Castner Range Supporters Excited About National Memorial Status

One of El Paso's most beautiful areas continues its march toward federal protection from development.

Castner Range has always been a spot for El Pasoans to admire for its beauty and its historical significance. The El Paso Museum of Archaeology, located at 4301 Trans Mountain, attests to the archaeological and historical sites, petroglyphs, long abandoned tin mines, ancient pottery and other things that lie within Castner Range.

The Frontera Land Alliance, along with the Nuestra Tierra Conservation Project have been fighting for years to protect the range and members recently went to Washington to once again plead the ranges case. Thankfully, they came back with some promising news after meeting with peeps from the DOD, the Department of the Interior and the BLM.

According to an El Paso Times article:

Coalition partners including the Frontera Land Alliance and Nuestra Tierra Conservation Project say protecting Castner Range is in keeping with Biden's conservation agenda and this administration can deliver on the decades-long campaign to protect the area

Ultimately, they hope to convince POTUS Biden to use the Antiquities Act to finally get Castner Range the status and protection of a national monument that it so richly needs and deserves.

"We're waiting," said Janae’ Reneaud, executive director of the Frontera Land Alliance. "We're being optimistic and every conversation gets us one step closer." - EP Times

While access to Castner Range is ... and will probably remain for awhile yet ... extremely limited, there is hope that the area can one day be cleared of the unexploded ordinance left from its days as a military firing range and made more accessible to hikers, bikers, nature lovers, etc.

First and foremost though, it needs to be made safe in its current, natural state.

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