Starting the 10th of February, this blog will feature weekly, interesting places of the southwest United States and Northern Mexico, more specifically, El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua. I will try to bring you the most interesting historical, cultural and natural places of the area.
Ojo de la Casa is an ejido, recreational park and museum just outside Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua in the town of Samalayuca. Among historical figures that have been to this ejido are Benito Juarez and Pancho Villa. There are many activities to do at Ojo de la Casa, you can rock climb, hike, swim at a pool, scenery viewing, wildlife, bird watch, horseback ride, bike and many more activities, not to mention the Dunas de Samalayuca just east of Ojo de la Casa.
The Mexican federal government has just approved funds to begin the construction of a museum, maintenance of petroglyphs and pictoglyphs and for continuation of ongoing restorations at the ejido.
For more information you can contact Javier Melendez through his facebook account.
You can view more pictures of the area here: Adrian Caldera
Or you can visit Javier Melendez's page. Javier Melendez is the Sectional Mayor of Samalayuca, Chihuahua and President of the Ejido Ojo de la Casa.
Monday, January 31, 2011
El Paso Thunder Storm Brewing
Looks much better using youtube. I hope you enjoy the video, once again, with the absence of audio.
In Memory of the Last Wild Mexican Wolf
I found this video while uploading the one above, please take the time to read the following which was taken from the original video:
Please help save the Mexican wolf by forwarding message to others.
I transferred to video an old 8mm movie I took during the late 1970s of what I believe was the last or one of the last wild Mexican wolves captured from northern Mexico before the species went extinct in the wild. Thanks to the efforts of people from across then continent with the help of the numerous zoos that have been maintaining a captive population, the US Fish and Wildlife Department and the US Forest Service with the help of the states of Arizona and New Mexico, were able to reintroduce wolves successfully back into the wild in 1998.
As you watch the film keep in mind that this animal, less than a week before I filmed it, was living in the wilds of Mexico. It was one of the last descendants of wild Mexican wolves that had been living in harmony with the land and Native Americans for thousands of years. Their story almost came to a complete end. Fortunately the United States passed the Endangered Species Act. If it wasn't for that critical piece of legislation I am sure that the Mexican wolf would have gone completely extinct since there were few animals in captivity and virtually none in zoos.
I hope that people who watch this 3 minute video will want to learn more about these beautiful animals and get involved in efforts to help with conservation efforts here in the United States and Mexico.
All Mexican wolves believed to be alive in the wilds of Arizona and New Mexico today, are the descendants of the progeny of this wolf and four others. The wolf in the film was captured by Roy McBride who was hired by the US Fish and Wildlife Service in cooperation with the Mexican government to rescue the last wild Mexican wolves in Durango and Chihuahua. Roy and I were fellow graduate students at Sul Ross State University in Alpine where the film was made.
Most of you know that at the El Paso Zoo where I work we have three Mexican wolves and are trying to help save this critically endangered species in many ways including supporting the ongoing reintroduction program in the Southwest. If you have been following the story of this project you know that the descendants of the wolf in this video need our continued support. Please go on the Internet by starting with the El Paso Zoo website at www.elpasozoo.org where you can learn more and get involved. Start with the page we have at www.elpasozoo.org/takeaction. The music is from Peter Kater's soundtrack from the film "How the West Was Lost", track 2 - Dull Knife and Little Wolf.
I have seen very little regarding adventures in the Chihuahua Desert. I will try to provide you with adventures weekly. I live in El Paso, Texas and love the outdoors. I will post pictures and videos with articles of what I do. I am new at this and hopefully my posts will get better for the reader as I get used to and better at this.
