1) a spur trail from the Interpretive Center to Mescalero Canyon
2) a loop trail from the south end of the campground loop around East Mountain; and
3) a loop trail from the Interpretive Center through the Central Basin and Tlaloc Pass, around West Mountain, and along the west and north sides of North Mountain.
The primary purpose of the proposed trail route is to enhance opportunities for park visitors to experience educational and interpretive benefits related to the park's cultural and natural resources, while also allowing them to enjoy the scenic vistas offered by the park. (Who writes this pap? I'd laugh if I weren't so busy crying...) Recreational access is a secondary purpose of the trails (of course - the best things about Hueco are always "secondary" to the interests of the necroocultists. And learning how to climb at Hueco - something I was hoping to teach my daughter, now just a broken dream, is not "educational". Its only educational if you are learning about the mystical fantasies of dead aboriginal people.). All trail routes are planned to avoid or minimize impacts to the significant natural and cultural resources of the park, as indicated by the results of the 1999 TPW archeological survey and the initial pictograph inventory.
The proposed routes are designed to complement the current park management and visitation zones, i.e., unguarded access to North Mountain with the exception of the south face, and guided access to the remaining areas of the park. The long-term goal is to offer every park visitor a guided experience to see at close hand and to team about the many significant cultural and natural resources in the park.
3. RECOMMENDATION: It is recommended that the current primary trails layout be modified to reflect and address resource protection issues as raised by TPW resource mis-managers. This does not preclude self-guided tours of North Mountain. Trail route modifications can address localized adverse impacts around North Mountain. Access and Interpretive spur trails are still in a planning stage and will require further coordination with resource and operational managers for the property. Construction to improve and/or develop these trails should progress as soon as possible, utilizing the available funding sources. (Like that $2000.00 the Access Fund gave them in the mid 90's, that no one seems to know where it went ? Or how about the $100,000.00 that the AF tried to give them, but they rejected? Hmmmm....)
H. Park Mismanagement Zones and Visitation-Restriction
1. PUBLIC USE-Restriction PLAN: The plan divided the park into two separate mismanagement zones and set a total limit of 210 visitors (Ha! 500 or more can go and hardly see each other) in the park at any time. The majority of North Mountain is open to unguarded use, for a total of 50 visitors at any given time. The south face of North Mountain and the remainder of the park are accessible by guarded tour only, with tours provided by park staff, volunteer guards and certified commercial guards. Total guarded tour participants are set at 160, with 8 maximum tours underway at a time. Tour sizes are limited to 25 participants for educational tours and 10 participants for recreational tours (Why is climbing not considered "educational"? Education means learning. Every climb teaches one something).
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