March 14, 2008
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By R.M. GLOVER MNL Editor ALPINE
– Wailing train horns in downtown Marathon may soon be a thing of the past,
if county commissioners get their way. Commissioner
Ruben Ortega said he is gearing up for construction of the safety berms, the
seven-inch-high guardrails that are intended to protect the public from
10,000 tons of rushing inertia at the crossroads. “We’ll
be breaking ground soon,” Ortega said at the meeting. “The train shouldn’t
blow the whistle any more.” The
train crew will be required to sound the horn on the outskirts of town,
coming and going. “Two
signs will be posted at the crossroads to inform the engineers and the public
that this is a Quiet Zone,” Ortega said. “It’s
the most consistent complaint we get at the hotel,” Gage Hotel owner J.P.
Bryan said. “Some of those guys blow their horns fairly liberally. Something
a little sinister about that.” Isabel
Shackleford, however, thinks there’s something sinister about the no-blow
zone. “Why
do we need a no-blow zone, because tourists can’t sleep?” Shackleford asked.
“Most of us in Marathon are used to the train. And we like the horn sound.
People should be lucky they’re getting a warning.” Shackelford
lost her father on February 11, 1964, in a collision with a train at the
crossroads before warning barricades were installed. Her
stepbrother was with him and he died in the hospital two days later. Then her
brother died in a high-speed flip at the old Post Bridge on the day after her
father died. GOAL
Grant to
fund training ALPINE
– A new grant will allow residents of the Alpine area, including Marathon, to
train to become a librarian. A
program called Grow Your Own Area Librarians is now available to West Texas
residents. The
grant is administered by the Institute of Museum & Library
Sciences. To
apply for the program, a person must be at least 14 years of age and be
interested in library work. “In
today’s information age, the field of library science is an important part of
the new digital economy,” Library Director Anitra Clausen said. School,
public and university representatives met at the Alpine High School Library
last month to discuss monies available for training with grant representative
Lynn Polk of El Paso. Alpine
High School Librarian Esther Martinez already has two students participating
in the program by volunteering 150 hours and earning $1,000. Martinez
is a mentor for the program and remarked that the participants have been a
big help to the library. Clausen
said she is looking for participants who can help at that library. Staff
member Valerie Richard was a previous participant in the grant program. She
volunteered at the Sul Ross State University Library and at the public
library. Richard
said she really enjoyed experiencing the two different libraries. David
Howard, currently a student worker at the university library, is interested
in the volunteering grant in addition to his regular hours at the library. To
complete the required 150 hours, he can volunteer at any school, public or
university library. The
grant is an outright gift to the volunteer and does not affect student loans
or financial aid grant requirements. A
college-bound library course tuition reimbursement program is also offered to
students who are pursuing a library degree. Selected
full-time students receive $2,500 per semester and part-timers receive
$1,000. To
accept tuition scholarships, students sign an agreement to work three
years in a West Texas library after graduation. To
find out more about the GOAL program, log on to www.your-epal.org/imls or contact
Lynn Polk at 915/533-6364 or lynnrussell@elp.rr.com.
The
Alpine Public Library, the Alpine High School Library and Cindy Lockwood
at the Sul Ross Library Circulation Desk have information packets
available. Paintings
in caves illustrate old cacti By JASON HENNINGTON Sul Ross News Writer ALPINE
– Thanks to a Welch Foundation grant, four Sul Ross State University students
are participating in an undergraduate research project on cacti. Sami
Cohen of San Antonio, Clint Holsomback of Houston, Josh Rousselow of
Klamath Falls, OR, and Kaycee Watt of Claresholm, Alta, Canada, are
working with Assistant Professor of Biology Dr. Martin Terry studying cacti
portrayed in cave paintings in Baja California. “There
are some beings with human form and cactus characteristics in these paintings,”
Terry said. The
cave paintings, which are believed to be 7,500 years old, depict people, game
animals and cacti. Normally
cave paintings have a sacred meaning and are vital to the people who painted
them but the cacti are an unusual addition. “We
are trying to determine what the cacti are doing in the paintings,” Terry
said. The
students are trying to find the answer to this question by analyzing the
chemical compounds in the cacti. “We’re
looking for anything with bioactivity,” Terry said. “Antibiotic activity
would be amazing and medically significant.” Any
new compound would be a significant discovery for the class and would invite
more interest from the students. “I
found the interaction between the people and the cacti interesting,” Rousselow
said. “Why did they take so much time to put these cacti in their paintings?” The
students use a high performance liquid chromatographic instrument to conduct
research on samples. “The
HPLC gives us an idea of what is in the sample,” Cohen said. “It separates
the individual compounds.” Normally,
this would be graduate-level research but at Sul Ross these four
undergraduates are participating in such work. “We
get to do all the hands-on work,” Watt said. “I
like the fact that I have the opportunity to do this as an undergraduate,”
Cohen said. All
discoveries found during the research will be documented in a publication and
the students will be given credit as coauthors for their work. “I’m
interested in the prospect of something that has a purpose,” Holsmback said.
“This is a quality experience for undergraduate work.” Terry
will present the preliminary results of the students’ research at a
March 28 symposium in Vancouver at the annual conference of the Society for
American Archaeology. The
title of his presentation is “Psycho-active Cacti in North American Archaeology.” “This
is a fairly elite group and they all seem to be interested in the project,”
Terry said. “This will look good on their résumés.” Along
with graduate work and researching cacti, the students are also participating
in the Lobo Stars program. In
banding together with other student leaders, they are helping to raise
awareness for the school’s Quality Enhancement Plan. “It
makes me feel good that I’m not only doing something for the sake of science,
but also for my school,” Cohen said. Rousselow
believes both the Lobo Stars program and the research will help the university
in general. “This
can help both programs from a publicity stand point,” he said. “They are good
programs and I hope they catch on.” The
students are still in the early stages of their research but are hoping to
come across an astounding discovery. “It’s
a delight for me to work with bright young people interested in a project,”
Terry said. “It’s refreshing.” |
“I
think he was in shock. We probably shouldn’t have let him drive the day after
our father died,” Shackelford said. “We buried them all on the same day.
Three hurts. February 14 is a very sad day for me.” In
the meantime, the Alpine City Council is working to get a Quiet Zone approved.
Midland has already enacted one. A
contract drawn up by County Attorney Steve Houston was handed to Gage Hotel
General Manager Wilma Schindler during the meeting. The
document is said to clarify the terms whereby the Gage Hotel covers the
expenses the county incurs for constructing the safety berm at the crossroads. Colts
second at track IMPERIAL
– The Marathon Colts came in second place overall with 64 points at the Buena
Vista Track Meet here last week. Christopher
Stevens took home three first place victories and a fourth place. In
the triple jump, he flew 33 feet, one and a half inches. In the long jump, he
cleared 16 feet, three inches for the win. And he won the 400-meter dash with
a time of 61.02. He
also ran the 200-meter dash in 27.91 to come in fourth place. Zach
Gonzales won the 200-meter dash in 26.65 and placed third in the 100-meter
dash with a time of 12.77. Omar
Grano bagged first place in the 100-meter dash, crossing the line in 12.61,
and fourth in the long jump, measuring 14 and a half feet. The
Colt girls placed fifth overall with 40 points. Krystal
Aguilar placed first in three events. Her
time in the 100-meter dash was 13.84. In the 200-meter dash, she finished in
30.11 and in the long jump, she sailed 12 feet, 10 inches for the win. Micella
Grano placed third in the 800-meter run with a time of 3.32. Libby
Hernandez followed close behind in fourth place, finishing the race in 3.34. Lady
Mustang Celestine Garcia helped her teammates rack up 40 points of their own
with a win in the 100-meter dash with a time of 14.73, third place in the
300-meter hurdles and fifth place in the long jump, which measured 11 feet,
eight inches. Crystal
Ybarra took home first place in the 400-meter dash with a time of 67.24. Prissy
Hernandez won second place in the triple jump skipping 25 feet, eight inches.
She won fourth place in the 100-meter dash, finishing the race in 15.40. The
Mustang boys placed seventh overall with a total of 14 points. Devin
Kolesar scored all the points, winning third place in the 400-meter dash with
a time of 62.90, fifth place in the long jump, at 15 feet, 11 inches and
seventh place in the 200-meter dash, crossing the line in 27.89. Grant
aids library trip MARATHON
– A grant from the Tocker Foundation of Austin will allow Marathon Librarian
Carol Townsend to attend the Texas Library Conference in Dallas next
month. The
conference will be April 14 to 19 at The Dallas Convention Center. The
grant covers expenses for TLA conference registration, travel, hotel and
meals. Grant
requirements include attending educational seminars and volunteer time to
TLA. “We
thank Arlene Griffis for the time she spent in preparing the grant
application,” Alpine Library Director Anitra Clausen said. The
library here is a branch of the Alpine Public Library. The Tocker Foundation was established in
1964 by Phillip and Olive Tocker as a general philanthropic foundation and to
help disadvantaged high school graduates obtain a college education. In 1992, the foundation board decided to
focus grant distribution to small rural libraries in Texas, serving
populations of 12,000 or less. Meanwhile,
Townsend reminded area children that they have been invited to design a
poster for the Public Library’s Spring Break poster contest next week. The
poster will be used to promote the Summer Reading Program, with a “Western/
Rodeo” theme this year as part of the “Texas Reading Club Jubilee, 1958 to
2008.” Participants ranging in age from toddlers through
the 12th grade are invited to come to the library to draw a poster or
pick up poster board and supplies to bring home. Latin lectures
scheduled ALPINE
– Sul Ross State University faculty members Dr. Justin Badgerow and Carol
Fairlie will present lectures Wednesday, March 26, and April 9 as part
of the Mexican American Studies Lecture Program. On
March 26, Assistant Professor of Music Badgerow will discuss and perform
music from American and Mexican composers at 2 p.m. in Marshall Auditorium. Associate
Professor of Art Fairlie will discuss the contributions of Chicano and Chicana
artists to the art community at 2 p.m. April 9 in Room 309 at Lawrence Hall. Both
presentations are free and open to the public. Johnny
B’s café back MARATHON
– Johnny B’s lunch counter next to the Gage Hotel here re-opened to a raucous
hamburger-eating crowd Sunday. Lots
of shakes and fountain drinks washed down the burgers and fries. The jukebox
was reported “almost fixed.” The
popular lunch counter carries a 1950s theme and the jukebox promises to
provide 1950s music. Most
of the hotel and motel rooms in Marathon are fully booked for spring break so
there should be plenty of mouths to feed this week and next. The
restaurant is open nights Thursday through Sunday. |
“We’ll have to study it,” Bryan said. “I
want to make sure it doesn’t require me to lie down on the tracks.” Yes,
Virginia, there
is an Oz By R. M. GLOVER MNL Editor Below
Chinati Peak in the Chihuahua desert, San Antonio Canyon cuts through the
rocky terrain, spilling rounded rocks and occasional run-off water into a dry
Rio Grande, about five miles to the south. A
red tail hawk glides high above, effortless in the winds along the south
flank of the third tallest peak in Texas. Dr.
Brad Butler and this writer watched the half circles of flight, the spread
wings tilting slightly to dive, then rolling up, accelerating, attacking the
air like a jet’s wings at 40,000 feet. We
were standing at a precipice perhaps 1,000 feet below the peak, surrounded by
jutting chocolate brown rocks. We
watched the hunting bird, now just a dark speck in the blue sky, disappear
behind a cluster of steeple-shaped rocks we call the City of Oz. “I’ll
take my kids here some day,” Butler said. The
Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife hopes to open the Chinati Mountains
State Natural Preserve to the public soon. The
preserve is the former 40,000 acre Mesquite Ranch, once owned by Heiner and
Philippa Friedrich, who sold it to the Mellon Foundation in 1996. As
they did with the Christmas Mountain land, The Mellon Foundation in turn
donated it to the State of Texas. The
first thing the Friedrichs did when they bought the ranch in the 1970s was to
remove all the livestock. Today,
in the high elevations of the preserve, native grasses are abundant. Gamma,
side oats and Stipa in hues of brown, yellow and gold cover the high terrain.
Lechuguilla,
sotol and prickly pear bounce their greens in the tapestry while cat claw,
ocotillo and mesquite lend shades of gray. Veins
of vermiculite a soft, light, tope mineral, mixes in a purplish hue. Heiner
Friedrich, who converted to Islam in the 1960s, built prayer stations throughout
the ranch. In
the Koran, Mohammed gives instructions to his followers on how to address Allah.
Prayer
is required four times a day and, for God to truly hear, one must bathe before
placing one’s spirit in Allah’s presence. Pilas
were constructed of natural stone and filled with spring water to serve as
baths. A
few feet away, ramadas with stone floors and steel roofs protect against the
elements while prayers pray. And
in the near distance of each of these seven praying stations are rock walled
cabins with electricity, running water and kitchens. “We
only need to hire six people to run this place,” Mike Hill, West Texas
regional director of Texas Parks and Wildlife, said. The
three of us had stayed the night before at one of the seven cabins on the
preserve. Twenty-five
miles away the yellowish lights of Presidio and Ojinaga twinkled in the night
sky. A
sliver of a moon lay to the west and Orion’s Belt glimmered as if it too were
only down the road. That
morning, Hill had looked out over the lower elevations of the preserve. “The
goal of Texas Parks and Wildlife is to restore this land,” he said. “And some
day I hope to stand here and see it just the way Cabeza de Vaca did.” The
high elevations of Chinati Mountains State Natural Preserve are pristine. At
the rounded top of Chinati Peak, oak trees dot the skyline and the grass is
plentiful. But
the lower elevations show much sign of earlier over-grazing. “People
got a little carried away with stocking,” Hill said. The
Mohair subsidy of 1936 encouraged depression-struck ranchers to raise goats
and sheep. But
the FDR legislation was a death warrant for the grass. “Goats
and sheep eat the roots. Obviously propagation doesn’t occur under those conditions,”
Hill said. “The great plains of knee high grasses of the last century are
pretty much gone.” Except
for a few prickly pear and ocotillo, a mono-culture of creosote cover the low
elevation of the preserve. “There’s
very little top-soil,” Hill said. “We need a good fire, seed, then strong
rain. Eventually the grass will come back if the livestock are kept out. We
can speed it along with a seed-planting program but that takes money.” The
preserve has been closed to the public since its acquisition in 1996. Under
three successive state Republican administrations, budgetary constraints
continued to plague Texas Parks and Wildlife. Conservatives
value private property while public ownership and management of land is, in
many cases, contrary to their fundamental beliefs. “The
tight budget makes it hard for us to open this place but, once we do, people
are going to love it,” Hill said. More
next week, space permitting. MOUNTAIN
VIEW – Marathon News Leader Editor R.M. Glover paused
at a “pila” with Chinati Peak in the background recently. The state hopes to
open the area around the third highest point in Texas to the public as the Chinati
Mountains State Natural Preserve. Easter
baskets aid PTO MARATHON
– The Parent Teacher Organization here will raffle off not one but two Easter
baskets full of toys and surprises. The
drawing will be at 2 p.m. Thursday, March 20, in front of TransPecos Bank. Tickets
are $1 and are available from any PTO member. Part
of the proceeds will support another “clean up day” at the elementary school. More
work remains to be done. It will be completed at a time and date for be announced.
Supplies for the clean up were donated but more are needed to finish the job. The
PTO will sell BBQ burgers at the Elementary on the day of the Bike-a-thon
March 28. Money
from the raffle and the burgers will be used for supplies and for an
end-of-the- year trip they are planning for the kids. PTO
president Judy Briones said they are considering a trip to the Annie Riggs
Museum in Fort Stockton with a visit to Stockton Entertainment for bowling,
pizza and fun. The
funds also provide for any costs that may occur during teacher appreciation
week in which the teachers can win prizes. “You
don’t have to have kids to be involved in the PTO,” Briones said. “Just love
kids.” |