The Franklin Mountains Coalition is alerting the community to the latest news about the Lost Dog Trail
On May 4, 2019, by a landslide vote of 89%, El Pasoans declared their support for protecting the Lost Dog Trails “in its natural state, for all time”.
BUT, Did the City comply? NOT YET!
AGAIN, Lost Dog Trails are on the agenda for El Paso City Council. Please plan to attend, sign up to speak and contact all City Council members, Mayor and City Manager (contact info below). Remind them why you want this city owned land protected.
What: El Paso City Council Meeting
Date: Tuesday, February 18
Time: Starting at 9 am
Location: 300 N. Campbell
Details: Full Agenda is available HERE
MORE: Sign up to speak on the appropriate Agenda Item, 18.1 HERE.
Or call the City Clerk’s Office at 212-0049 to assist you in participating in the City Council meetings. City Clerk Fax 915-212-0050
City Clerk E-mail: cityclerk@elpasotexas.gov
Lost Dog Trails, Again
City Council will be revisiting what to do with the Lost Dog Trails and how to protect in forever as voters required them to do last May. City staff continues to push for a solution that is not capable of protecting this land into the future, proposing ideas like restrictive covenants that can be undone by future City Councils. Only a conservation easement, held by a third party not affiliated with the City, can provide the long term preservation demanded by the public.
The public must continue to monitor what the City is doing on this issue and demand that they provide the kind of protection that ensures the land will be off limits to development forever. We do not know exactly what the City Staff will propose at the next City Council meeting on February 18th. Please try to attend this session and make sure City Council and staff know they need to do what their constituents voted to have them accomplish with the 1,000+ acres know as Lost Dog.
Lost Dog Trail System Background
On May 4, 2019, 89% of El Paso voters said a resounding YES to this question: Shall an ordinance be approved to preserve in its natural state, for all time, the 1,107 acres owned by the City of El Paso and referred to as “Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone Number Twelve,” which includes the “Lost Dog Trail,” and to prohibit, for all time, any private development and any major public roadways on said 1,107 acres?
On July 23, 2019, City Council made the motion, “to explore a Conservation Easement and DIRECT Staff to ascertain partners for establishment of the Conservation Easement based on the proposition language to preserve land for all time with permitted uses defined along a natural open space zoning district and return to Council within 90 days.”
On Oct 29, 2019, City Council directed City staff to conduct additional research and outreach related to conservation easement and to report back on December 10. 2019
On December 10, 2019, City Council voted unanimously to postpone item on Lost Dog Trails another ten weeks.
The only permanent protection of land from development is to create a conservation easement.
The city staff has thrown every obstacle possible in front of the necessary conservation easement. At the last council meeting on this topic, December 10, 2019, the staff summery slide said, “No evidence found of Texas cities placing conservation easements on their land.” In fact, the City of El Paso put a conservation easement on land the city owned, Thunder Canyon, on May 8, 2007.
Please ask all City Council members to permanently protect the City owned land known as “Lost Dog Trails” with a conservation easement.
Contact Elected Officials
Contact all the City Council members and the Mayor and the City Manager, by phone e-mail and / or in person. Remind them why you want the City owned land known as the Lost Dog Trails to be preserved in its natural state, for all time.
The contact information for our City elected officials is available HERE.
