Keystone Heritage Park

Learn the history and importance of restoration at Keystone Heritage Park.

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Keystone Heritage Park

El Paso, Texas 79927, United States

Created By: The Frontera Land Alliance

Tour Information

Keystone Heritage Park and the El Paso Desert Botanical Gardens is an archeological site, an archaic wetlands and a botanical garden. The 52-acre park in El Paso’s Upper Valley is a City-owned property leased to a volunteer Board of Directors who are charged with preserving and developing the Park.

In this tour you will learn about the history of the park, the native plants and wildlife, the wetland, and the importance of restoration.

This tour was made possible by funding provided by EPA grant #NE-01F54901-0

Enjoy!


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What You'll See on the Tour

4200 Doniphan Dr, El Paso, TX 79912 Entrance to the Keystone Wetlands. Keystone Heritage Park is a non-profit 52-acre nature preserve that contains a natural wetland, an archaic archaeological site, the El Paso Botanical Garden and the futu... Read more
Welcome to Keystone Heritage Park and Botanical Gardens in El Paso, Texas!  Keystone Heritage Park has a one mile trail that gives the “Chihuahuan Desert Experience” located on the westside of parks Wetlands. The trail runs parallel to... Read more
The railroad commission wanted to put a loading and unloading facility on the property. The idea did not sit well with many of the nearby residents. In 1997, a group of concerned residents, raised enough money to purchase the 52-acre land. ... Read more
The wetland is fed by a natural spring. The large cottonwoods are a sign of the prescence of water in the area. They provide habitat for many birds! 
Best place for bird watching!  Upland habitat includes plants such as four-winged saltbush, creosote bush, and honey mesquite. It also includes birds such as white-winged doves, curved-billed trashers, red-tailed hawks, and Gambel's quail... Read more
Wetlands are a valuable component of our arid landscape for many reasons. They are an important aspect of the hydrology, storing water through the drier parts of the year, minimizing flood impacts, and supporting vegetation essential to bot... Read more
During the winter months you will see many Ring-billed Gulls. Many migrating birds spend their winters in the Keystone wetlands.
Raccoons are great at adapting to different environments. They are omnivorous animals.  Thier unique hand prints can be found if you look carefully at the ground!  Photo by DesertUSA
Through the help of many volunteers, many native plants have been successfully planted in the park throughout the years. The removal of invasive plants has also been possible through continued help.  Contact the Park for volunteering oppor... Read more
Ecological restoration helps with biolological diversity, increases species populations, and increases ecosystem services on degraded landscapes. 
The Archeological Site was first discovered in the late 1970s by the Corps of Engineers during the construction of flood control dams. Runoff from a thunderstorm washed away the bank of a shallow arroyo revealing a cut-away of an ancient p... Read more
In Spanish the wolfberry is known as Cilindrillo. It is a medium size shrub, with white to pale lavender flowers. They produce red/ orange berries which are edible, which many desert animals eat.
In Spanish Pepperweed is often called planta mostaza. Has white flowers that attract many bees. They are edible and do taste like mustard!
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Coyotes have drown coats and are the size of a medium dog. They are omnivores and eat lots of desert plants such as mesquite pods!  Photo by DesertUSA
The flowers will close at night and open during the day. They can grow up to 4 ft tall. They do great on disturbed soils, and some people consider them weeds.
The El Paso Desert Botanical Garden has several native species of plants of the Chihuahuan Desert that exhibit several survival mechanisms that help them survive in regions with high temperatures in the summer, low temperatures in the winte... Read more

 

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