By R.M. GLOVER
MARATHON – The town could loose a little of its sound and fury this year, if backers have their way, as the
“quiet zone” looks to become a reality.
Construction of a seven-inch curb will make it harder for vehicles to zig-zag around the crossing
arm at the railroad tracks at Avenue D, theoretically eliminating the need for trains to blow their horns while rumbling through town.
“The
spur rail has already been cut,” Brewster County Commissioner Reuben Ortega said this week. “I expect the project to be completed
late this spring.”
Materials for the construction project, funded by Gage Hotel owner J.P. Bryan, were received at the county yard
last week.
“We’ll start working on the curb later this month,” Ortega said.
“The train horns bother some people in town, especially
guests at The Gage,” said Niel Chavigny, president of the Marathon Chamber of Commerce. The Gage management refused to comment on
the matter.
“Most of our guests appreciated the train horns and took it in as part of the romance of the west,” said Harry Mois, owner of Harry’s
Tinaja in Alpine and former owner of the Holland Hotel across the street from the Union Pacific depot. “But we also supplied ear plugs
in each room.”
Construction of two improved barricades at the railroad crossings at Fifth and Seventh Streets in Alpine may also become
a reality in 2008.
“The quiet zone project has been around for a while but in 2007 it re-birthed,” Alpine Mayor Mickey Clouse said.
“We’re working hard on it”
Negotiations with the Union Pacific Railroad, the Texas Department of Transportation, Brewster County Sheriff’s
Department, the City Council and the federal government are under way.
“Midland and Odessa already have Quiet Zones in certain parts of their towns,” Clouse said.
But not all favor the “quiet zone.”
Isabel
Shackelford lost her father and two brothers at the Marathon railroad crossing on the way to The Post one night 43 years ago.
“My dad
and brothers might still be alive today if the train had blown its horn,” she said.
“I don’t approve at all of this no-blow nonsense,”
Shackelford said. “Trains having been coming through here since before I was born.
“People should be thankful trains today give us
a warning,” she said. It wasn’t always like that.”
PRESIDIO – The announcement that several feral burros had been killed by the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife (News Leader,
Dec. 14) has brought a flurry of responses from concerned citizens and readers.
The TP&W announced last month that a feral animal-harvesting
program was under way in the Big Bend Ranch State Park near here.
“We are writing this letter in hopes of requesting an external, unbiased
investigation of the tragic killing of at least 71 feral burros in Big Bend Ranch State Park near Presidio,” Crystal Ward of Placerville,
CA, wrote in a letter to the park.
“Two paid state employees killed at least 71 burros and wounded unknown others,” she wrote.
Ward
is president of the California Donkey and Mule Association.
“The park wants to introduce big horn sheep as a means to generate moneys
through the “Big Time Texas Hunts,” Sal Rhymes of Los Molinos, CA, wrote in a letter to the News Leader editor (Page 2.) “The park
sells tickets for the chance to hunt managed herds of big horn sheep and other exotics such as longhorn cattle, which are also encouraged
to graze in the park.”
In another letter to the Big Bend Ranch State Park, virtually identical to Ward’s letter,
Lt. Col. (ret.) Thelma Jean Hasler said she understands that two park officials were authorized to kill the animals but she noted
“the lack of notice to many park employees who opposed the slaughter while this was taking place during 2007.”
She said she feared
the event would be “swept under the rug” and would continue “after the dust has settled.”
Ward and Hasler said many of the killings
were done in an inhumane manner including some that were shot in the stomach or buttocks.
Former park employee Robert Garcia “witnessed
a young foal trying to nurse off his dead mother,” they wrote. “Garcia estimated over 100 donkeys have been shot since the killings
began.”
Hasler said she understood the Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue from southern California would arrive this month “to humanely
capture many surviving donkeys. This apparently will be done without taxpayer dollars.”
In another letter to the editor, Macky Shackelford
of Marathon wrote that the killings were the result of the Big Horn Sheep project to wildlife areas, a program he said has generated
$760,000 in revenue since the 1960s but has cost taxpayers “millions of dollars” which will never be replaced “because the Big Horn
Sheep program will never be successful.”
Zach Zniewski, who wrote a burro column for the Marathon News Leader, said in a letter to
the editor last month that the Texas Parks Department “owes it to us to find and fund humane and decent solutions to the ecological
difficulties our parks face. After all we pay their salaries.”
TP&W spokesman Scott Boruff told the News Leader last month the
department does not condone cruelty to animals.
“If there is an opportunity that is reasonable to harvest a burro we will do it,” he
said. “All our people engaged in this are certified in the use of firearms for the harvesting of animals.”
Federal law protects burros
and mustangs on federal land but there are no state statutes that prohibit the killing of such animals on state lands.
“There were
no laws or policies broken. We are in the process of harvesting feral animals from the Big Bend State Park, audad, hogs and burros,”
Boruff said. “West Texas has an incredibly sensitive eco-system and we have to remove the ferals to restore endemic species.
“We now
have 1,000 Big Horn Sheep in Texas in three places, Elephant Mountain, Sierra Diablo and Black Gap,” he said. “We’re trying to make
Big Bend State Park next. Restoration of an endangered species like the Big Horn Sheep is quite an accomplishment.”
Burros evidently
carry diseases that are not tolerated well by the Big Horn Sheep.
“I think it would be mismanagement not to try and take out the burros,”
he said. “There are non-lethal ways to harvest the burro but they spook pretty bad.
“We spent six days recently baiting corrals in
the park and ended up with just two burros,” Boruff said. “We’re willing to give them to the public. They might be able to rope them,
if they’re good.”
Shackelford said the state has tried to introduce big horn sheep into the Black Gap area south of Marathon and “if
they try to introduce the big horn into the Big Bend Ranch, again millions of dollars will be spent on trying to find them, water
them and keep diseases away from them.
By JASON HENNINGTON
ALPINE – A Sul Ross State University delegation saw the controversial proposed La Entrada international
trade route from the Mexican side during a recent trip.
Associate Professor of Business Administration Dr. Pamela Marett, Associate
Vice President of Advancement and University Relations Leo Dominguez, Sul Ross MBA students and I joined MBA students from Chihuahua
for a field trip to Port Topolobampo last month.
The trip was for students to see first hand what they had been researching and gain
insight into the project.
La Entrada seeks to create a more efficient way to transport goods from Pacific Ports in Mexico to the central United States.
This route would use the under-utilized border crossing in Presidio as an alternative to the overcrowded crossing
in El Paso.
At the same time, La Entrada would relieve some of the traffic in the port at Long Beach, CA.
But the proposed truck route
threatens to pass through Alpine and the Big Bend, causing local controversy.
Concerned residents believe the increased truck traffic
will jeopardize the beauty of the region and seek an alternate route.
“Weekly reports and editorials in the local papers make it clear
that the reasons people choose to reside in Brewster County – its beauty, unique topography and peace and quiet – shall be destroyed
by this trade route,” Marett said prior to the trip. “Yet, apart from the image provided in the papers of hundreds of trucks barreling
through downtown Alpine, what do we really know about La Entrada?”
Port officials said the geographic position of Port Topolobampo
is strategic for importing and exporting goods between the Central-East region of the United States and Asia.
Because of this, the
governments of the Mexican states of Sinaloa and Chihuahua and Texas in the US have encouraged commercial interchanging by the North
Logistic Corridor Project.
Presently, the port invests in machinery and equipment for the shipping of bulk minerals such as iron and
copper as well as material from the mineral deposits located near the port.
The location and infrastructure of the port’s facilities
allows the handling of containers, agricultural bulk and minerals as well as adequate conditions for receiving large vessels.
“Mexico
needs this and wants this,” Marett said. “Just seeing everything is a real wakeup.”
The journey included a drive to Creel, Chih.,
and a train ride through Copper Canyon to Los Mochis.
From there, students took a tour of Port Topolobampo, met port officials and
representatives and heard a number of presentations on the benefits of the port.
“It will provide opportunities and jobs for people,”
said Juan Carlos Nieto of Presidio.
Students had their own views on La Entrada before embarking on the trip and some changed after
returning.
Diwash Pokharel of Nepal, believes that this can be a plus for the American economy.
“Although it has positives and negatives,
for the economy it will be good,” Pokharel said.
Ying Jing Xing of China thinks the controversy in Alpine will cause a re-route to
a different area.
“It may go to another community because of the resistance,” Xing said.
“The idea is to gain access to Asian goods
coming into Mexico and relive congestion in Long Beach,” said Ryan Zent of Alpine.
Zent said a compromise can help both the environment
and the transporting.
“If the economy can be taken care of in a friendly way through a compromise, then it would be good,” he said.
After
visiting the port, some students agreed that La Entrada is good for the country but both sides will have to bend to make it work.
“A
bypass out of Alpine’s city limits would make it work,” said Steve Sawit Sriwarom of Thailand. “Somebody has to sacrifice for the
whole country.”
At Port Topolobampo, presentations were given about the benefits of La Entrada and it seems that everything is already
in order to happen.
“They really want to get started,” Nieto said. “Funding, government and private investors are ready, now they
just need to coordinate.”
It’s definitely happening,” said Vicky Barge of Fort Davis.
Traveling in this area was a first for the students
and was an educational experience.
Some were surprised by their visit in Mexico and at Port Topolobampo.
“I never saw ports before,
and it’s good to know about them,” Pokharel said. “I was expecting big ports with 50 or 60 ships. There were only a few
ships because this is just the beginning stage.”
Students witnessed no physical construction at the port.
Presentations revealed that
the actual work is to begin this month.
Port Topolobampo was showcased as a shipping port as well as a tourist attraction.
Students
experienced much of what the port had to offer through a land and water tour.
“I expected to hear more about the port expansion,” Nieto
said. “It was interesting that they were also speaking of tourism”
During the trip, students saw both beautiful scenery and poverty
on the train ride.
Throughout Copper Canyon, there were a number of small houses and very poor communities.
Marett and others
did not expect to see these types of living conditions.
“I expected to go through and not be sad,” Marett said.
“I thought it would
be beautiful and picturesque,” Barge said.
Expectations for the travelers were met and exceeded during the trip, not just for Port
Topolobampo, but for Mexico itself.
“Everything is totally different from what I had heard,” Sriwarom said. “You don’t really
know about Mexico until you are there.”
Participants said the entire trip was an educational and enjoyable experience for the student
representatives.
“This was a very enjoyable trip and it was a fantastic group that went. We saw and learned a great deal,” Marett said. “All of my expectations were exceeded. We were treated well. The Mexican people are very gracious.”
MARATHON – Jerry and Connie Springfield won a $100 gift certificate for first place in the annual Christmas lighting contest here
last month.
Lita Gonzales won second place and a $75 certificate and in third place were Daniel and Hilaria Galindo, who won $50.
The
certificates are good at any participating business.
D.J. and Leland Hensley earned an honorable mention.
The contest is sponsored by
the Chamber of Commerce every year and this year was judged by two individuals who chose to remain anonymous.
MARATHON – A fish fry has been planned for next month as another fundraiser for the Community Building.
Los Pinche Gringos will perform
for attendees at the building at 7 p.m. February 8.
“Things are coming along” as far as the renovations go, County Commissioner Ruben
Ortega told the News Leader.
The rest rooms are complete and a heating system and the kitchen are next.
Proceeds from the Fish Fry will
go towards the renovations. The building is now available for private parties.
OZONA – There will be an open casting call tomorrow, Jan. 5, here for what producers call “spirited, interesting, rural boys” ages
10 to 14 to be considered for leading roles in an upcoming major Hollywood family movie to be filmed in Texas.
Francine Maisler Casting
will conduct a statewide search from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Crockett County Youth and Civic Center, 103 Medical Drive, across from
Lion Stadium.
“For story reasons, we are only looking for Caucasian boys at this time,” the casting company said.
The film will be produced
by Primrose Pictures.
The casting call will consist of a brief talk with a member of the casting team and possibly an interview on
camera.
All participants should bring a non-returnable photo.
Interested parties may call the information line at 512/637-9782 or
by email at PrimrosePictures@gmail.com.
No appointment is necessary, however.
While acting experience is not necessary, the production
will provide compensation on the scale of professional actors, Maisler said.
“Filmmakers are specifically looking for children with
old-fashioned qualities in small town environments,” the company said.
“This story is set in Texas and the Primrose team is determined
to cast this part in Texas,” Texas Film Commissioner Director Bob Hudgins said. “This could be a rare opportunity for a young Texan
to land a lead role in a major film, and I appreciate Primrose's dedication to making that happen.”
While details of the
project are being kept confidential during the casting process, the filmmakers have been nominated for Academy Awards and have produced
numerous films that are considered to be critically acclaimed around the world.
“The filmmakers are known to us and are well-respected
both nationally and internationally,” Hudgins said. “I assure you that this is a professional, legitimate film project and one that
I expect we’ll all be proud of.”
The role calls for a boy who is confident, lively and thoughtful. The statewide search has been taking
place since September of 2006 and will be completed by February.
Filming will begin in March.
Francine Maisler Casting has cast films
such as “Spider-Man,” “Miami Vice” and “As Good As It Gets.”
For driving directions, lodging and dining information, call the Ozona
Chamber of Commerce at 325/392-3737 or visit the website at http://ozona.com/chamber-of-commerce.htm
MARATHON – A benefit dance last week raised about $350 for four-year-old Giana Gonzales Martinez, who was diagnosed with leukemia
last year.
Giana is the daughter of Annabelle Gonzales and Pete Martinez.
Gonzales said Giana is responding well to treatment and is
“doing great.”
Disc jockey Cornelio “Cony” Vega of Alpine donated some time for the dance as well as a few items for a raffle.
The dance
was at St. Mary’s parish Hall, which was also donated for the cause.
“Thank you to the community for all your love and support,” Martinez
said.
MARATHON – The “Brown Santas” of the Brewster County Sheriff’s Department handed out Christmas gifts aplenty during Marathon School’s
Christmas play last month.
Sheriff Ronnie Dodson and Deputy Sean Roach hauled four large bags of donated gifts into the school auditorium.
“We
handed out three to four gifts per child, including 12 to 13 watches to some of the older students,” Deputy Roach said.
Sheriff Dodson
and his crew also handed out gifts in Terlingua and Alpine.
The Brown Santa Drive is a statewide sheriff’s project that provides donated
gifts annually for students.
Donation boxes are placed in TransPecos Banks in Alpine and Marathon and Desert Sports in Terlingua.
Texas
police run the Blue Santa Drive. The color is based on the enforcement agency’s uniform color.
BRACKETTVILLE – Eligible students ages 14 to 18 could win a new computer system if selected as the winning entrant in the 2008 essay
contest by Rio Grande Electric Cooperative.
To be eligible, a student’s parent or legal guardian must be a bona fide member of the
cooperative.
They must have an electric account in their name with the co-op. Renters who reimburse landlords for their electrical
usage are not members of RGEC.
Entrants must submit an original, typed essay containing no less than 500 words nor more than 700 words
entitled “The Cooperative Advantage.”
The essay should describe how and why the cooperative business model is preferable.
Word count
will be according to Microsoft Word.
Information packets containing complete rules and entry forms are being distributed to schools
throughout RGEC’s service territory this month.
Students may obtain the entry information from the schools, from the Website at www.riogrande.coop,
at any RGEC area office or by calling 800/749-1509 and requesting one by mail.
WASHINGTON – President Bush has signed an Omnibus bill that includes $60 million in emergency grant funding to expand and improve
Operation Stonegarden, a border law enforcement agency grant program.
Terrell County Sheriff Clint McDonald said his county could not
benefit from the program because it goes for overtime for law enforcement officers and the county has a policy against overtime.
County
employees get “comp” time, or time off for extra hours worked.
“To achieve strong and smart border control, we need a comprehensive
strategy that supports our border law enforcement agencies and incorporates the local expertise of our border communities,” US Rep.
Ciro Rodriguez said. “The $60 million in emergency funding through Operation Stonegarden is critically needed by our sheriff and police
departments who everyday face the growing problems of drug and weapons smuggling, as well as human trafficking.”
Rodriguez is a member
of the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee.
“My position as the only Texas-Mexico border representative on the Appropriations
Committee provides me a unique opportunity to advocate for much needed increases in funding for our border communities and I was proud
to advocate for this critical funding on behalf of our border law enforcement agencies,” he said.
“Operation Stonegarden has been
a critical component of the funding that has allowed border sheriffs to create an unprecedented reduction in crime in our border jurisdictions,”
Val Verde County Sheriff A. D’Wayne Jernigan said.
Grants awarded under Operation Stonegarden will support coordination between local
and federal law enforcement agencies and will be made on a competitive basis to towns, cities and counties along the land borders
of the United States.
Among the costs that can be covered by Operation Stonegarden grants will be overtime pay, vehicle maintenance,
fuel costs and equipment replacement.
President Bush signed the bill into law on Thursday, Dec. 27.
By CHUCK HALL
Culture Artist
As we head into a new year and people begin their annual resolutions, some may be thinking about a new
home in the coming year.
Many parts of the world are experiencing an economic slump in the housing market.
Homeowners are feeling
the current mortgage crunch in many ways and first-time homebuyers may be rethinking traditional financing for a new home, given the
current difficulties in obtaining a home loan.
For first-time homeowners who want to go green in a big way, there is an alternative
to shackling yourself to a 30-year mortgage. That alternative is to build a home using natural materials.
For example, a home made
of cob can be built using materials readily available on most building sites. Cob is simply a mixture of clay, sand and straw, similar
to adobe, but stacked freeform without shaping it into bricks first.
Once the cob walls are built, they are covered with a plaster
to make them water-resistant and weatherproof.
To learn more about this artful building technique, visit http://www.cultureartist.org/cob.htm.
A family of four can build a small cob home of around 800 to 1,000 square feet in a little over a year, working on the weekends.
Cob
is a labor-intensive form of building but the work is a fun activity for a family.
There’s something about playing in the mud that
touches the child in all of us.
Granted, taking a year or so to build a home might be a long time for those of us accustomed to seeing
a stick-built home go up in two or three months but the advantage of cob is that since most of the materials can be obtained from
the building site itself, a cob home is literally “dirt cheap.”
In fact, if you own a suitable building site, it is entirely feasible
to pay as you go so that when your home is finished, it is already paid for.
Isn’t it worth a year or so of your weekends to have
a home built by your family that is paid for once it’s completed?
Compare that to slaving away to pay off a mortgage for the next 30 years.
Another advantage to cob is that since the building materials
are about the same consistency as modeling clay, you can incorporate artistic touches yourself, if you have any sculpting talent.
Rather than the square, box-like look common to most stick-built homes, cob allows you to curve the walls and to add interesting shapes
to the final design. The result is a beautiful structure that must be seen to be fully appreciated.
If you’d like to see some artfully
designed cob homes, visit www.cultureartist.org/gallery/architecture/Cob/Cob1.html.
If you lack the skills to build with cob, there
are workshops throughout the world that offer classes.
A partial directory of cob instructors and workshops can be found at www.culture
artist.org/CobDirectory.htm.
If you don’t see a cob workshop near you, a simple Internet search will help you to locate one. Don’t
be discouraged if you can’t find a nearby workshop.
Cob builders are gypsies. They love to travel, so it may be possible for a teacher
to come to your location for a workshop.
What if you don’t want to build it yourself but would still like a cob home? Ask around. Many
cob instructors hold workshops at various locations.
Some would probably be willing to hold a workshop on your building site. They
get the fees for any students they bring with them and you get a home made of natural materials in exchange.
The possibilities are
only as limited as your imagination. If you would like more information on building a home of cob or other natural materials, email
me for more information at info@cultureartist.org.
Good luck and happy cobbing.
Chuck Hall is a cob builder and author. His latest book,
“Green Circles: A Sustainable Journey from the Cradle to the Grave,” is now available at the Culture Artist Web site at www.culture
artist.org.
You may contact Chuck by email at: chuck@cultureartist.org.