In March 2023, the White House designated Castner Range National Monument to protect 6,600 acres in El Paso, Texas. Castner is located in a majority Latinx community near Franklin Mountains State Park where free access to open spaces has been limited for the surrounding low-income populations. The landscape is known for its array of Mexican Yellow Poppies and contains artifacts and petroglyphs dating back 12,000 years. As one of the few undeveloped areas around El Paso, its status as a former military training ground has protected it from development.
The Conservation Alliance has supported the Castner Range campaign since 2021, bringing together member companies and grantees to protect this iconic landscape for communities, culture, and outdoor recreation. This includes $135,000 in grants to support the efforts of Frontera Land Alliance, the leading local grassroots group based in El Paso, Texas responsible for building strong community support for the protection of Castner Range and Nuestra Tierra Conservation Project, which has a people-focused mission to ensure that Frontera (border) communities have access to the outdoors—and that our history, values and people are reflected in public lands management.
