El Pasoans make progress to preserve Castner Range

El Pasoans have come out by the thousands to help preserve Castner Range by writing letters and signing petitions asking President Barack Obama to designate the land a national monument.

In the past four months, efforts led by the Frontera Land Alliance have resulted in more than 10,000 letters being sent to the President and have raised more than $100,000 to maintain the land if it ever receives the designation.

“Castner Range is within the city limits of El Paso and it is one of the largest park already in the urban area,” said Janae Reneaud Field, executive director of the Frontera Land Alliance. “The area that is on the east side of the (Franklin) mountains and the rest of the area is growing and changing, so it would be wonderful if we could preserve this 7,000 acres for water conservation, wildlife and there are so many values here.”

While community members have been working on saving the range since the 1970s, the most recent campaign began in December after Congressman Beto O’Rourke submitted the Castner Range National Monument Act to the U.S. Congress to get the land designated as a national monument…