientist who has
helped lead Rio Grande silvery minnow restoration. “We can take a cue from
nature and how ecosystems function as we come together as partners to accomplish
our shared conservation goals. We can increase our efficiency and our
effectiveness while creating a synergy that is greater than just the sum of our
collective efforts if we were acting alone.” The Big Bend Conservation Cooperative MOU will foster
increased coordination to bring more grass, birds, and wildlife to the uplands
and a healthier Rio Grande with improved water quality, diverse habitats, and an
increased channel capacity to reduce flooding in communities along the river.
These efforts will also benefit the public by enhancing the natural beauty of
the Big Bend region for those eager to enjoy the many recreational opportunities
on our public lands.
Wildlife spectacle at Bosque del Apache
is just a three hour drive from
El Paso
by Rick LoBello
Snow geese by Rick LoBello. Click picture for larger image.
If you are
looking for something really special to do with your family over the holidays
consider a trip to see one of nature's grandest wildlife spectacles at Bosque
Del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, one of the premier birding areas and
wildlife refuges in the world. Located 176 miles north of El Paso along
1-25 on the interstate towards Albuquerque, just south of Socorro and San
Antonio, New Mexico, the refuge is the winter home to nearly 10,000 Sandhill
Cranes and tens of thousands of Snow Geese. Friends of Bosque Del Apache
NWR offers a
weekly update
on how many birds are estimated to be living on the refuge. The report for
December 2, 2010 stated there were 9, 301
Sandhill Cranes 9,301, 40,520
Light Geese (mostly Snow Geese) and over 93,000 ducks. 8. Make sure you
see the Visitor Center where they also have a gift shop.
December 1, 2010 El Paso Zoo officials announced last month that on November 1 a critically endangered female Mexican wolf has been transferred from the Zoo to the Wolf Haven breeding facility in Tenino, Washington. The female wolf named Fern was born at the Columbus Zoo on May 9, 2002 and came to El Paso on November 19, 2004. She was joined on the trip north by a second wolf from Wildlife West Nature Park near Santa Fe, New Mexico. Fern's two sisters will remain at the El Paso Zoo. The wolf was flown to Wolf Haven by LightHawk, the largest and oldest volunteer based, environmental aviation organization in North America. The mission of LightHawk is to champion environmental protection through the unique perspective of flight. The Mexican wolf is the most endangered canine or dog in the world with fewer than 40 remaining in the wild. The El Paso Zoo and Wolf Haven International are proud partners working together in the Mexican Wolf Recovery Program along with 46 other facilities to help save this endangered species in the United States and Mexico. Biologists believe that Mexican wolves went extinct in the wild during the late 1970s. Today the El Paso Zoo is working to help reintroduce the species in the wild by participating as a member of the Mexican Grey Wolf Species Survival Plan (SSP) and by encouraging Zoo visitors to take action in support of wolf recovery in the wild (Help save this species now, TAKE ACTION). The first Mexican Gray Wolf acquisition at the Zoo occurred in 1994. Today it is only because of Zoos and breeding facilities like Wolf Haven working together with government officials in the US and Mexico that the species has been able to be reintroduced in the wild. Wolf Haven is one of only three US pre-release breeding facilities for the program where wolves are placed for breeding and prepared for release in the wild. Since the first year of releases, in 1998, two packs of Mexican gray wolves (The original Hawk's Nest Pack and the Cienega Pack) have gone from Wolf Haven International to Arizona's Apache National Forest. Both groups of wolves have fared extremely well in the wild, making substantial contributions to Mexican Wolf Recovery. As with any reintroduction program there are many issues and challenges to be overcome before recovery efforts are successful. SUMMARY 2010 marks the 8th year that the El Paso Zoo has been working on Mexican wolf conservation education efforts which have included special wolf awareness days and efforts to highlight the Mexican wolf during previous events including Endangered Species Day and Habitat for Wildlife Weekends. During previous years we have also collected signatures on petitions to the US Fish and Wildlife Service helping them to see that there is strong support for the wolf in El Paso. Video interviews with Mexican Wolf Recovery Team members have were previously posted on our website. As we work on current efforts to improve the web site we plan to re-post these interviews and add more multi-media educational opportunities. As of 2010 the El Paso Zoo Education Team has focused on Mexican wolf education during Endangered Species Day earlier this spring and by ongoing efforts to encourage zoo visitors to get involved with Mexican wolf conservation by taking action at the zoo. Working in cooperation with Defenders of Wildlife, one of the leading conservation organizations working to help the Mexican wolf, visitors are encouraged to write a letter or send an email to the Department of the Interior using one of our computers at the Jose Cisneros Paraje Discovery Center. Because of the critical need to not only inform our guests of the status of the Mexican wolf, but also to encourage them to take actions to help, we have decided to use our limited resources with visitor outreach in the Paraje. We also host the exhibit when volunteers are available and we can schedule animal encounter programs with the wolf keepers. During a recent education event in August we had five computers set up in the EPWU Discovery Center with the Wolf Quest online educational computer game. All five computers were in almost continuous use during the two day event. As a result of this experience we will provide more opportunities for youth to become aware of the Mexican wolf by making sure the game is a component of our new effort to recruit volunteers to work specifically in this center. The Zoo's Education Curator has been actively involved in helping increase awareness about the Mexican wolf since 1978 when he filmed one of the last wild Mexican wolves captured for the current captive breeding program before the species presumably went extinct in the wild. The 8mm film he took was uploaded to YouTube where over 39,000 people have viewed it and have become aware of the wolf's plight. He also was instrumental in organizing a grassroots effort called the Mexican Wolf Coalition of Texas to gain support for reintroduction efforts during the early 1990s when Texas Governor Ann Richards endorsed efforts to someday reintroduce the wolf in the state. Later he wrote a chapter in a book entitled "War Against the Wolf: America's Campaign to Exterminate the Wolf" [Hardcover] by Rick McIntyre. The Zoo's Animal Curator John Kiseda reports the following efforts that we have also been involved in since the early 1990s, when we first provided exhibit space for the Mexican Wolf Recovery Program captive breeding program. Some of these efforts are as follows: � The El Paso Zoo was one of the earlier U.S. zoo's to become involved with the Mexican Grey Wolf Species Survival Plan (SSP). The Zoo's pre-planning and exhibit renovation work led to Mexican Gray Wolf acquisition in 1994. � The Zoo provided $500 of funding support for the 1998 Mexican Wolf Keeper Training Workshop. � The Zoo hosted the 2000 Mexican Wolf SSP Annual Meeting and Reunion Binacional Sobre El Lobo Mexicano. � Zoo staff created 2000 Mexican Wolf SSP Meeting T-shirts and provided the net of approximately $500 to the SSP. � The Zoo hosted a binational Mexican Gray Wolf Keeper Training Workshop in 2000 during the AZA Western Regional Conference; this included one staffer as an instructor. � The Zoo has helped in the transfer and acquisition of Mexican Gray Wolf SSP animals, particularly as it related to animal moves between Mexico & the United States facility's; the zoo had once even temporarily held onto another facility's wolf for over a week. � The zoo's Animal Curator has been an active participant in the Mexican Gray Wolf SSP for well over 10 years, has been on the SSP Management Group for over 10 years, and was named 'Vice-Chair of the SSP last year, with a re-election in this position a few months ago. The Animal Curator also had an effectual role in having the AZA provide comment in 2005 on the Five-Year Review of the Mexican Wolf Reintroduction Project and the Adaptive Management Oversight Committee's (AMOC) Proposed One-Year Moratorium on Releases of Mexican Wolves from the Captive Population. � The Zoo Conservation Committee provided $500 of funding support for the 2007 Mexican Wolf Keeper Training Workshop. � The Zoo Conservation Committee provided $500 of funding support for the Mexican Wolf Conservation Fund 2008. � In 2009, Zoo Vet Staff salvaged ovaries for oocyte recovery and long term Cryogenic storage for possible future reproductive studies or use.
A real Southwest
Treasure 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 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.
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 On August 31, 1996, Jack L. and Anna Childs were running
their hunting hounds in the When Jack Childs reached the ‘treed” animal he was
astonished. It was a lion, but not the typical mountain lion
that populated the 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 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 In 2002 the Northern Jaguar Project (NJP) was born.
The NJP was started by a small group of conservationists from the
southwestern Ironically, a very recent Federal Court ruling has ordered
that specific habitats be set aside for the Jaguar Recovery Program both in 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
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 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). Amazon.com book section on Jaguars.
$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 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.
Zoo welcomes arrival of
Conservation project to safeguard State lizard’s declining
population 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 “Our
staff started researching who in the state was doing horned lizard work and how
we could help. Now we are working with 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 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 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 -
And if needed, the El Paso Zoo, at 915-521-1850
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.
The Borderland Mountain Bike Association
Of course, the climb over Mundy's Gap is one of the toughest climbs in the
southwest. The crux of this project was the completion of the Hitt
Canyon Trail and the switchbacks up the west side of the range. With a
1000 or so volunteer hours donated by the Bowie ROTC, the BMBA, and members of
the Ridgewalkers, this trail was completed in time for the El Paso
Puzzler....now a premier level endurance mountain bike event. Another point of accomplishment comes in the form of a new
section of trail that lies behind you. Known as the Lower Sunset Reroute,
this trail comes as a bittersweet treat to mountain bikers and hikers. Few
people know the true reason why this trail exists. About this time last
year, the original section of trail, a nice adventure through a narrow wash
lined with small cliffs and abundant with fossils, was bulldozed over by Mr.
Stanley Jobe. This section of trail was not in the park. It was on a
section of our land.....land that belongs to the citizens of Texas. You
see, this land is managed by the General Land Office. The GLO leased this
land to Mr. Jobe on a mineral lease allowing him to excavate a few million tons
of rock, gravel, and sand for the construction of more roads and sidewalks in El
Paso and New Mexico. With a bit of pressure from recreational users,
environmentalists, and community activists, Mr. Jobe made some concessions,
donated some labor hours and $15,000 to help with the construction of the
reroute. I take a bit of pride in this section as myself and Mr. Robert
Newman chose to go higher with the route.....following the motto of a Colorado
based outdoor magazine... “When in doubt, go higher.” The BMBA understands that there is a gap in accessible trails
for people wanting to get into mountain biking. The difficulty of our
trails may help people like me be very competitive at the national level, but
they do little to provide a fun first time experience to beginners. While
there are some easier trails in the Heinrich Park area, the city lacks the
overall infrastructure to make mountain biking an easy experience such as safe
trailhead parking and signage.....things that BMBA members are working on with
the Public Service Board. This is where the really hard work comes into play.
Trying to convince our city officials that we need more bike and walking paths
that actually go to places like parks, schools, and grocery stores is like
trying to walk through this desert in bare feet with a blindfold on. City
officials believe that more strip malls and more high density neighborhoods are
what we need to help our city. Roads that are easier to drive on and
stores that seem impossible to walk to due to scary parking lots and sidewalks
that don't connect doesn't make our lives easier. It handicaps us and
contributes to many of the problems that plague our city.....problems like
obesity and diabetes....and general malaise. Just recently, city council voted to allow the widening of
the section of Transmountain Rd from the park entrance down to I-10. This
is a confusing venture for our city as I personally have never been caught in
a traffic jam on this section of road. $80 million dollars is being slated
for this “improvement”, but the road is not the only thing that will
change. Commercial development as well as frontage roads will also be
constructed along that corridor. Most if not all of the desert from the
western boundary of this state park all the way to I-10 already has been “master
planned” by our city. Is this really what we need or want? If it's something that you don't want or think that this city
really needs.....and sometimes we have to do some pretty deep introspection to
determine our needs.....then you are probably asking, “What can I do?” What can you do? There are some very simple things.
First, buy an annual pass to the Texas State Parks. At $60, it's way
cheaper than a gym membership. You can bring your entire family into the
park as well as any State Park in Texas. Second, join an organization that
supports your interests such as the Sierra Club, the BMBA, the International
Mountain Bike Association, the Franklin Mountain Wilderness Coalition, or the
Nature Conservancy. Third, email your city council person and tell them
that you like El Paso and its beautiful desert and your are saddened that so
much of it is slated to be turned into concrete and more strip malls. And
lastly, use your park pass to bring a friend or two into this beautiful park.
If you are a mountain biker, convince a co-worker to join you on a ride on some
of the easier trails such as the ones at Heinrich Park. If you are a
hiker, bring your neighbor out to see the views from the new Lower Sunset
Reroute. Start them off easy. Make it fun for them so they'll want
to join you again. Keep taking them until they go on their own. Then
encourage them to do as I've suggested to you. The cycle will continue and
there will be a few less people out there who think there is nothing to do in El
Paso.
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.”
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."
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 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
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.
Franklin Mountains State Park to Grow By Almost
1,700 Acres
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
Communicate with others about
this event and Rio Bosque :
Community Blogspot. Directions from I-10:
Take the
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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.
Conservation
advocate, Bill Addington, featured in new book
Guidelines for Submitting Research Requests to
the 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.
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.
Ysleta ISD Dual Language Program at Del Valle High School translates our first
pages into Spanish 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
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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