If you’re looking to get involved with a group of people in El Paso who are working to encourage recycling, saving wildlife habitat in the Franklin Mountains and returning extirpated species to the wilds of Texas like the Mexican wolf, the El Paso Sierra Club is the group for you. Learn more about how you can get involved by contacting me by email at Ricklobello@gmail.com.
Snow Geese at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge by Rick LoBello
It’s a wonderful time of year and I am making plans for another trip to my favorite winter spot near El Paso – Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico. Last year I made a little video about the refuge that I sent out at Christmas time. I sent it to my friend Jim Tolbert who decided to make it his video of the week at elpasonaturally.com. Thanks Jim.
If you have not been to Bosque del Apache then consider giving yourself a special gift this Christmas with family and friends. Located 176 miles north of El Paso along 1-25 on the interstate towards Albuquerque, the refuge is the winter home to nearly 10,000 Sandhill Cranes and tens of thousands of Snow Geese.
The best way to experience this wonderland of birds is to stay at a motel in Socorro, New Mexico the night before. You will definitely want to get up very early so that you can leave Socorro about an hour before sunrise. By arriving at first light you can experience the first flights of thousands of geese followed by sandhill cranes as they soar overhead. Go straight to the main Flight Deck by turning left at the first intersection once you pass through the entrance gate. Check out the refuge visitor center and flight deck the afternoon before if you have the time.
I have posted a couple of videos on YouTube to help you get some idea of what the early morning experience is like. When you get there don’t rush home, drive the entire loop several times, bring binoculars, lunch and enjoy all the moments.
Watch this 2 minute video Bosque del Apache at Sunrise
Sandhill Cranes at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge by Rick LoBello
A little over a year ago I realized something about myself that I knew was there, but for a long time was hidden from view. As a wildlife conservationist working all of my adult life in National Parks and now the El Paso Zoo, I have always focused on my job and on related environmental education and advocacy efforts. Then one day last year I discovered that I had a place in my heart that was pretty much wide open. It was a place where I have a passion for helping the less fortunate. Soon I was doing what I always seem to do, trying to make a difference by encouraging others who also care.
As a member of Rotary International for over 30 years I have been encouraged to live by the 4 way test – (1) Is it the truth?, (2) Is it fair to all concerned? (3) Will it build goodwill and better friendships? (4) Will it be beneficial to all concerned? I really want my life to reflect Rotary values which in my opinion are in line with my Christian faith and everything about being an American. They are also in line with many other people’s values around the world like the global network I am a part of with 1.2 million business and professional leaders in Rotary.
The tree I helped to plant last year I am happy to report is growing. Thanks to the Rotary Club of West El Paso Foundation and most recently the Zaragoza Rotary Club, Tree of Hopes is gaining more and more support everyday. Our Helping Families in Need This Christmas Project is touching hearts as our Tree of Hopes bears fruit and grows into a stronger part of our community.
One of the greatest things that I have realized over the past year is what I describe as a “ocean of poverty” in my own back yard. Back in the 1990s when I visited El Paso’s sister city Juarez, I only experienced the business district near the Bridge of Americas. Today I am learning that the poverty of Juarez is much greater than I ever realized. I can’t sit back and just pretend that I don’t live next to this ocean. I can’t drive to work every day on I-10 and not look to the right and see the homes of so many in need. I just can’t. It is my hope that this Tree of Hopes will become a important outreach effort for good in the days ahead and that it will encourage others to plant trees of hopes everywhere.
I tell my friends that when you help the Tree of Hopes grow, you can also experience an inner peace as you realize how “we belong to each other (Mother Teresa).” Winston Churchill said, “We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.”
I was greatly inspired this week when I watched America remember a great president like President George H.W. Bush. With all the negative news and stories about President Trump, I only wish we had a president like President Bush today. Like so many American’s I believe that President Trump wants to be a good President, but I really don’t know what to believe anymore about him and the rest of the bureaucracy in Washington D.C. We need a great leader like George H.W. Bush as President. I hope that if President Trump has committed treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors, that he will resign for the good of the country. If he has not done anything wrong then I hope he will study the life of the President H.W. Bush. We need our President to be a point of light, not someone who so many people around the world do not respect and believe is unfit for office.
As you can imagine I am very excited about this project. If you would like to help in anyway contact me at lobellorl@elpasotexas.gov. To learn more about the park I posted a blog on my iloveparks.com site.
EL PASO, Texas – The El Paso Zoo (zoo) will be piloting a Zoo-Park partnership with Big Bend National Park to coordinate efforts to conserve wildlife.
Funding was made possible for this partnership when the El Paso Zoo and Big Bend National Park were awarded the $10,000 Winter 2018 America’s Keystone Wildlife Grant (AKW). The grant partners zoos with National Parks and National Wildlife Refuges to help America recover the wildlife legacy lost during the fur trade and westward expansion era of the United States.
The El Paso Zoo is among a small inaugural group of accredited zoos selected that meet certain criteria, including AKW Field Conservation, AKW Citizen Stewardship, Community Engagement, and Sustainability. The zoo successfully worked with Big Bend National Park to create the Black Bear Habitat Improvement in Big Bend National Park Project to apply for the grant.
The project focuses on three components: (1) remove non-native invasive vegetation, (2) place food storage boxes in backcountry, and (3) bear-proof power poles in park. This winter, the zoo will send a group of volunteers and staff to work in the park to help complete the project.
“The natural recolonization of the black bear to Big Bend National Park from the cross border population in northern Mexico is one of the most important conservation stories in Texas,” said El Paso Zoo Education Curator Rick LoBello. “I was very fortunate to help document and launch current conservation efforts in Big Bend when I worked there many years ago.”
“Big Bend National Park has incredible diversity, including its wildlife. And the story of black bears in the park is unique among National Parks as it was the first of its kind of wildlife recolonizing a park area,” said park Resource Management Chief David Larson. “Bears are important to the ecology of the park, and we look forward to furthering their story and conservation.”
About El Paso Zoo
The El Paso Zoo is a 35-acre facility that houses animals representing over 220 species, including critically endangered species. Accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA), the El Paso Zoo celebrates the value of animals and natural resources and creates opportunities for people to rediscover their connection to nature.
About Big Bend National Park
Located in West Texas, Big Bend is the largest protected area of Chihuahuan Desert topography and ecology in the United States.
The park protects more than 1,200 species of plants, more than 450 species of birds, 56 species of reptiles, and 75 species of mammals. From an elevation of less than 1,800 feet along the Rio Grande to nearly 8,000 feet in the Chisos Mountains, Big Bend includes massive canyons, vast desert expanses, forested mountains, and an ever-changing river. Here you can explore one of the last remaining wild corners of the United States.
Anthony Bourdain was one of my all time favorite TV show personalities. I loved the way he told stories of his food adventures from around the world. I had hoped to meet him someday thinking that he might come to El Paso like in 2013 when he visited Las Cruces filming an episode on New Mexico. I wish I had known that he was headed to Big Bend National Park where I worked for nearly 17 years. I would have done all I could to find a way to go down the Rio Grande with him and his crew. Now that he is dead I can only admire this weekend’s episode. It’s called West Texas and CNN will air it Sunday night, October 21, 2018.
This past March Angell Expeditions took Anthony on a trip on the Rio Grande through Santa Elena Canyon. The canyon forms the border between the US and Mexico at Big Bend National Park in Texas and the Santa Elena Protected Area in Chihuahua. Angell Expeditions described the trip on their website – “In March we had the privilege of taking Anthony Bourdain and his crew on an overnight river trip through Santa Elena Canyon to film an episode of Parts Unknown. For a day, we were pulled into Tony’s orbit and, for many reasons, it was the grandest overnight trip we’ve ever had. The man was kind, intelligent, thoughtful, and inspiring to be around. Our discussions were critical to the times as well as fun and light-hearted. He had the ability and platform to shed light on important issues in a way that was so very human, everyone could understand and relate.”
On a final note if you enjoyed Bourdain’s work like me you can watch all of his past CNN episodes online. Simply download the CNN app on your phone.
The famous Rock Slide inside Santa Elena Canyon from the Mexican side and the Santa Elena Canyon Protected Area in Chihuahua. Photo by Rick LoBello
Summer of 1986, Alpine, Texas
Kevin Costner was coming to the Big Bend to make a movie and the producers of “Fandango” needed a live owl. Becky Smith, the bus driver for the longest school bus route in the United States, from Terlingua to Alpine, had given me a Great Horned Owl that she had found alongside the road months earlier. It was in pretty bad shape when I received it from an apparent collision with a power line. After two months of rest and all the meat scraps from Safeway it could eat, it healed quickly.
After spending the night at the Calvary Post in Lajitas, I was instructed to meet the film crew at sunrise at the Big Hill pull-off on the River Road to Presidio. Everyone was there, Kevin Costner, a number of actors I had never heard of, the camera crew, make-up people, an animal handler and some food people who had parked a silver canteen truck close by. I’ll never forget my first plate of sushi out in the middle of the Chihuahuan Desert on a hot spring day.
Unfortunately for the owl the sun had moved too fast in the morning to get the shots needed for a low light scene of an owl on a boulder. We had to wait all day for the sun to go down. During the wait I got to know the animal handler who told me all about the other animals that were needed for the film including armadillos, snakes, lizards, coyotes and a roadrunner. My owl was an important part of a camping sequence when as is almost always the case in American films, a hooting owl at night scares everyone around the campfire.
When the time came to get ready for our important scene I was instructed to bring the owl to a large boulder where the animal handler would set him on top. I asked him what would happen if the owl were to jump off the huge rock and fly away? The answer was simple, monofilament line was tied to it’s leg. If it jumped off we’d pick it up and try again.
Everything was ready, the cameras where set and as they began to roll the owl readied for his film debut. As quickly as the director could say “action” the owl jumped off the rock, took one giant leap, broke the monofilament, and flew across the high walled canyon of the Rio Grande and on into Mexico, never to be seen again.
You won’t see an owl in the movie Fandango, but next time you drive the River Road (Texas 170) at night, stop alongside the pull-off at the Big Hill and listen. You might just hear that “Fandango” owl or one of its descendants hooting in the distance…a sound that I hope will forever be heard in the canyons of the Big Bend, long after movies and movie stars are forgotten.
The Rotary Club of West El Paso Independence Day Parade on July 4 is just around the corner. I have loved parades since childhood. When I was in high school I marched with two different Junior Drum and Bugle Corps and had a ball every summer when we traveled across Western New York from one festival and event to the next.
Here in El Paso my favorite parade is the one my Rotary Club sponsors. We are calling it this year the 22nd Annual Independence Day parade and our club President Don Powell and committee members are going above the call of duty in helping to make the parade better than ever. You can buy an ad in the parade program and have a chance of winning a plane ticket. If you enter the parade you or your organization can win up to $1000 for best entry. All the details for the parade including how to buy an ad or enter are including in this year’s parade brochure.
Over the years I have posted a few videos featuring the parade on YouTube. Check them out here:
Last month I was blessed in having the opportunity to meet the River and the Wall feature documentary team in Austin. I spent two days with Ben Masters, Hillary Pierce, Austin Alvarado, and Jay Kleberg sharing everything I knew about Big Bend National Park and the long proposed US International Park with Mexico. I was so happy to meet these folks and to learn about all the great projects they are working on to help Texans and people around the world connect with our natural treasures and learn about the Rio Grande and how one of the most endangered rivers in North America is threatened by Trump’s border wall. The film will be released sometime in 2019 and will take viewers for a wild adventure through one of the most rugged landscapes in North America. The wall threatens not only America’s natural heritage, but also one of the most biologically diverse regions on the continent. I hope it doesn’t happen, but if it does the film might end up documenting the last visuals of the river valley before a wall is constructed and the Rio Grande is changed forever.
Over the past two years I have been meeting with a small group of people who care about protecting large open spaces in West Texas, New Mexico and northern Mexico. We call the region we are focusing on the Greater Big Bend. One of the exciting projects we are just getting started with is a Chihuahuan Desert Conference planned for the first week of November, 2019. We are looking for new members to help plan this important meeting and just help get the word out that we exist as a new group. If you are interested in a new challenge or just the opportunity to network and support a regional conservation group like this, the Greater Big Bend Coalition might be just right for you.
Prior to moving to El Paso I worked in our national parks including Big Bend National Park, Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Carlsbad Caverns National Park and Yellowstone National Park. During my 25 years working in the parks I discovered that no park is an island and that the lands protected in parks are acutely connected to the lands around them. As a result what happens outside a park can have a serious impact on wildlife living in a park as numerous species travel across park boundaries in order to find food, water, habitat and potential mates. Biologists call these travel routes wildlife corridors and here in El Paso we can see every day how wildlife corridors are being destroyed by human development of all sizes. The threats to wildlife corridors are very real and those threats are almost everywhere.
In order to help build bridges to facilitate relationships with land managers, researchers and stakeholders from all walks of life, we have invited speakers to come to El Paso to help us better understand and connect with the entire region. To learn more about our group I would like to invite you to meet others and hear a presentation from the Superintendent of Davis Mountains State Park at 2pm on Saturday, May 19 at the Northeast Regional Command Center on Dyer. To learn more about this meeting and more about our group check out our website at greaterbigbend.org.
If I was a parent I would be speaking out daily to elected officials and the rest of the country about how dangerous it is to be a student in America and how they need to be protected from gun violence. Today Emma Gonzalez, a student and survivor of the Parkland, Florida, bravely and with all of her heart stood on stage at the March for Our Lives for 6 minutes and 20 seconds. “Six minutes and about 20 seconds,” she said. “In a little over 6 minutes, 17 of our friends were taken from us, 15 were injured and everyone in the Douglas community was forever altered.” “Everyone who was there understands. Everyone who has been touched by the cold grip of gun violence understands. For us, long, tearful, chaotic hours in the scorching afternoon sun were spent not knowing. No one understood the extent of what had happened.”
Like most Americans I am so upset at what is happening in our country. This should not be happening, its totally crazy. I hold everyone holding an elected office in this country accountable. I plan to be calling all of you asking a simple question – “what are you doing to help end this madness, why do the young people of America have to be marching in the streets in a fight for their lives?
Please join me and the students of America in this fight. Only if we speak out and take action will things change. We ended the war in Vietnam. We can end this war too.
Photo credit – copyright – J. N. Stuart, Merriam’s Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys merriami)
by Rick LoBello
One of the least known desert wildlife families living in the Chihuahuan Desert and right here in El Paso are the nocturnal rodents. The group includes kangaroo rats, cactus mice, pack rats and cotton rats.
The Merriam kangaroo rat is one of the easiest to look for. Next time you hike into the desert especially in areas dominated by creosote bush, look for kangaroo rat burrows near the base of the plants. Commonly called k-rats by biologists, watch for small piles of soil with multiple entrances each about the size of golf ball.
During the heat of the day these highly successful rodents stay underground waiting for the night. It’s at that time when temperatures cool down that the k-rats come out in search of food.
Kangaroo rats hop as they move around just like kangaroos. They eat creosote, mesquite and grama grass seeds that they carry to their burrows in their cheek pouches. This amazing desert creature is able to survive without drinking water by metabolizing the water it needs from the seeds it eats and by conserving water by condensing moisture in the nasal passages. Imagine if humans could do that!
If you want to see a kangaroo rat look for burrows during the day and return to these areas at night with a flash light. One rainy night this past summer I went to Don Haskins Park near my home to look for Couch’s spadefoot toads. As I walked towards a temporary breeding pool a kangaroo rat ran by me. Using the light on my IPhone 7 I captured it on video. I never imagined that my best pictures ever of a k-rat would be taken with my phone.
On another night when walking along Redd Road near the library I saw one running on the side walk. I haven’t seen many kangaroo rats in El Paso mainly because I haven’t taken the time to look for them, but they are there, everywhere.
Get to know your desert neighbors and add a k-rat safari adventure to your bucket list.
My city representative is Peter Svarzbein. With all the bad news about climate change coming out of our nations capital, I was heartened to hear the news of how people like French President Emmanuel Macron and other world leaders responded with displeasure to President Trump’s decision to withdraw the US from the Paris Climate Agreement.
Today I read a report on KVIA.com about how my representative Peter Svarzbein, a man who truly cares about our future, put on the El Paso’s City Council agenda a topic where our city will discuss joining more than 300 mayors across the country in upholding Paris Climate Agreement goals.
For those of us who are have been on the planet more than two or three decades we have experienced climate change in many ways. We have seen it, felt it and have little doubt that the actions of human civilization have affected our climate. When I visited Glacier National Park in Montana last fall I saw first hand how the glaciers I had seen over 30 years ago were no longer visible. Ask the people who live in Montana what is going on. Ask the people who live along ocean shore lines. To deny human caused climate change is to deny that the earth is round.
We respect the findings of scientists who are recording all the changes the world is experiencing every day. Because of the effects of climate change our children face an uncertain future. I hope that the El Paso City Council will join other cities across the US in upholding the climate goals of the Paris Climate Agreement. If you do not know where your representative stands on climate change now would be a could time to find out.
by Rick LoBello
The El Paso Sierra Club Return the Wolf to Texas Education Initiative is seeking volunteers to help educate and involve school children in efforts to save critically endangered Mexican wolves. The historic range of the Mexican wolf included El Paso. It was 46 years ago in December that the last two wild Mexican wolves were killed in the United States. It happened not in Arizona or New Mexico where many government officials can’t agree on how to move forward in continuing a twenty year wolf recovery effort, but in Texas, just north of Big Bend National Park. With news of both New Mexico and Arizona wanting to take control of recovery efforts from the federal government, the possibility of new wolf recovery efforts in Texas and other states takes on new meaning.
Conservation leaders in Texas need to stop ignoring the scientific facts clearly indicating the importance of conserving apex predators like the wolf. Here in the largest international city surrounded by former wolf habitat, the El Paso Sierra Club Group is taking a stand for the wolf by launching a new campaign urging Texas Parks and Wildlife to develop and execute a scientifically reviewed plan to return the wolf to the wilds of Texas to benefit the ecosystem and ecotourism. For more information on how you can get involved contact me at ricklobello@gmail.com.
The fate of this critically endangered species hangs in the balance and today the only wolves known to Texas survive in zoos. In one short century what took nature eons to perfect, came to a crashing end when the last Mexican wolves were killed in Texas. It took nearly twenty years for the US Fish and Wildlife Service to develop and execute a plan to put captive bred wolves back in the wild in 1998. Unfortunately the current effort continues to struggle because of bureaucratic meddling. Today, a little over 100 critically endangered wolves survive in parts of northern Mexico and a small area of eastern Arizona and western New Mexico.
We are living at a time when Americans are showing that they are fed up with the establishment, not just in Washington, but also in State Capitals like Austin. Join the new movement to conserve our wildlife heritage, take a stand for wolves.
It was 46 years ago in December that the last two wild Mexican wolves were killed in the United States. It happened not in Arizona or New Mexico where government officials can’t agree on how to move forward in continuing a twenty year wolf recovery effort, but in Texas, just north of Big Bend National Park. With news of both states wanting to take control of recovery efforts from the federal government, the possibility of new wolf recovery efforts in Texas and other states takes on new meaning.
Our conservation leaders in Texas need to stop ignoring the scientific facts clearly indicating the importance of conserving apex predators like the wolf. Here in the largest international city surrounded by former wolf habitat, the El Paso Sierra Club Group is taking a stand for the wolf by launching a new online campaign urging Texas Parks and Wildlife to develop and execute a scientifically reviewed plan to return the wolf to the wilds of Texas to benefit the ecosystem and ecotourism. I hope that you will join the effort in any way you can. For more information on how you can get involved contact me at ricklobello@gmail.com.
I have just posted on YouTube a new video of a wild caught Mexican wolf I filmed in 1978 that few people have seen in its entirety. The 8mm silent footage may end up going down in history like so many other videos of animals that have gone extinct. I hope that never happens, but it could. The film shows one of the last wild Mexican wolves known to science before it went extinct in the wild. It was captured in 1978 in northern Mexico by the legendary trapper Roy McBride. Roy and I went to graduate school together at Sul Ross State University in Alpine, Texas and one day when I was working as a park ranger at Big Bend National Park he invited me to come to his ranch to see one of the wolves he caught in Mexico. Roy was hired by the US Fish and Wildlife Service to capture all the wolves he could before they went extinct in a last ditch effort to save the species. Previously I uploaded some of this footage set to music where on YouTube it now has over 63,000 views. The footage I just uploaded in its entirety intentionally has no narration or music to help dramatize the fact that in Texas our conservation leaders in Austin have been totally silent when it comes to any effort to help return the wolf back to its rightful home in the wilds of West Texas. The fate of this critically endangered species hangs in the balance and today the only wolves known to Texas survive only in zoos.
In one short century what took nature eons to perfect, came to a crashing end when the last Mexican wolves were killed in Texas. It took nearly twenty years for the US Fish and Wildlife Service to develop and execute a plan to put captive bred wolves back in the wild in 1998. Unfortunately the current effort continues to struggle because of bureaucratic meddling. Today, a little over 100 critically endangered wolves survive in parts of northern Mexico and a small area of eastern Arizona and western New Mexico.
We are living at a time when Americans are showing that they are fed up with the establishment, not just in Washington, but also in State Capitals like Austin. Join the new movement to conserve our wildlife heritage, speak up for wolves.
Take action at elpasosierraclub.org.
Haystack cactus (Echinocereus stramineus), often confused with the strawberry cactus, (Echinocereus enneacanthus) in Big Bend National Park, by Rick LoBello
When I worked at Big Bend National Park I spent much of my time studying the desert plants that surrounded my home at Panther Junction. My favorite was the large mound forming strawberry cactus commonly called pitaya. In the spring some of the larger strawberry cactus mounds would burst into bloom with dozens of red flowers that would later in the summer turn into red fruits that tasted like strawberries. Unlike the fruits of the more common prickly-pear cactus covered with tiny spines called glochids, the strawberry cactus had fewer larger spines that were easy to take off. Every summer I would collect the fruits of the strawberry cactus, put them in the refrigerator and then eat them with whip cream. Back in those days it was a 200 round trip drive to get groceries in Alpine, so the bounty of the desert was very appealing to me on a hot summer day.
I have always loved cacti and obviously now that you have read my story, not just because of their beauty. Earlier this year local authors Gertrud and Ad Konings donated boxes of their beautiful coffee table book – Cacti of Texas in their Natural Habitat to help the Chihuahuan Desert Education Coalition (CDEC) with its membership program. This book is no doubt the most colorful and complete book for its size ever published on the cacti of Texas. I have looked over all kinds of cactus books over the years and few books can compare. As the membership chair of the Chihuahuan Desert Education Coalition I am in charge of giving out free copies of this colorful and informative book to all new and renewing members. So far the going has been slow, but with the Chihuahuan Desert Fiesta coming up next month and the holidays soon after, I am hoping that hundreds of people in El Paso will want to have their own copy.
If you don’t have much affection for the cacti of Texas, it is no doubt because you have no idea how amazing each species is, uniquely adapted to living in our arid desert.
Everyone living in the Chihuahuan Desert should be able to name at least a dozen or more species. Did you know that the Chihuahuan Desert is considered the epicenter of cacti diversity with 318 species of 1500 species worldwide. In Texas alone there are 136 species and the Konings were able to include a photograph of each and every one in their book.
Thanks to the generosity of the Konings you can have your own FREE copy by becoming a member of CDEC for only $20! At this time the books are not being shipped from El Paso, but if you live in El Paso and become a member we will get you a copy by dropping one off where you live or work or when you attend an upcoming CDEC event. The book sells for $59.99 plus postage when you get one on Amazon.com so don’t miss out on adding this title to your home library.
Every day as new developments destroy more and more large areas of desert, the cacti living in our area and all the wildlife species associated with them are disappearing. Want to help conserve them? The first step is learning the names of the common species in our area. Cacti of Texas in their Natural Habitat will help you do just that.
Please tell Texas Parks and Wildlife to support wolf-reintroduction efforts
Imagine the return of the “grand opera of Texas” while sitting around the campfire, hearing howling wolves in the distance, heads upturned, singing at the night sky. Imagine, the return of the gray wolf.
With all the attention on wolf restoration elsewhere in the Southwest, many people are not aware that the last wild Mexican wolves in the U.S., before the species went extinct in the wild in the 1970s, were killed just north of Big Bend National Park in Texas.
The fact that Texas is not part of the plan for saving the species is unacceptable. People need to know about this if we are ever going to see the wolf return to Texas and conserve our natural heritage.
The El Paso Sierra Club group has launched a Return the Wolf to Texas educational initiative, and we need your help in sending letters of support to Texas Parks and Wildlife Executive Director Carter Smith.
Please act today to return the Mexican gray wolf to Texas
Texas needs to put wolf reintroduction on its conservation radar screen, and with your help we can make it happen.
Sincerely,
Rick LoBello, El Paso Group Executive Committee, ricklobello@gmail.com
P.S.: Be sure to take action today and share this petition on Facebook and Twitter!
To learn more about the work of the Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter’s El Paso Group, visit our Facebook page.
Discover your sleepy neighbors, the ones who spend most of their lives underground.
Male red-spotted toad calling on all female toads in West El Paso, Texas. Photo
by Rick LoBello
Ever wonder why the desert seems so barren with few animals in sight? It is not because they do not exist; after all you can see pictures of desert animals in books and on the TV and Internet. The reason why you don’t see them everyday is because you are either too busy driving down the road to stop and go outside and look for them, or because they are hiding from the desert sun waiting just for the right weather conditions to search for food and mates.
The Chihuahuan Desert is one of the most biodiverse deserts in the world with thousands of known species of wildlife and plants including reptiles, amphibians, birds, mammals, invertebrates, cacti and more. One group of desert animals that you hear very little about are the desert toads. If described on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the most out of mind, El Pasoans would probably rank desert toads as a 10. With all the development going on in El Paso frogs in our area need our help more than ever. Once a piece of land is graded most biological organisms living in the soil structure are destroyed. No one knows how to recreate what nature has taken thousands of years to create so you can imagine how many living things are affected.
Here in El Paso we have three common frog and toad species. The most common is the red-spotted toad. They are often seen hopping around neighborhoods as soon as temperatures warm up. The red spots are very prominent and it’s hard to confuse a red-spotted toad with other species. Like all of our frogs red-spotted toads spend the cooler and dryer parts of the year underground waiting for the rainy season and for temperatures to warm up.
Another common species, the Couch’s spadefoot toad, has little black spade projections on its hind feet to help the toad burrow underground. Right now as you sit at your computer and read this blog there are literally thousands of spadefoot toads waiting beneath the soil surface a foot or so below in a state of estivation. This form of sleep is different from hibernation that occurs with some animals during the winter. Estivation is a state of inactivity and a lowered metabolic rate entered in response to high temperatures and arid conditions during the summer. So when it dries up after summer rains most of desert toads estivate. When conditions are right with warmer temperature and heavy rains they come out of the ground focused on eating and breeding. In some areas it may seem like its raining toads! You can see a great video I took of breeding Couch’s spadefoot toads and red-spotted toads a few years ago here in El Paso on YouTube.
Woodhouse’s toad by Rick LoBello
Another toad that we have in El Paso is the biggest one of all, the Woodhouse’s toad reaching a length of 5 inches. On rainy summer days and nights it is often seen near the Franklin Canal and near other wet areas. It is very similar to the Texas toad, but does not have a stripe on the back and crests on the head. A female Woodhouse’s toad can lay up to 28,000 eggs! This toad was named for naturalist Samuel Washington Woodhouse who explored the Southwest during the mid 18th Century.
Amphibians play an important role in the food chain as predators of insects and as prey for other animals. They also help people by acting as environmental alarms because their thin skins are especially sensitive to environmental changes. Like so many of the animals that we rarely see and are often misunderstood, frogs and toads need friends. Look for them after summer rains especially at night and do your part to create frog friendly neighborhoods by making places for them to hid from the desert sun.
Red-spotted Toad by Rick LoBello
The vast majority of people living in El Paso can easily see that every minute of every day more and more of our natural landscape it going under the blade of the bulldozer to make way for new roads, build more Walmart’s and more. I am all in favor of progress, but is this the kind of progress El Paso needs to have a sustainable future? Why can’t we build away from lands that have evolved over hundreds of thousands of years and build upward like we see happening downtown and in places like the Venue at Montecillo on Mesa? We are running out of water too so what’s going on here?
Did you know that some of the oldest organisms in the world live in the lower elevations of the Franklin Mountains? One creosote bush in the Mojave Desert was found growing in a single clonal colony up to 67 feet in diameter and was estimated to be 11,700 years old. Who is to say some creosote bush rings right here in El Paso may be older. We may never know since no one will have a chance to find out as every square inch of desert is destroyed and covered with concrete.
Here is what is going on, special interest groups with lots of cash are making lots of money destroying El Paso’s natural heritage. We are talking about the southernmost region of the Rocky Mountains in the United States of America – they’re called the Franklin Mountains. These mountains cannot survive ecologically with only high elevations intact. The lower elevations are important too and it is in these lower elevations that many wildlife species spend their entire lives in or travel through to get from one part of the mountain range to the next. Some species survive only in the lower elevations. How many jackrabbits for example do you find climbing a cliff face? Who eats the jackrabbit? The Golden Eagle does. Golden Eagles have long been admired by people around the world and are one of best known birds of prey in the Northern Hemisphere. They live in the Franklins and beyond and hunt in the lower elevations for rabbits and other small prey species.
Everyone in this city now and in the future needs to be connected to the natural world, for their physical and psychological well-being. The estimated population of El Paso, County is now nearly 900,000. The Franklin Mountains are home to thousands of species of animals and plants. Looking for some good reasons to protect our natural environment? If you count every person and add up every plant and animal species there may now be over 900,000.
Now that you have read this what are you going to do about it? Need some ideas? Contact organizations like the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition and Frontera Land Alliance for some guidance. Both are very active in trying to find solutions to ending the war against the natural environment in El Paso. You can also form your own group and make your own noise. Don’t just sit there and watch it happen.
Look into the face of a child if you need some motivation and ask yourself, is it worth it for their sake?
All across America and around the world a growing number of people are getting involved with global conservation. In response to information they hear and see on radio and TV and from print and social media, people of all ages are signing up to help protect our only home, planet earth. They share in common many beliefs including what Chief Seattle said many years ago: “the Earth does not belong to us: we belong to the Earth.”
Balancing the needs of nature and people on a finite amount of land presents challenging choices. We make those choices every day. Helping people get involved is the driving force that motivates me.
The challenges are great, especially in finding ways to encourage people to see how their lives are connected to nature and how sitting back and waiting for others or the government to solve the world’s problems is not a realistic solution. We all need to get involved. Soraya Romero and I got together earlier this year and put together an El Paso Nature Survey. The purpose of the survey is to find out how people in El Paso are already connected to the natural world, what they are doing and to find out who is interested in getting involved.
Are you interested in getting involved with people in El Paso who are trying to make a difference? Let me suggest a number of efforts already underway. For more information on how you can participate contact the respective organizations below or drop me an email at ricklobello@gmail.com.
El Paso Sierra Club Group
The El Paso Sierra Club Group has identified a number of goals on their website at elpasosierraclub.org. I am directly involved with two of those efforts. Both have been high priority projects that I have been involved in for nearly 40 years. One is to put the return of the wolf to Texas back on the conservation radar screen in North America. The other is to gain public support for an international agreement establishing a Big Bend International Park with Mexico. Two committees have been organized and each committee needs more members. To learn more about the wolf effort go to https://ricklobello.wordpress.com/texas-wolves and https://www.facebook.com/returnthewolftotexas. To learn more about the international park effort go to greaterbigbend.org.
Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition and Frontera Land Alliance
Addressing conservation issues in and around El Paso has resulted in both victories and defeats. What is happening along the Trans Pecos Road leading up to Franklin Mountains State Park is an enormous and inexcusable destruction of the city’s natural resources. Many people spoke out against the current plan for this project when hearings were held in 2010, but TX-Dot had more resources and was able to overcome even the objections of members of the City Council.
Over 20,000 people in El Paso have signed letters and petitions over the past few years expressing their support for protecting public lands adjacent to Franklin Mountains State Park. The Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition and Frontera Land Alliance have been leading the way with the support of a small group of concerned citizens. Now with the help of Congressman Beto O’Rourke, the community has put together a plan of action to protect the Castner Range area as a National Monument.
To support efforts to protect public lands adjacent to Franklin Mountains State Park visit franklinmountains.org (contact Judy Ackerman at jpackerman53@gmail.com) or http://fronteralandalliance.org (contact Janae’ Reneaud Field at janae@fronteralandalliance.org).
Chihuahuan Desert Education Coalition
The Chihuahuan Desert Education Coalition supports programs that enhance conservation and education of the Chihuahuan Desert. The goals of the organization include: serving as a resource on information about the Chihuahuan Desert, encouraging lifelong learning about the Chihuahuan Desert and collaborating efforts among public educators, the public and CDEC. CDEC teams up with Franklin Mountains State Park every year in hosting the Chihuahuan Desert Fiesta, sponsors a program encouraging people to landscape with native plants and hosts a very informative website on the natural resources of the Chihuahuan Desert. For more information on how you can get involved contact Dr. Gertrud Konings at cdec.elpaso@yahoo.com or visit the organization’s website at chihuahuandesert.org.
Scaled Quail or Cotton-Top Quail by Ken Steiner.
Earlier this week someone said on the Castner Range FaceBook page (facebook.com/castnerrange) that they wanted to know more about the animals living in their natural habitat within the Castner Range. They also wanted to know more about endangered species that were present and who could help best present this information. The question was too big to answer with a facebook post so I am providing the best answer I can give here.
For many years now I have been in contact with Franklin Mountains State Park staff asking questions about what is known about the biodiversity of the park. I believe that it is safe to assume that the vast majority of the species known to the State Park also occur in the Castner Range. In summarizing what we know about endangered species in the Franklins, Park Superintendent Dr. Cesar Mendez stated on April 22, 2016 “to the best of my knowledge, there is only one species that is federally listed as endangered as well as listed by the State of Texas that is present in specific locations with the Franklin Mountains” – Sneed’s Pincushion Cactus (Escobaria [Coryphantha] sneedii)”
Dr. Mendez also stated that there were two species listed as threatened by the State of Texas that are also likely to be present at Castner Range including the Texas Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum) and the Chihuahuan Desert [Texas] Lyre Snake (Trimorphodon vilkinsoni). Another threatened species that could also be is the Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus).
Franklin Mountains State Park currently summarizes what is known about the biodiversity of the Franklin Mountains as follows.
Plants
More than 650 species of vascular plants have been reported for Franklin Mountains State Park. Among the most common and characteristic species are:
Agave Lechuguilla, Ocotillo, Southwestern Barrel Cactus, Sotol, Texas Sacahuista, Pricklypear, Desert Willow, Skeletonleaf Goldeneye Resinbush, Sneed’s Pincushion Cactus (endangered species), Texas Rainbow Cactus, Eagleclaw Cactus. (See complete list in attached excel database, common and characteristic species highlighted in green).
Lichens and Mosses
The park is also home for more than 90 species of lichens and mosses. See excel database attached – Franklin Mountains State Park Flora
Invertebrates
Although we do not have concrete research on the number of species insects and other invertebrates, it is estimated to be in the thousands of species. Some of the most characteristic species include walking stick insects (3 different species), desert tarantula, scorpions, and millipedes, several species of beetles, grasshoppers, and butterflies are also common within the park.
Amphibians
There are only two species of Amphibians recorded in Franklin Mountains State Park.
Order Anura – Frogs and Toads
Scaphiopus couchi – Couch’s Spadefoot
Family Bufonidae – Toads
Bufo punctatus – Red-spotted Toad
Reptiles
There are about 33 species of Reptiles confirmed to inhabit Franklin Mountains State Park.
Order Testudines – Turtles
Family Emydidae – Box and Water Turtles
Terrapene ornata – Western Box Turtle
Order Squamata
Suborder Lacertillia – Lizards
Family Iguanidae – Iguanids
Cophosaurus texanus – Greater Earless Lizard
Crotaphytus collaris – Collared Lizard
Holbrookia maculata – Lesser Earless Lizard
Phrynosoma cornutum – Texas Horned Lizard
Phrynosoma modestum – Round-tailed Horned Lizard
Sceloporus undulates – Eastern Fence Lizard
Urosaurus ornatus – Tree Lizard
Uta stansburiana – Side-blotched Lizard
Family Scincidae – Skinks
Eumeces obsoletus – Great Plains Skink
Family Teiidae – Whiptails
Cnemidophorus exsanguis – Chihuahuan Spotted Whiptail
Cnemidophorus inornatus– Trans-Pecos Striped Whiptail
Cnemidophorus neomexicanus – New Mexico Whiptail
Cnemidophorus tesselatus – Checkered Whiptail
Cnemidophorus tigris – Western Whiptail
Cnemidophorus uniparens – Desert Grassland Whiptail
Suborder Serpentes – Snakes
Family Leptotyphlopidae – Blind Snakes
Leptotyphlops humilis – Trans-Pecos Blind Snake
Family Colubridae – Colubrids
Bogertophis subocularis – Trans-Pecos Rat-snake
Diadophis punctatus – Ring-necked Snake
Gyalopion canum – Western Hooknosed Snake
Hypsiglena torquata – Texas Night Snake
Masticophis flagellum – Western Coachwhip
Masticophis taeniatus – Striped Whiptail
Pituophis catinifer – Sonoran Gopher Snake
Rhinocheilus lecontei – Texas Long-nosed Snake
Salvadora deserticola – Big Bend Patch-nosed Snake
Salvadora grahamiae – Texas Patch-nosed Snake
Sonora semiannulata – Ground Snake
Tantilla hobartsmithi – Mexican Blackhead Snake
Trimorphodon vilkinsoni – Texas Lyre Snake
Family Viperidae – Vipers
Crotalus atrox – Western Diamondback Rattlesnake
Crotalus lepidus klauberi – Banded Rock Rattlesnake
Crotalus molossus – Blacktail Rattlesnake
Birds
There are at least 100 species of birds recorded by direct sight within the park boundaries. The most common species are:
Mourning Dove, White-winged Dove, Gambel’s Quail, Scaled Quail, Greater Roadrunner, Golden Eagle, Red-tailed Hawk, Barn Owl, Great Horned Owl, Western Kingbird, Scott’s Oriole, House Finch, Black-throated Sparrow, Canyon Towhee, Cactus Wren, Rock Wren, among others. See complete list below.
FAMILY CATHARTICAE
Turkey Vulture – Cathartes aura
FAMILY ACCIPITRIDAE
SUBFAMILY ACCIPITRINAE
Mississippi Kite – Ictinia mississippiensis
Northern Harrier – Circus cyaneus
Sharp-shinned Hawk – Accipiter striatus
Cooper’s Hawk – A. cooperii
Northern Goshawk – A. gentilis
Harris’ Hawk – Parabuteo unicinctus
Swainson’s Hawk – Buteo swainsoni
Red-tailed Hawk – B. jamaicensis
Ferruginous Hawk – B. regalis
Golden Eagle – Aquila chrysaetos
FAMILY FALCONIDEA
American Kestrel – Falco sparverius
Merlin – F. columbarius
Prairie Falcon – F. mexicanus
Peregrine Falcon – F. peregrinus
FAMILY ODONTOPHORIDAE
Scaled Quail – Callipipla squamata
Gambel’s Quail – C. gambelii
“Scramble” – Scaled – Gambel’s Quail Hybrid
FAMILY COLUMBIDAE
Rock Dove – Columba livia (I)
Band-tailed Pigeon – C. fasciatta
White-winged Dove – Zenaida asiatica
Mourning Dove – Z. macroura
Eurasian Collared Dove – Streptopelia decaocto (I)
SUBFAMILY NEOMORPHINAE
Greater Roadrunner – Geococcyx californianus
FAMILY TYTONIDAE
Barn Owl – Tyto alba
FAMILY STRIGIDAE
Flammulated Owl – Otus flammeolus
Great Horned Owl – Bubo virginianus
Burrowing Owl – Speotyto cunicularia
Long-eared Owl – Asio otus
Short-eared Owl – A. flammeus
Northern Saw-whet Owl – Aegolius acadicus
FAMILY CAPRIMULGIDAE
SUBFAMILY CHORDEILINAE
Lesser Nighthawk – Chordeiles acutipennis
Common Nighthawk – C. minor
SUBFAMILY CAPRIMULGINAE
Common Poorwill – Phalaenoptilus nuttallii
Whip-poor-will – Caprimulgus vociferus
FAMILY APODIDAE
SUBFAMILY CYPSELOIDINAE
Black Swift – Cypseloides niger
SUBFAMILY CHAETURINAE
Vaux’s Swift – Chaetura vauxi
SUBFAMILY APODINAE
White-throated Swift – Aeronautes saxatalis
FAMILY TROCHILIDAE
Black-chinned Hummingbird – Archilochus alexandri
Costa’s Hummingbird – Calypte costae
Calliope Hummingbird – Stellula calliope
Broad-tailed Hummingbird – Selasphorus platycercus
Rufous Hummingbird – S. rufus
FAMILY PICIDAE
SUBFAMILY PICINAE
Red-naped Sapsucker – Sphyrapicus nuchalis
Ladder-backed Woodpecker – Picoides scalaris
Northern Flicker – Colaptes aurantus
FAMILY TYRANNIDAE
SUBFAMILY FLUVICOLINAE
Say’s Phoebe – S. saya
SUBFAMILY TYRANNINAE
Ash-throated Flycatcher – Myiarchus cinerascens
Cassin’s Kingbird – Tyrannus couchii
Western Kingbird – T. vociferans
FAMILY ALAUDIDAE
Horned Lark – Eremophila alpestris
FAMILY HIRUNDINIDAE
SUBFAMILY HIRUNDININAE
Violet-green Swallow – T. thalassina
Cliff Swallow – Hirundo phrrhonota
Barn Swallow – H. rustica
FAMILY CORVIDAE
Western Scrub Jay – Aphelocoma californica
Pinyon Jay – Gymnorhinus cyanocaphalus
Chihuahuan Raven – Corvus cryptoleucus
Common Raven – C. corax
FAMILY REMIZIDAE
Verdin – Auriparus flaviceps
FAMILY TROGLODYTIDAE
Cactus Wren – Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus
Rock Wren – Salpinctes obsoletus
Canyon Wren – Catherpes mexicanus
Bewick’s Wren – Thryomanes bewickii
House Wren – Troglodytes aedon
FAMILY MUSCICAPIDAE
SUBFAMILY SYLVIINAE
Ruby-crowned Kinglet – Regulus calendula
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher – Polioptila caerulea
Black-tailed Gnatcatcher – P. melanura
SUBFAMILY TURDINAE
Western Bluebird – Sialia. Mexicana
Mountain Bluebird – S. currucoides
Townsend’s Solitaire – Myadestes townsendi
Hermit Thrush – Catharus guttatus
American Robin – Tardus migratorius
FAMILY MIMIDAE
Northern Mockingbird – Mimus polyglottos
Sage Thrasher – Oreoscoptes montanus
Curve-billed Thrasher – Toxostoma curvirostre
Crissal Thrasher – T. dorsale
FAMILY BOMBYCILLIDAE
Cedar Waxwing – Bombycilla cedrorum
FAMILY PTILOGONATIDAE
Phainopepla – Phainopepla nitens
FAMILY LANIIDAE
SUBFAMILY LANIINAE
Loggerhead Shrike – Lanius ludovicianus
FAMILY VIREONIDAE
Solitary Vireo – Vireo solitaries
Hutton’s Vireo – V. huttonii
Warbling Vireo – V. gilvus
Philadelphia Vireo – V. philadelphicus
FAMILY EMBERIZIDAE
SUBFAMILY PARULINAE
Yellow Warbler – Dendroica petechial
Yellow-rumped Warbler – D. coronate
Wilson’s Warbler – Wilsonia pusilla
SUBFAMILY THRAUPINAE
Western Tanager – Piranga. lucoviciana
SUBFAMILY CARDINALINAE
Pyrrhuloxia – Cardinalis sinuatus
Black-headed Grosbeak – P. melanocephalus
Blue Grosbeak – Guiraca caerulea
SUBFAMILY EMBERIZINAE
Green-tailed Towhee – Pipilo chlorurus
Spotted Towhee – P. maculatus
Canyon Towhee – P. fuscus
Cassin’s Sparrow – Aimophila. Cassinii
Rufous-crowned Sparrow – A. ruficeps
Chipping Sparrow – Spizella passerine
Clay-colored Sparrow – S. pallida
Brewer’s Sparrow – S. breweri
Field Sparrow – S. pusilla
Black-chinned Sparrow – S. atrogularis
Vesper Sparrow – Pooecetes gramineus
Lark Sparrow – Chondestes grammacus
Black-throated Sparrow – Amphispiza bilineata
Sage Sparrow – A. belli
Lark Bunting – Calamospiza melanocorys
Savannah Sparrow – Passerculus sandwichensis
Song Sparrow – Melospiza melodia
Lincoln’s Sparrow – M. lincolnii
White-crowned Sparrow – Zonotrichia leucophrys
Dark-eyed Junco – Junco hyemalis
SUBFAMILY ICTERINAE
Brewer’s Blackbird – Euphagus cyanocephalus
Brown-headed Cowbird – Molothrus ater
Bullock’s Oriole – Icterus bullockii
Scott’s Oriole – I. parisorum
FAMILY FRINGILLIDAE
SUBFAMILY CARDUELINAE
House Finch – Carpodacus mexicanus
Pine Siskin – Carduelis pinus
Lesser Goldfinch – C. psaltria
American Goldfinch – C. tristis
FAMILY PASSERIDAE
House Sparrow – Passer domesticus (I)
Mammals
There are about 30 species of mammals within Franklin Mountains State Park.
Order Insectivora – Insectivores
Order Chiroptera – Bats
Family Vespertilionidae – Vespertilionid Bats
Lasiurus cinereus – Hoary Bat
Myotis californicus – California Myotis
Pipistrellus herperus – Wetern Pipistrelle
Plecotus townsendii – Townsend’s Big-eared Bat
Family Molossidae – Free-tailed Bats
Tadarida brasiliensis – Brazilian Free-tailed Bat
Order Lagomorpha – Hares and Rabbits
Family Leporidae – Hares and Rabbits
Lepus californicus – Black-tailed Jackrabbit
Sylvilagus auduboni – Desert Cottontail
Order Rodentia – Rodents
Family Sciuridae – Squirrels and Allies
Ammospermophilus interpres – Texas Antelope Squirrel
Spermophilus spilosoma – Spotted Ground Squirrel
Spermophilus variegatus – Rock Squirrel
Family Geomyidae – Pocket Gophers
Thomomys bottae – Botta’s Pocket Gopher
Family Heteromyidae – Pocket Mice and Kangaroo Rats
Chaetodipus intermedius – Rock Pocket Mouse
Chaetodipus nelsoni – Nelson Pocket Mouse
Dipodomys ordii – Ord’s Kangaroo Rat
Family Muridae – Mice and Rats
Mus musculus – House Mouse (introduced)*
Neotoma albigula – White-throated Woodrat
Peromyscus eremicus – Cactus Mouse
Peromyscus maniculatus – Deer Mouse
Order Carnivora – Carnivores
Family Canidae – Canids
Canis latrans – Coyote
Urocyon cinereoargenteus – Common Gray Fox
Family Procyonidae – Procyonids
Bassariscus astutus – Ringtail
Family Mustelidae – Mustelids
Mephitis mephitis – Striped Skunk
Mustela frenata – Long-tailed Weasel
Spilogale gracilis – Western Spotted Skunk
Taxidea taxus – American Badger
Family Felidae – Cats
Felis concolor – Mountain Lion
Felis rufus – Bobcat
Order Artiodactyla – Even-Toed Ungulates
Family Tayassuidae – Peccaries
Tayassu tajacu – Javalina, Collared Peccary
Family Cervidae – Cervids
Odocoileus hemionus – Mule Deer
