One morning last year I was running my regular route from the Lost Dog Trailhead in West El Paso, TX when I stumbled upon some survey stakes along the trail. This land, adjacent to the Franklin Mountains State Park, is owned by the city and managed by the Public Service Board (water utilities). Some of it has been sold off for development in the past. I was concerned that the stakes indicated another development plan on my beloved trail system along the foothills of the Franklin Mountains.
Development along the foothills of the S. Franklin Peak.
The red "box" shows the trails that would be lost.
Well, before long my suspicions were confirmed and the City of El Paso was working on a rezoning and taxation plan known as TIRZ 12 that was too complicated for my small brain to comprehend. These are the trails that I run regularly during weekdays before I go to work. Many locals also ride their mountain bikes or walk their dogs here. It’s also very popular with the residents who live in the surrounding Cimarron neighborhood.
The infamous I Love U rock!
Some locals said the development plan was a done deal and that it was too late to save the trails. However, others said, NO, there is a chance to get the city to preserve the land as open space. Anyway, the trail users and open space advocates mobilized and let the city council know how much they wanted the land to be preserved, but the council voted to develop the area anyway.
Gopher snake (non-venemous)
Then there were online petitions that were presented to the council, but they said, no again, these e-petitions aren’t good enough you will need hard copy signatures of registered El Paso voters only. So then there were petition drives and social media campaigns and enough voters signed the petitions to get the council to allow the citizens to vote on the proposition at the next election.
My personal trainer and life coach, Taz survived a rattlesnake bite years ago on the Lost Dog Trail, but he is still going strong today!
Thankfully, El Pasoans love their Franklin Mountains and surrounding foothills because they know that spending time outdoors in nature makes humans happier, healthier and perhaps even smarter. If you doubt us, read The Nature Fix by Florence Williams. In the end, they voted overwhelmingly 89% to 11% to “preserve in its natural state, for all time...” the area known as Lost Dog Trail. The moral of this story is that, although difficult, it IS possible to fight city hall for the greater good of the community and even win sometimes.
Here's what El Paso saved. Please enjoy these photos and videos of the Lost Dog area as well as the adjacent Franklin Mountains State Park.
A few reptiles I spotted while attending my "church" one Sunday morning.
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