Castner Range National Monument

Castner Range National Monument Designated March 21, 2023

Castner Range was designated a National Monument March 21, 2023!

BACKGROUND

Castner Range (El Paso, Texas) is a 7,081-acre mountainous and alluvial-fan Army property which has been closed to artillery and munitions training since 1966, forty years after it first opened. The Range is a part of El Paso’s more-than-2.1-million-acre Fort Bliss Army post but is separated from it by residential and commercial development. Twenty-five percent of the 17- mile north-south Franklin Mountains (which divide El Paso into “West Side” and “East Side” and whose highest of six peaks rises 3,500 feet above downtown) lies within Castner Range’s boundaries. (An additional 72% of the mountains are part of the Franklin Mountains State Park, established in 1979.) Castner is conserved and kept off-limits to visitors due to the presence of scattered residual military ordnance and explosives beneath its surface. Since at least 1971, El Pasoans have been working to conserve—in perpetuity—what is left of Castner Range.

Wildlife and Vegetation

Endangered Wildlife: Castner Range provides habitat for an extremely diverse aggregation of wildlife. Twelve common mammals inhabiting the Range include bobcats, mountain lions, mule deer, coyotes, grey foxes, kit foxes, badgers, and rabbits. Sixty-two bird species have been observed on the Range including turkey vultures, nine species of sparrows, four kinds of hawks, four types of wrens, three species of doves and owls, plus quails, sandpipers, roadrunners, kingbirds, ravens, and more. Of the reptile and amphibian species seen on the Range we find five types of toad, 20 types of lizard (including such exotics as the Chihuahuan spotted whiptail, the Southwestern earless lizard, and the Texas horned lizard), two types of turtle and 29 types of snake (among them the Trans-Pecos rat snake, the Texas night snake, the western coachwhip and the western diamondback rattlesnake). Twenty-seven wildlife or plant species listed as “threatened or endangered” by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service may be present on the Range, including the ferruginous hawk, the Texas horned lizard, the Franklin Mountains talus snail, and the desert night-blooming cereus. Wildlife/plant species of special concern that are thought to inhabit Castner Range also include the sand prickly pear, the Texas lyre snake and the western burrowing owl.

One-of-a-kind Vegetation: Because Castner has remained in its natural state since live-fire exercises ceased (1966), the Range now supports a typically diverse Chihuahuan Desert ecosystem. The Range is home to three distinct primary vegetation communities. The mountainous areas—which include land within yards of the Franklin Mountains’ highest elevation (North Franklin peak at 7,192 feet above sea level)—are characterized by the Agave-Lechuguilla Community. The cactus lechuguilla (‘little lettuce’ in English) forms dense clonal clumps on slopes, ridges, and mountain benches. The Alluvial Fan-Creosote Bush Community is found on the Range’s numerous alluvial fans. Its vegetation is characterized by the presence of creosote bush, Whitehorn, tarbush, Spanish sword yucca, and so forth. Grasses are absent or rare—and this Community’s soil is quite thin—and range from one to 30 centimeters in depth. The arroyos and drainage areas are moister than elsewhere and support different vegetation types including desert willow, Apache plume and little leaf sumac. The third Community (Draw-Yucca Grassland) is found in the Range’s lowest elevations adjacent to the freeway. These areas’ soil is generally deeper—up to 50 centimeters—and has greater silt and clay content than elsewhere. Thus grasses and shrubs are common and include: gramma, dropseeds, yucca elata, all-thorn, chollo and Mormon tea.

See El Paso from the Top of Texas in beautiful aerial video that shows the unique and raw mountain beauty of this corner of West Texas wilderness. Video by Jackson Polk

Castner Range ~ Our Collective Action

Action: call, write, or visit your local, state, and federal representatives and ask them to permanently conserve Castner Range! Current representative contact information is available at:

• City: http://home.elpasotexas.gov/government.php
• County: www.epcountyvotes.com/elected-officials/el-paso-county-elected-officials/#ElectedOfficials
• State House of Reps: http://www.house.state.tx.us/members/find-your-representative/
• State Senate: http://www.senate.state.tx.us/75r/senate/Members.htm
• U.S. Senators: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm?State=TX
• U.S. Representatives (“Congressmen”): https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/TX

Talking Points: Whether we live in the city or the countryside, we rely on the natural systems that support us, affect our health and happiness and give us a sense of place, pride, and identity.

1. Nature benefits personal and public health; thus it makes sense to conserve land for recreational and other activities.
2. Having clean water and air and plenty of natural open spaces attract businesses and will improve our living standards.
3. The increase in tourists’ visits and the money that they spend will help offset El Paso’s current over-dependence on high property taxes.
4. A healthy natural environment is a cost-effective tool to support economic growth, improve public health and enhance the quality of life. Castner Range plays a vital role in the protection of water, wildlife, and animal corridors.

Sample Letter:

Dear _______________,

I’m writing you about the 7,081-acre Castner Range since 1968 a closed artillery range no longer connected by land to Fort Bliss, which continues to own the property. Our vision for Castner Range is to: (1) safeguard its natural and cultural features, (2) improve its wildlife habitat and connectivity, (3) address the health of our regional watershed, and (4) contribute to the economy of our communities. Protecting this natural wonder from encroaching growth will preserve important wildlife habitats and water sources and ensure that future generations can enjoy spectacular mountain views. The level terrain on the eastern boundary would provide the opportunity to offer ADA-approved trails for Wounded Warriors and others who need more accessible paths. Finally, a conserved Castner Range will enhance the quality of life for residents of El Paso and all of West Texas as only a rugged wilderness can. Therefore I, a resident of __________, am asking you to take the steps needed to permanently preserve Castner Range. This can only happen with your participation and support.

Sincerely, (Your name here)

Sign your Letter of Support