private property approximately 1/8 mile east of the Southeast boundary of the park.
A colony of Colubrina stricta, a rare shrub (bring us a shrubbery! A nice neat one with a picket fence, about so tall ...), located on the south flanks of North Mountain is not directly imperiled. A monitoring protocol has been established to assess unacceptable impacts for this resource. (You know, I really don't want to sound heartless and mean, but if this shrub is so rare that stepping on it at Hueco means curtains for its DNA.... well, maybe it is "time to die". Sounds like it was not a very successful organism. And yes, I am willing to take the chance that it contains the cure for cancer or aids or whatever. It might also contain the essential ingredient for a deadly nerve poison.)
Baselines have been established and reports are pending for small mammals, reptiles and amphibians present at the site. Monitoring, as appropriate, will be implemented, particularly in the case of at least two bat roosts historically impacted by recreational activity. (The bats could care less about climbers. What a bunch of drivel! Bats are not endangered - there are hundreds of thousands in the El Paso area. The Cornudas is full of them, ditto the Franklins, and every crag within hundreds of miles. Also, this is also a good point to note the inappropriate use of the word 'impact' in this document. For some reason, necrocultists tend to misuse it more. Impact is what happens when a hammer hits a nail or a comet hits a planet. Proper English calls for the use of "negative affect" or something similar.)
Resources Mismanagement Plan for Hueco Tanks State Historical Park has been authorized (rubber stamped) for implementation.
3. RECOMMENDATION: Reduction of erosion is a significant natural resource mismanagement issue at Hueco Tanks SHP. By arresting erosion accelerated by high concentration of visitor use and through efforts to restore historical/natural drainage patterns, the restoration efforts can move forward. This work must be based upon a thorough understanding of the distribution and significance of the cultural deposits.
L. Closure of Not-so-Critically Impacted and Hardly Sensitive Areas1. PUBLIC USE-Restriction PLAN: Areas and climbs closed to all access listed in the September 1998 Public Use Plan included:
* Bucket Roof
* Nuclear Arms
* Blood & Gore
* Gold Star Roof
* Artist's Opposition
* Cave Kiva
* 45 Degree Wall (the best problem anywhere)
* Saint Vitus Dance
* Site 17 and all subsets
* Sites 16A, A1
* Sites 29A, A12. ASSESSMENT: For the most part, visitors have continued to honor the closures. Staff closely monitors closed areas and ensures that areas are clearly delineated. There are a number of additional areas that should be closed to protect newly discovered cultural resources or for more intensive natural resource management. (As time goes on, more and more will be closed until the entire park is closed.)
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