Document dry basin floor trample condition at the self guided North Mountain trail

A dry hueco basin floor near the self guided North Mountain trail has not had a recent trail stand off trample record; unchecked boot traffic onto dry basin sediment crushes dormant crustacean eggs that survive drought years in the dust of the basin floor, even though the basin looks empty and lifeless.

Where

the self guided North Mountain trail (permit required, reserved in advance), Hueco Tanks State Park and Historic Site, 6900 Hueco Tanks Rd #1, El Paso, TX 79938 (El Paso County) · Open the map

Pay

$85 proposed

This packet is not funded yet, so this figure is a proposed price and not money waiting in escrow. If a buyer funds it, approved proof settles that price onchain. If nobody funds it, approved proof earns provable credit toward the work instead of cash. You see which before you claim, never after.

Proof

document only trail stand off photo log plus trample extent note plus GPS plus ranked follow on note

This is exactly what gets it approved. Nothing settles without it.

Level

entry

Open until

2026-11-05

Posted by

0x034F…6c89

The creator wallet. Its signature is what approves proof and settles the wage.

How this work is done

A documented method, so this packet comes out the same whoever does it. Typically 45–120 minutes. Method of record: Point-count / transect species survey (Breeding Bird Survey + Xerces pollinator-count protocols)

Bring

• binoculars
• field ID guide or app
• GPS phone
• data sheet / recorder
• timer
• camera

Steps

1. 1. Navigate to the first survey point; record GPS; note start time, weather, and wind (surveys pause in rain/high wind).
2. 2. Wait a settling minute, then run a fixed-duration count (e.g., 5 min) within a fixed radius; record every species seen/heard and the count of each.
3. 3. Photograph the habitat and any species you can; note any threatened/target or invasive species.
4. 4. Move to the next point along the transect (keep points >=200 m apart) and repeat the count.
5. 5. Record total effort (points, duration) and observer.
6. 6. Enter the per-point species lists + counts, GPS, weather, effort, and photos into the proof record; sign.

If it does not match the plan

• Threatened/at-risk or target species observed -> flag for the land steward (with location) for protection planning.
• Invasive species dominant / native diversity very low -> flag for a management plan.
• Rain or high wind -> pause/reschedule; counts under poor conditions are not valid.

What counts as done

• Photo of the trampled or braided approach taken from the established trail
• Trample extent and braided-approach length noted
• Confirmation that this job never entered, waded in, dipped anything into, drank from, or otherwise disturbed the water or sediment of any hueco basin or other water on site, and stayed on the established trail at a stand off distance from any basin rim at all times; that no water sample was collected; that this work never climbed, bouldered, or scrambled on the boulders and never left the maintained trail; that no cultural or archaeological feature was mentioned, located, described, or photographed; that no organism or plant was handled or collected; that no precise location of an individual h
• Ranked follow on note naming the trail stretch for a trail edge delineation crew
• GPS waypoint of the trail vantage

Proof is measured against these, not judged by taste.