TPW Commission
Public Hearing, November 5, 2025
Transcript
TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE COMMISSION
November 5, 2025
EL PASO CONVENTION CENTER
1 CIVIC CENTER PLAZA
EL PASO, TEXAS 79901
OCOTILLO ROOM
REGIONAL PUBLIC HEARING
CHAIRMAN FOSTER: And now, we will begin the Regional Public Hearing, which we call to order on November 5, 2025, at 1:38 p.m.
I don’t know that I need to call roll again.
I think we are all still here.
[ LAUGHTER ]
This is our Regional Public Hearing.
And before proceeding with any further business, I believe Dr. Yoskowitz has a statement to make, and some comments about how the system works.
DR.YOSKOWITZ: Thank you, Chairman.
Public notice of this meeting containing all items on the proposed agendas has been filed in the Office of the Secretary of State as required by the Chapter 551 Government Code referred to as The Open Meetings Act.
I would like for this fact to be noted in the official record of this meeting.
And then just briefly, Chairman and Commissioners, we’re going to have, obviously, a public hearing here in El Paso.
Of those that are going to be commenting are limited to two minutes.
But we will have some presentations from some of our team members that are in the region that want to talk specifically about some of their projects.
So with that, Chairman, we can move to briefing Item No. 1.
CHAIRMAN FOSTER: All right.
Briefing Item No. 1: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Operations and Initiatives in the El Paso Border Area.
And Mr. Cesar Mendez, I think, has the first presentation.
Welcome.
CESAR MENDEZ: Good afternoon, Mr. Chairman Foster.
Good afternoon, Commissioners.
I hope that El Paso is treating you well.
For the record, my name is Cesar Mendez, and I have been the Park Superintendent for Franklin Mountains State Park for almost 18 years.
And I am honored to deliver this briefing to you today.
State Park Region 1 manages and protects 19 park locations that geographically extend across the Trans‑Pecos ecoregion from Lake Colorado City, to Brackettville, to Big Bend, to El Paso.
This region has more than 443,000 acres of state park land, which accounts for more than 68% of the entire Texas state park system.
Collectively, the parks in Region 1 hosted more than 695,000 visitors in Fiscal Year ‘25, which was 56,000 more than the previous year.
And the region earned $4.7 million in revenue.
Some interesting facts about parks in Region 1 include San Solomon Springs at Balmorhea State Park– featured in the upper-righthand corner of this slide– flows at a rate of 50 million gallons per day.
Which in translating: filling the pool that you see in the picture four times every day.
And it’s considered the largest spring‑fed pool in the world.
Big Bend Ranch State Park: it’s the largest state park in Texas, at over 300,000 acres.
Kickapoo Cavern at Kickapoo State Park– a picture next to Big Bend– contains the tallest cave column, at 80 feet high.
And that column is over four million years old.
Monahans Sandhills State Park hosts a portion of a forest of Shin Oaks that grow… at this forest that grows up to four feet tall and expands 40,000 acres.
And it’s considered the largest oak forest in the United States.
With that, today I will focus on three parks located in El Paso area region.
Franklin Mountains State Park, one of the largest urban wilderness parks in the world.
Hueco Tanks State Park and Historic Site, recognized as a national historic landmark for its cultural significance.
And the Wyler Aerial Tramway State Park, the only public aerial tramway that has operated in Texas, which is currently going under reconstruction.
Located entirely within city limits, Franklin Mountains State Park protects habitats for a large variety of Chihuahuan desert plants and animals.
Due to its topography and rugged terrain, a lot of microclimates are present in these mountains.
The park also provides a variety of hiking and mountain biking opportunities along its extensive trail system.
And also, scientists from diverse fields conduct research projects within the park.
Hueco Tanks State Park and Historic Site is reaching human history.
It protects thousands of pictographs and petroglyphs, including the largest collection of painted masks or face-like figures ever found in North America.
The park is one of the finest and most complex examples of how to balance and manage recreational activities while maintaining the integrity of its resources through a limited capacity of public access.
The Wyler Aerial Tramway provided access to the top of Ranger Peak to numerous visitors every year when it was operated between 2001 and 2018.
There, visitors could enjoy spectacular views of this vibrant binational community.
This State Park in the El Paso border area store more than 27,000 acres of land.
And during Fiscal Year ’25, this park received over 119,000 registered visitors, and generated over $627,000 in revenue.
Due to its proximity to Fort Bliss, a total of 3,866 military related parkland passes, to include active duty, veteran, disabled veteran, and Gold Star, were issued by these parks.
Education and interpretation are critical aspects of our mission.
During Fiscal Year ’25, park staff from the El Paso border area delivered 650 educational and interpretive programs, special events, reaching roughly 6,700 children and youth, as well as 21,000 adults.
A total of 375 new junior rangers earned their badge.
Hopefully among them we have the future park staff that will continue to carry our mission.
Franklin Mountains State Park is getting a water well and public water system to supply the park’s headquarters and visitor center.
Currently, the park is purchasing water which is delivered by truck and pumped into two 10,000‑gallon tanks, one for potable water and one for a fire suppression system.
Another project, one of the most anticipated projects for Franklin Mountains State Park, was the translocation of desert big horn sheep from Elephant Mountain Wildlife Management Area.
A total of 77 sheep were released on December 4, 2024.
And the first lambs were being born at the beginning of February, 2025.
Hueco Tanks State Park and Historic Site has two large projects in the works: a water well and a new cultural center by park headquarters.
And finally, progress– as many of you witnessed yesterday during the press release– progress has been made for the Wyler Aerial Tramway renovation project, currently working on Phase 1, which includes site preparation and utilities, parking lot expansion, and a bus accessible loop and driveway.
Thank you, Chairman, Commissioners.
CHAIRMAN FOSTER: All right.
Thank you.
Does anybody have any questions for Mr. Mendez?
You oversee some great parks, and thank you.
MR. MENDEZ: Thank you.
CHAIRMAN FOSTER: All right.
Next, Mr. Brad Simpson.
BRAD SIMPSON: Good afternoon, Mr. Chairman, members of the Commission.
I’m Brad Simpson, Region 1 Director for the Wildlife Division.
Today, I’ll be providing you with an update on wildlife operations in the region, with primary focus on the
Trans‑Pecos district, including our private and public lands programs, and current research projects, plus highlight one of our keystone species in the area.
Region 1 covers 72 counties in the High Plains and Western Rolling Plains and the Texas panhandle, as well as the Western Edwards Plateau and the Trans‑Pecos ecoregions.
The region encompasses over 91,000 square miles.
And to put that into some perspective, would make us the 12th largest state in the country, just above Minnesota.
The region offers some of the most diverse landscapes, habitat, and wildlife species in the state.
The region consists of Districts 1 and 2.
And in this slide, the individual biologists are represented by the different pastel colors within the counties.
We also have the Panhandle Ecosystems Project, covering five WMAs, including the Matador, Gene Howe, Playa Lakes, Yoakum Dunes, and our newest edition, Teacup Mountain.
The Trans-Pecos project includes three desert mountain WMAs: Elephant Mountain, Black Gap, and Sierra Diablo.
I will discuss more on these later.
A total of 46 staff work in the region.
Now, we will focus primarily on operations and initiatives in the Trans‑Pecos district.
The district covers 18 counties, with seven district biologists, two senior biologists, and one non‑game biologist.
The primary responsibility for these staff is to provide technical guidance to private landowners, as well as assist with research projects, provide public outreach, and conduct wildlife surveys.
In addition, we have an urban wildlife biologist stationed here in El Paso that works with civic and community groups on wildlife‑related issues, as well as performing public outreach.
One of the goals at the Wildlife Division is to manage wildlife in their habitats.
And since Texas is over 97% privately owned, we must work with these landowners to achieve our goals.
While we have several programs to provide landowners assistance for habitat improvement, I’m going to highlight three of these programs.
One of the most successful private lands programs is our Managed Lands Deer Program, or MLDP, with over 24 million acres enrolled statewide in the conservation option.
While the Trans‑Pecos doesn’t have the large number of management units compared to other parts of the state, we do have over 7.3 million acres enrolled.
Thus, we account for over 29% of the acres.
This equates to an average size of 27,592 acres per management unit, while the statewide average is around 2,700 acres.
Another successful private lands program in the district is the Pecos Watershed Conservation Initiative, primarily targeted at creosote and tarbush infested areas to restore grasslands.
Today, we have put over $2.2 million on the ground, impacting over 35,000 acres for habitat improvement, through National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grants.
The last program is the Grassland Restoration Initiative with our partners Borderlands Research Institute and the Rio Grande Joint Venture.
Today, we have put another $2.2 million on the ground, restoring over 20,000 acres of grassland, 74 miles of fence improvement for pronghorn, and nine miles of streams.
Another goal of the Wildlife Division is to support our strong hunting and outdoor heritage in Texas.
Trans‑Pecos staff assist annually as hunt masters with the Texas Wildlife Association’s Texas youth hunting program for deer, elk, and aoudad sheep.
These hunts are in coordination and partnership with Texas Wildlife Association, the department, landowners, Fort Bliss, and La Tigua tribal lands.
Staff also hosts a number of outreach events targeted at getting youth in the outdoors.
The Trans‑Pecos Ecosystem Project, as I mentioned before, includes Elephant Mountain, Black Gap, and Sierra Diablo, totaling over 137,000 acres.
The staff consists of three wildlife biologists and four wildlife technicians.
Sierra Diablo was purchased in 1945 for bighorn sheep restoration, making it the oldest WMA in the state.
The additional purchase of 54,000 acres for Black Gap was in 1948, for research, demonstration, and public use activities.
Today, Black Gap has 25 miles of border along the Rio Grande, and exceeds 103,000 acres, making it one of the largest in the state.
Elephant Mountain was donated to the department in 1985 for bighorn sheep management and public use.
All three WMA’s offer public hunting opportunities for deer, elk, and javelina through our draw and hunts program.
Elephant Mountain and Black Gap offer hunts for dove and quail, while Black Gap also provides waterfowl hunting opportunities through our annual public hunting permit program.
In addition, Elephant Mountain and Black Gap allow non‑hunting activities like camping, wildlife viewing, hiking, with a limited public use permit.
Our WMAs host a number of wildlife research projects, outreach events, and quality habitat improvement projects annually.
These habitat projects often include wildlife guzzlers to provide water for wildlife, and brush control to improve habitat.
Many of our projects, on both the district and WMAs, could not be accomplished without the numerous partnerships we have.
I also want to share a few of our important research projects that we are funding, and our staff are participating in.
The first is the Borderlands Research Institute Study looking at habitat use and competition between bighorn sheep, aoudad, and mule deer in the Chinati and Quitman Mountains.
Another project that just started earlier this year is a mule deer movement study in the Hueco Mountains, where CWD has been present since 2012.
This project will provide information that will help us predict the spread of CWD.
Two other ongoing projects are pronghorn habitat suitability to look at… to improve populations for pronghorn, and an aoudad sheep project, where we are conducting disease surveillance and looking at effective population control measures.
These projects should provide valuable information to assist us with management in the future.
Lastly, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention one of our keystone species in the Trans‑Pecos, the desert bighorn sheep.
As you may be aware, the bighorn sheep populations have declined significantly over the last five years, but appear to have stabilized.
As Kory said this morning, this is primarily attributed to aoudad competition and the presence of mycoplasma ovipneumoniae, or M. ovi for short, across most of its range.
M. ovi has not been detected on… has not been detected in bighorn sheep on Elephant Mountain.
Elephant Mountain has the ability to produce excess sheep about every three to four years, and is our only source for animals for restoration purposes.
In December of 2024, we translocated 77 animals to Franklin Mountains State Park, with the objective of creating another clean population.
Today, we have 71 adults still on the mountain.
And we just completed surveys last week on the state park, and observed 13 lambs, giving us a total of 84 sheep on the area.
I also need to thank our long-standing partners, Texas Bighorn Society, the Wild Sheep Foundation, and the numerous landowners that are passionate about restoring our bighorn sheep populations in the state.
Mr. Chairman, that concludes my presentation.
I’d be happy to answer any questions.
CHAIRMAN FOSTER: Thank you.
Do we have any questions or comments for Mr. Simpson?
No.
Thank you very much.
And then Jason Huebner.
Welcome.
JASON HUEBNER: Good afternoon, Mr. Chairman and Commissioners.
And welcome to West Texas.
I appreciate it.
For the record, my name is Jason Huebner.
I’m the Region 1 Major for the Law Enforcement Division.
And I’m going to tell you a little bit about Region 1, and a few of the operations going on, and some special initiatives that are coming out of each district.
So, we’re obviously from San Angelo to Midland, up to Andrews and Gaines County, and then all the way over to El Paso is the area we’re talking about here.
We’ve got approximately 31 counties that we cover, a little over 60,000 square miles that we’re patrolling.
Four districts make this up.
We are divided in four districts.
And we have 45 game wardens.
We have seven administrative support staff spread out through three law enforcement locations, in El Paso, Midland, and in San Angelo.
We have eight major water bodies that we kind of oversee, and three major rivers, along with three major ports of entry locations.
So, starting off in District 1 here, we’ve got five counties– Crockett, Schleicher, Sutton, Terrell and Val Verde Counties.
We have ten game wardens assigned to this district.
Water bodies include Lake Amistad, and then the Pecos River, the Devils River, and the Rio Grande.
We have one port of entry there, Del Rio.
And, of course, our enforcement efforts are focused in on hunting, water safety patrols, fishing patrols, along with public safety as that fourth pillar there.
Joint enforcement with local law enforcement and federal partners include search and rescue operations out in this kind of remote area.
In addition to that, we… What’s kind of unique to this district is we have a wildlife forensic initiative that kind of was born out of this district.
And the genesis of this stem from a bear case, where a bear was killed in Del Rio.
And after case review, routine case review, we saw areas for improvement in the wildlife forensics, and a little bit more sophistication.
So, what we ended up doing is we sent our… we sent ten game wardens to Arizona, to the Wildlife Human Attack and Response training.
And let me kind of put you at ease.
We weren’t worried about bears or mountain lions attacking constituents or citizens.
But they had some top‑tier wildlife forensics course curriculum that we felt would be beneficial.
So, we sent those ten game wardens to Arizona.
They returned, and we developed a Wildlife Forensics 101 program, which we brought back, and we have instituted that into the game warden training center.
And we’re sharing that along with the field as well, and training people up on that.
So, we cover everything from crime scene management, to firearms, ballistic and wound topics there, in addition to the wardens learning how to do field necropsies.
And then we also have, what you are seeing down here in the lower right picture, is time of death, which is often a launching point for our investigation.
So, that time of death takes a number of physiological changes after the death of the animal.
And we plot those data points to get a window of time there.
So, that’s being incorporated out into the field now.
Last year, we had our first class, and we’re going to continue this annually.
You’ll see here, you notice we have a bear underneath a feeder.
And that’s going to be a common theme in West Texas, where we’ve had an increase in bear activity.
So, in District 2, which covers 15 counties‑‑ and I won’t name them all.
But we have 13 game wardens assigned to this district.
It’s one of our higher activity districts.
And it includes water bodies like Lake Nasworthy, Twin Buttes, public hunting lands, Oak Creek Reservoir, Lake Spence, Champion Creek, and Moss Lake.
Again, hunting, water safety, and fishing patrols is the main enforcement here, along with the joint enforcement with local LE partners, to include SAR operations which have also taken place on our public hunting lands out here.
We’ve had a number of lost‑person incidents out there as well.
One kind of a unique initiative on this that you may have heard of in the past is the West Texas Big Bobcat Contest.
This contest has been probably going on for about a decade.
It’s run in the months of January, February, and March.
It’s a 24‑hour contest.
We’ve increased saturation patrols during this contest, and work closely with sponsors to ensure that we’ve got compliance with hunting regulations, in addition to helping to avoid any kind of fraud within the contest as well.
So, this contest is… you’ll see here on the right‑hand side the picture of the elk.
That was killed last February during the contest.
That was a bull elk.
There was a cow elk that was also killed.
That one is under current investigation right now, and we’re hopefully moving a little bit closer to closure on this one.
In the lower left, sticking with the bear theme here, what you’re looking at is a bear that has been roped by a cowboy.
This bear was in Midland.
And it was a young juvenile, and it was getting ready to climb into some horse pens.
And the cowboy roped it, tied it, and called us.
And Wildlife was kind enough to relocate that young juvenile bear, and so…
But it just goes to show that the activity is increasing in all of West Texas.
We’re starting to see bear activity increase.
Moving on to District 3, which is your local area here that includes El Paso.
Seven counties: El Paso, Hudspeth, Culberson, Reeves, Loving, Winkler, and Ward.
We have eight game wardens in this district.
Water bodies include Red Bluff Reservoir, Pecos River, and the Rio Grande Rivers.
We have one major port of entry here in El Paso, along with…
Again, we continue with the hunting, fishing, and water safety patrols, and join enforcement in search and rescue operations.
As you can see here, this one is in Franklin Mountains State Park.
We work closely with the state park police officers, and bring in resolution to that.
So, unique thing about District 3 here is, you know, part of one of our important pillars of education enforcement is water safety.
And while we’re out here in West Texas and water is somewhat scarce, we still think it’s important to push that initiative.
So, we’ve teamed up with the Drowning Prevention Coalition of El Paso initiative, working with local schools and the community.
Because we know our constituents and these young kiddos are traveling not only to parts of Texas to recreate in the open water, but also into New Mexico as well.
So, it’s an initiative that Captain Spears and his team take seriously.
And while it has a large concentration on pool safety here in the local area, it does translate well into the open water environment as well.
Moving on to District 4.
This is the last district.
Four counties: Pecos, Jeff Davis, Brewster and Presidio Counties.
We have eight game wardens assigned for this district.
Water body is mainly the Rio Grande River there, if it’s flowing.
We have one port of entry in Presidio.
Hunting, water safety, and fishing patrols, obviously, along with joint enforcement, same thing, and the SAR operations, which tend to be more frequent in this area due to Big Bend Ranch State Park, Big Bend National Park, and just the large tracts of land out there.
And so, the one initiative that they’ve taken on is…
Several years ago we recognized these incidents were recurring frequently.
And about a decade ago, we had a lady that was lost for six days in Big Bend Ranch State Park.
And so, one of the things that we did was we had… we received some training from the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center on search theory, and concepts, and planning.
And so each year, we hold, in conjunction with our partners over in State Parks– Cody Edwards, the Superintendent there at Big Bend Ranch State Park, and the state park police officers– we hold an annual exercise now.
We’ll be doing our second annual one this year.
And just making sure that our… the way we unfold our search and rescue operations are predictable, kind of methodical, and to ensure that we bring, and hopefully find, the lost person incident to closure relatively quickly.
And so, with that, that’s the conclusion of my presentation.
And if you have any questions, I’d be more than happy to answer them.
CHAIRMAN FOSTER: So, you mentioned the border crossings.
What is our role at the border crossings, versus the federal officials?
MR. HUEBNER: Say that again?
CHAIRMAN FOSTER: The agencies that are involved at a border crossing.
What is our role?
MR. HUEBNER: Our current role is to assist any of the federal agencies.
And that’s directed by the governor.
So, if they request any kind of assistance, yeah, we’re required to help them out; turn them over to those agencies as necessary.
We do run some border operations throughout the year.
Obviously, there is, you know, the Wildlife component to that.
But inevitably, we are also running into illegal immigration as well.
CHAIRMAN FOSTER: Okay.
Thank you.
Questions or comments?
All right.
MR. HUEBNER: Okay.
Thank you.
CHAIRMAN FOSTER: Very good.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission will now hold a regional public hearing to receive public comments concerning any issue relating to the Commission’s regulatory powers and duties.
And we’ll now hear from those signed up to speak.
And number one on the list is our state rep, Vince Perez.
Welcome.
VINCE PEREZ: Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Well, good afternoon, Chairman Foster, Commissioners Galo, McCall, Patton, Rowling, and Timmerman, and everyone with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
As the representative for this district, District 77, I just wanted to extend my gratitude to you for holding this field hearing here in El Paso.
It truly means a great deal to our community to host you, and to have the opportunity to highlight the outstanding work being done every day by the dedicated team here in West Texas.
I also want to thank Chairman Foster for his leadership and for his long record of service to both our state
and community.
His ongoing commitment to strengthening our state parks, investing in higher education, and supporting community development has made a tremendous difference across our great state, particularly here in El Paso.
We’re proud to see that dedication now guiding this Commission’s work.
Today’s hearing also gives us a chance to recognize the incredible people who make this department run.
I want to especially thank Executive Director Dr. David Yoskowitz, Executive Director Anne Brown of the Foundation, and all of the department staff for their dedication to conservation, public access, and stewardship of Texas’ natural treasures.
They represent the very best of what public service and the heart of what the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department stands for.
I’d also like to mention: when I told my wonderful 91‑year‑old next-door neighbor that I would be participating in the Parks and Wildlife Department, she mentioned just how proud she is of her grandson, who is one of the newest and youngest park rangers in the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Matthew Montoya.
I just wanted to mention that.
Superintendent Mendez signed me up yesterday for a few tours of the trails on the Franklin Mountains State Park.
I need to get in better shape for that.
But I know they are some of the best, not just in Texas, but the entire country.
El Paso is proud to be a willing and ready partner with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
The Wyler Aerial Tramway Project is a great example of what that partnership can look like– a model for how our community, state and local leaders, along with the department and the foundation, can come together to deliver something truly lasting for generations.
We are eager to keep building on that spirit of collaboration in the years ahead, continuing to create open spaces that celebrate Texas’ natural beauty, and reflect the character and pride of the communities that call it home.
Thank you again for being here, for your time, and for your continued service to the people of Texas.
We wish you a productive meeting and a memorable time here in El Paso.
Thank you.
CHAIRMAN FOSTER: Thank you.
Thank you very much.
The next on the list I’m going to introduce.
I don’t know whether they’re a speaker or not.
But Claudia Ordaz?
I think.
Is she here?
Or Eddie Morales.
Okay.
Two more of our great state reps but not here yet, so…
Next is Joe Garibay.
And I may have butchered the pronunciation there, but it’s close.
JOE GARIBAY: I think you hit it right on the head.
That’s fine.
[ LAUGHTER ]
Good afternoon, Chair and Commissioners.
My name is Joe Garibay, and I am the Open Space Advisory Chair for the City of El Paso, and I’m also the President of the Borderland Mountain Biking Association.
Welcome to El Paso.
And thank you for coming.
Many times we feel like we are the forgotten part of Texas out here.
And you guys coming here, and having your meeting here, reassures us that the state really cares about El Paso.
I would like to talk to you about a few items.
The first is what we refer to as the Martin Luther King property out in Northeast El Paso.
The state is close to purchasing that property from the City of El Paso.
The Open Space Advisory Board totally supports this and, you know, cannot be more supportive of having this go through.
The City of El Paso voted to have this done probably four years ago.
With that, they put a stipulation in there that they would like a conservation easement on the property.
I wanted to reassure everybody.
You know, the people at conservation easement think, “Oh, my God, they’re going to be so restrictive.
We want a very lenient conservation easement.”
( laughs )
All we really, really want on this property is something that says the land cannot be resold, and it will only have construction, or stuff like that, if it’s for the state park.
I mean, if the state park wants a visitor’s center, more latrines, or hopefully some day a bighorn research facility, all of those things would be totally acceptable to us.
The things we are more concerned about is, yeah, we sell off property to have more development, or perhaps, you know, TxDOT needs a new building and they say they want to use a corner over there.
That stuff would kind of concern us.
But otherwise, that’s all we want in that conservation easement.
The outdoor recreation community– I’m in touch with them all the time– we cannot be more supportive this going through.
While the city does allow use on this land, having this property transition to an owner that truly understands outdoor recreation, and the value of outdoor recreation, is a great thing.
So again, we want this to go through.
I can tell you pretty much every mountain biker wants this to happen.
I’m in touch with all the hiking groups.
They want this to happen.
So, the sooner the better.
In my capacity, I interact with the state park individuals all the time.
I got to tell you, you have a great team here.
They are friendly, knowledgeable.
They know what they’re doing.
The one thing I would ask, though, is we do need more staff.
You probably have seen it if you looked around Franklin State Park.
It is huge.
It’s a massive state park.
And it literally borders on neighborhoods.
People go through their backyards straight into the state park.
They build trails right out of their backyards straight into the state park.
This creates issues for us over here.
Because we don’t have people to maintain those trails.
We don’t have people monitoring the access.
So, one thing we would ask, if it is at all possible, the state park could really use somebody just to handle new trail development, new trail maintenance, and just access control, since all these neighborhoods are coming up around there; making sure that we can control that people using the state park are getting into the state park by valid means.
Lastly, I would ask that you keep your mind open to future stuff.
Right now, on the northwest side of the mountain, the city is growing along that side.
And so, in the next five to ten years there’s going to be a lot of development.
And there’s going to be opportunities to expand the state park again.
And we would really like to see it expand in that line.
Very specifically, a dream that we’ve had at the city for a long time is what we call the mountain‑to‑river trail– something that starts at the state park at the top of that mountain, and through natural surface trail takes us all the way to the river.
And we’d like to see that happen if you could at all help us get to there.
We think it would be a great opportunity to just have educational facilities to show children, “Hey, when it rains, this drop of water hits here.
Here is how it makes that arroyo, here’s how that water gets to the river.”
And then you can talk… “and it gets all the way to the ocean.”
So, with that, thank you again for coming.
Really appreciate you guys coming down to El Paso.
CHAIRMAN FOSTER: Thank you very much.
Next, we have Brenda De Anda-Swann.
Welcome.
BRENDA DE ANDA-SWANN: Thank you.
Good afternoon, Mr. Chairman, Commissioners, Dr. Yoskowitz.
My name is Brenda De Anda-Swann.
I’m the General Manager of the local ABC affiliate, KVIA TV.
It was great to visit with some of you yesterday at the base of the tramway.
The tramway was described yesterday as a “gem,” a “treasure.”
I will also use the word “essential.”
KVIA‑TV is one of several broadcasters that house their transmitters atop Ranger Peak.
We understand there are governmental agencies, federal and local, telecommunication companies, as well, that also have facilities there.
We picked that location decades ago, and made investments there because it’s the best location on the Franklin Mountains to serve our community.
The signal footprint allows for the greatest coverage of homes.
Since 2018, our employees have had to hike through rugged terrain to access critical facilities.
You saw the top of that ridge.
It’s treacherous.
We no longer have access to our transmitter after dark or in bad weather.
What used to be a four‑minute ride is now a 45‑minute hike each way– at least– depending on the condition of the hiker/engineer, and the weather, and the equipment they carry on their backs.
This is a public safety issue.
The public depends on broadcasters to stay informed in good times and bad.
And I’m talking about emergencies.
The broadcasters on Ranger Peak are KVIA 7, KTSM 9, KTDO Telemundo, KTFN Entravision, KSCE Christian Broadcasting, and KTSM Radio iHeart Media.
The new tramway is being built on a different mesa on the Franklins, away from Ranger Peak.
At one point, there was talk of a boardwalk connecting the sites to allow equipment and people to safely reach the antennas and the towers.
You are familiar with the history of the tramway.
It was built for the purpose of reaching television transmitters on the mountain.
And when it was donated to the state, it was done so with a stipulation that access for broadcasters would remain.
We ask that the new plans for the tramway honor that commitment.
I appreciate your attention, and hope you continue enjoying your visit to El Paso.
And for the sake of the public we serve, we hope to restore quickly, reliable, and safe access to the transmitters.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
CHAIRMAN FOSTER: Thank you very much.
Next, Mr. Grahame Jones.
Welcome.
MR. GRAHAME JONES: Chairman Foster, Commissioners, Dr. Yoskowitz, thank you for allowing me to be here today.
My name is Grahame Jones.
I’m the Executive Director for the Texas Conservation Alliance.
I also serve as the Chair on the Oyster Advisory Committee and on the Coastal Resources Advisory Committee as well.
I want to express our sincere appreciation for the Commission’s continued support of the outdoor community outreach program.
This initiative remains one of the most effective ways that connects Texans, especially young people, and families to the experiences in nature.
TPWD is basically helping cultivate the next generation of Texans.
And at TCA, we’re proud to stand alongside of you, thanks to your grant programs.
And we’re able to put a lot of that into grassroots efforts, in cleaning rivers and restoring native habitat and deepening people’s appreciation for wildlife and wild places.
I want to extend a special thank you to the Parks and Wildlife Coastal Fisheries Division and the Law Enforcement Division for their continued partnership in protecting oyster reefs throughout, and along, the Texas coast.
Their work specifically on certificate of licenses, what we call COLs, is really evolving in a fantastic way.
Basically, it allows, you know, folks to restore and work on areas of degraded reefs.
And I think that’s extremely important.
The COL program, along with the historically successful S. Reed Morian Oyster Buyback Program, are two extremely good examples of how staff, the public, and other organizations, other nonprofit organizations, work together for the same common mission: to protect what we all care and love.
On behalf of the Texas Conservation Alliance, thank you for your partnership and for your steadfast commitment to protecting the lands, waters, and wildlife that make Texas truly exceptional.
Thank you so much.
CHAIRMAN FOSTER: Thank you.
Next, David Echaniz.
Welcome.
DAVID ECHANIZ: Good afternoon, ladies and gentleman.
So, I’m the Chief Engineer of KSCE‑TV.
And we’re at… on the peak, talking about the Wyler Tramway.
And Ms. Swann has actually said what I was going to say.
There’s a long hike up there.
And we don’t have no access to the transmitter to service it, and things of this nature.
And the new tramway seems to be going up a different way.
And we don’t have really a way to get up the mountain to service it or to take equipment up to it.
And it is a dangerous hike, and everything, to get up there now.
And the older tramway has been out of service for quite a long time now.
And we were just hoping that there may be some type of consideration, or something, for us to maybe walk a way– or I have no idea what– but we’re, you know, not in real good shape up there trying to get up there.
And thank you.
CHAIRMAN FOSTER: I was up there yesterday., and I see exactly what you are talking about, so.
MR. ECHANIZ: Thank you very much.
CHAIRMAN FOSTER: …thank you for bringing it to our attention.
Next is Maya Sanchez.
Welcome.
MAYA SANCHEZ: Thank you.
Good afternoon, Chair, Commissioners, and staff.
My name is Maya Sanchez.
I am with El Paso Community Foundation, where one of my primary roles is convening those working in the environmental sector to rally around and support initiatives and policy that will help grow a sustainable future for our region.
And with so much of our area being under threat… we have much open spaces, many open spaces that are under threat of overdevelopment, especially by things like data centers and advanced manufactured warehousing.
When you have the opportunity, like the MLK property in the northeast, to protect it for future generations, I want to just encourage you to do that.
I also want to thank Mr. Garibay for making me aware of this meeting.
And I echo all of his comments, as well as State Rep. Perez comments.
So, thank you for being here.
I just wanted to throw that to the Commission.
And just really share how important it is for our area to conserve these microclimates and ecosystems from the mountain to the river that have all but disappeared.
We want to be able to protect that for future generations.
So, thank you for your consideration.
CHAIRMAN FOSTER: Thank you.
And I’m looking at Dee, to be sure, but I think that was the last person that we have signed up to speak.
DEE HALLIBURTON: Yes, Sir, Chairman.
CHAIRMAN FOSTER: Okay.
Thank you, all.
We certainly appreciate your comments, and we take them all very seriously.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission… woops, already did that.
Is there anyone I missed that would like to speak?
If not, this Commission has completed its business, and I declare us adjourned at 2:23 p.m.
Thank you.
[ GAVEL POUNDS ]