The Franklin Mountains Flora Project

Office of Senator Eliot Shapleigh

The City of El Paso, Texas is blessed with a distinct location at the heart of the Nation's Southwest. This particular position grants the people of the Paso del Norte Region the opportunity to experience the topographical features of our beloved Franklin Mountains and diverse plant species. Visitors to the Franklin Mountains can enjoy an environment that many envy. It is important that the El Paso community engage in the development of the Franklin Mountains, and recognize them as the local treasure they are. That is the purpose of the Franklin Mountains Flora Project.

Our primary objective is to create a web-site that details over a hundred of the most common plant species in the Franklins. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) Web-site will include a link to these under the Franklin Mountain Flora subcategory. This endeavor will involve collaboration between representatives from the TPWD, University of Texas at El Paso professors and graduate students, the office of State Senator Eliot Shapleigh, Texas Master Naturalists, and both instructors and students from Horizon, Canutillo, Chapin and Franklin high school.

Trails where visitors can find species at will be mapped by means of GPS devices and will be accessible for view through a Google Earth application, creating a virtual tour of the different trails the Franklins have to offer. Through this Web-site, we hope to inform and educate the City of El Paso and all Franklin Mountain visitors about our rich natural environment. Most importantly, we hope to enable everyone to enjoy the experience that is the Franklin Mountains.