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News Article
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Poppy fest
Ready to Bloom
By Renee de Santos
Special to El Paso Inc.
We’re about due for a big and colorful bloom of Mexican gold poppies along the eastern slopes of the Franklin Mountains at Castner Range.
The last major bloom was five years ago, and even though you may not have enjoyed all the wet winter weather we’ve had, the poppies just love it.
That’s why members of the Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition are out regularly, checking the mountainside, looking for signs of plants starting to germinate. So far, just a few flowers are poking their heads out.
“It’s difficult to tell, even though we think it is the right rain schedule for them,” said Scott Cutler, who is president of the Wilderness Coalition. “We should know by the end of the month if it’s going to be big. Everyone’s hoping this will be the year.”
Cutler says people are already starting to talk about whether this will be a good year, because if you’ve ever seen a truly spectacular spring bloom, it’s something you’ll remember.
“It’s really awe-inspiring to see this huge wash of orange on the mountainside especially when you come off Loop 375. You’re hit with it, as you get closer to Highway 54 – this intense huge bloom of poppies. It’s spectacular,” Cutler said.
Big display or not, the cyclical phenomenon that brightens the Castner Range and the spirit of El Pasoans will be celebrated at the Wilderness Coalition’s annual Franklin Mountains Poppies Preservation Celebration.
The poppy fest is 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, March 20, on the grounds of the El Paso Museum of Archaeology, located at 4301 Transmountain Road. Free parking will be available at Cohen Stadium, with free shuttle service busing visitors to the site.
The fest is sponsored by the coalition and a long list of non-profits, and for the first time, the city’s Museums and Cultural Affairs Department. That’s helping to grow the event.
“More than 20 artists and artisans will be selling their wares,” said MCAD spokesman Victor Guerrero. “The festival will also have information about everything that there is to do in the area and information about eco-tourism and the conservation of our environment.”
Other organizations helping to coordinate the free festival include the archaeology museum, El Paso Archaeology Society, Franklin Mountains State Park and Chihuahuan Desert Education Coalition.
Performances by CEIBA and Slackabilly will highlight the event. The celebration also will include nature walks and talks, educational exhibits, children’s activities, demonstrations, videos, workshops, and food and craft vendors.
Blooming history
The poppies celebration actually started in 2007, two years after the last really big bloom.
“One of our major efforts has been to preserve Castner Range, not only for the magnificent poppy blooms, but also for the unique ecological and recreational qualities it offers,” Cutler said. “We want to preserve Castner so that El Pasoans and visitors will continue to have a place to experience and enjoy this amazing sight.”
The poppies grow freely on Castner Range, an old military firing range that encompasses 7,000 acres on the east side of the Franklins along both sides of Transmountain Road. The range extends from the Patriot Freeway almost to the mountain ridgeline and includes some of the most scenic and ecologically significant parts of the mountains.
Because there are still unexploded ordnance on Castner left over from its artillery days, the range remains an open space under the stewardship of the U.S. Army. The Army has identified Castner Range as surplus but can’t transfer it to new ownership until it’s been searched and cleared of old artillery rounds. The Franklin Mountains Wilderness Coalition wants to keep it an open space.
“The poppies are an important part of Castner Range,” Cutler said. “It’s a legacy that we’ve inherited and we want to keep it viable for the future.”
Judy Ackerman, the coalition’s secretary, expects the fourth annual event to be their biggest and best.
“The support we’re getting from the city is lot of organizational skills,” Ackerman said. “Before it was a bunch of volunteers trying to do the right thing. Now we’ve got professionals.”
She says that means more entertainment, stronger marketing efforts and more sponsors.
Still volunteers are the backbone of the event. In addition to the coalition and the archaeological society, they come from the El Paso Zoo, Centennial Museum, El Paso Native Plant Society, El Paso Audubon Society, El Paso Master Gardeners, League of Women Voters, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the Environmental Protection Agency, Texas Master Naturalists, and the Rio Grande Council of Governments.
“It’s a free family fun day and I think the word’s getting around,” Ackerman said. “And maybe, we’ll have poppies!”
Franklin Mountains Poppies Preservation Celebration
10 a.m.-6 p.m. March 20
El Paso Museum of Archaeology grounds
4301 Transmountain
Northeast El Paso
Park free at Cohen Stadium
Free shuttle to the fest
For information,
call (915) 755-4332
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| Gene - posted: 3/16/2010 10:43:56 AM
Development, storm water projects, roads, "beautification projects", etc. has greatly reduced the range of the poppies. It's still a spectacular sight but was so much better in years gone by. With Cohan Stadium, Walmart, Lowe's, etc. with their massive parking areas, has taken so much range away from these beautiful flowers. We need to keep what land that is left wild and free from further destruction. This is a very unique and beautiful event for El Paso but is slowly being destroyed. The last blooming was in 2005, it's a very beautiful event for all to enjoy. | | ANEL GREENE - posted: 3/2/2010 11:27:21 PM
It all sounds so nice and interesting, just hope me and my family can make to this years celebration... i bet it would be exciting to see the amazing view! | | Silvia Cosman-Rosales - posted: 3/2/2010 11:42:13 AM
I am so excited for this years trip out to the celebration. My family and I have been attending for the last 5 years. We all really enjoy the walk through the beautiful poppies and of course take as many pictures as we can. We then sit down, relax and have a nice picnic. I love it! | | Heather - posted: 2/27/2010 2:40:14 PM
I am new to El Paso, and just noticed the beautiful yellow poppies that are sprouting up, I did a search on the internet about them and found this article. How exciting, I can't wait to see the full bloom! | | Gaby Ferro - posted: 2/23/2010 9:44:00 PM
This is the first year we will be attending the Celebration. I am really excited and hope that there is a big bloom! In my plans are to take some family pictures with the Poppies as a beautiful background. | |
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