Our Fort Davis Ride for Reading Volunteers!

Photo by Cyndee Barnes

This week, our Texas Mountain Trail coordinated two Ride for Reading book deliveries in the region--on Thursday to the elementary school in Fort Davis, and yesterday to the Terlingua elementary school.

More tomorrow! 

National Public Lands Day 20th Anniversary -- Cee Lo Green's "Shout Out"

This Saturday, Big Bend National Park has some work for you!  Become a volunteer for their National Public Lands Day work project!  Their entry on the NPLD website is below:

The projects at Big Bend National Park will center around the Chisos Basin area this year, with volunteers sprucing up the Chisos Basin Amphitheater.  The asphalt walkway from the parking lot is in very bad shape and needs to be removed so a new one can be poured.  The work will involve removal of chunks of asphalt that have been reduced to a manageable size by mechanical means and carting them off to a waiting truck.  A small group will help sand, prime and paint the amphitheater benches.  There will also be work going on in the campground in an effort to eradicate social trails.

Event Date and Time:Saturday, September 28, 2013 - 8:00am - 1:00pm

Contact Name:Jane Brown

Contact Email: 

Jane_Brown@nps.gov

Contact Phone Number:(432) 477-1106

Last year's National Public Lands Day
projects coordinated by Friends of Big Bend National Park

Friends of Big Bend National Park doing great work!

Back on National Public Lands Day, we were happy to take part in the Friends of Big Bend National Park's work projects down by Rio Grande Village.  Our task involved clearing disturbed land--an old agricultural area--so a more natural habitat could be reestablished.

 

Park Biologist Raymond Skiles explains the work ahead

Friends of Big Bend National Park work on clearing land
and getting rid of unwanted vegetation

 

From the Friends of Big Bend National Park:

"This project will restore Rio Grande riparian bird habitat to a five-acre disturbed site near the Rio Grande in Big Bend National Park. Agricultural-era earthen berms constructed prior to park establishment that alter natural surface and ground water conditions will be removed, natural soil contours will be reestablished, and native riparian vegetation, including cottonwoods and willows will be established on the five-acre site. Riparian bird species native to the southwestern U.S. and northern Mexico will find valuable habitat at the site following restoration. The site is adjacent to the popular Rio Grande Village campground, thus birdwatchers will find the site particularly valuable and accessible. Additionally, restoration of hydrologic conditions benefits the federally endangered Big Bend mosquitofish by restoring natural surface and groundwater dynamics to the site, which is just upstream of wetlands containing the fish. "

 

Scientists were on hand to show
work day participants the tiny Big Bend
mosquitofish

It was a terrific day with terrific people, and it felt great to help the park.  The Friends of Big Bend National Park welcomes new members...please consider joining.  And next year, do yourself a favor and volunteer on National Public Lands Day for more (muddy) fun!

Remembering a Cherished Volunteer

Iris Stagner, of Mineral Wells

Our test riders leave Van Horn, Iris is riding at the right
in the light blue jacket

An organization like ours relies on volunteers, many of them don't live in Far West Texas but LOVE what our region offers, and they work hard to help Texas Mountain Trail deliver important service to the region's visitors and residents.

One such person was Iris Stagner, a Bike Texas board member, participant in the Texas Forts Trail's Forts Tour, and incredible cyclist, cycling advocate and friend.



Vintage postcard for the Hotel El Capitan
The fully restored hotel was the starting
point for the El Capitan to El Capitan
Heritage Bike Route

1910 View of Ranchland along the route
The view remains very much the same today

She helped us out in March 2010 by traveling all the way from Mineral Wells with her husband, Butch, to be a test rider for us on our first Texas Mountain Trail Heritage Bike Route, the "El Capitan to El Capitan Heritage Bike Ride" from Van Horn to the base of Guadalupe Mountains National Park.  She then wrote about the ride for The Racing Post.  (Here's the link to the bike route information, which will be up for only a few days in this form, as we update our organization's website.)

The road from Queen, New Mexico to Dog Canyon,
Guadalupe Mountains Nationanl Park, one of Iris' favorite rides
in our region

Iris and Butch were frequent visitors to our region.  She came to ride the Scenic Loop in Fort Davis, and lately enjoyed Guadalupe Mountains National Park, especially the northernmost entry through Dog Canyon.  Butch would take her bike out of the truck, and she'd ride downhill all the way from Queen, NM to the Dog Canyon ranger station.

Tragically, this tireless advocate for cycling safety was killed riding her bike home from work on Monday night.  We will remember her as a dear friend (so upbeat, positive, willing to give, and willing to laugh!), a wife, mother, grandmother, a true fan of Far West Texas and our Texas Mountain Trail, and a great all-around person.  Her family has asked that memorials be sent to a special fund for cycling education and safety, the Iris Stagner Memorial Fund at Bike Texas.  You can read more about Iris on their website, here.