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Resaca De La Palma Master Plan: Linking History, Ecology and Community in Brownsville, TX

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Resaca De La Palma Master Plan: Linking History, Ecology and Community in Brownsville, TX Resaca de la Palma Master Plan: Linking History, Ecology and Community in Brownsville, TX Masters Report submitted by Mike Mazza to the Faculty of the School of Landscape Architecture and Planning of the College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture in the Graduate College of the The University of Arizona in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Landscape Architecture PROJECT COLLABORATION The project was a collaboration between the University of Arizona’s School of Landscape Architecture and Planning and the National Park Service, for which work began in the Fall, 2009 and was completed in May, 2011. Margaret Livingston, PhD. Project PI Mike Mazza - Investigator School of Landscape Architecture and Planning The University of Arizona May 15, 2011 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Completing this report involved the support and assistance of a number of people, without whom its completion would not have been possible. I was fortunate to have three extremely supportive committee members who helped me along, namely Jennifer Patton, Dr. Randy Gimblett and Dr. Margaret Livingston. I would also like to thank Oscar Blazquez for being a tremendous teacher and friend, and Lauri MacMillan- Johnson for her continual support. I would also like to thank the Staff at Palo Alto Battlefield National Historic Site in Brownsville, TX, especially Mark Spier, - Superintendent, Rolando Garza - Archeologist/Chief of Resource Management and Douglas Murphy - Historian/Chief of Operations, for their sincere kindness, limitless knowledge and thoughtful feedback. I hope this document serves them well. i ii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES IV IMAGE CREDITS IV ABSTRACT VI INTRODUCTION 9 - 13 General Site Information Project Goals and Objectives Investigative Method Location Maps LITERATURE REVIEW 14 - 32 NPS History and Guidelines Park Design Regional Landscape Context Site History and Context CASE REVIEWS 33 - 46 Parks NPS Parks Ecological Design Greenways ANALYSIS 47 - 57 RDLP Context RDLP Access RDLP Natural Features Battlefield Hike and Bike Trail DESIGN 58 - 89 Concepts Master Plan Phasing CONCLUSION 90 APPENDICES 91 - 93 WORKS CITED 94 - 96 iii Memorial illumination held each November at Resaca de la Palma Battlefield. (1) iv LIST OF FIGURES 1. Ecological Design Diagram by Sim Van der Ryn. From www.vanderryn.com. 2. Four Factors for a Restorative Space. Adapted from “Kaplan, Stephen. 1995. “The Restorative Benefits of Nature: Toward an Integrative Framework”. Journal of Environmental Psychology. 15 (3): 169. 3. The Rio Grande Valley’s Two Migratory Flyways. From www.worldbirdingcenter.org/index.html 4. Ecoregions of South Texas (IV) - From Griffith, Glenn E. 2004. Ecoregions of Texas. 5. Formation of the Rio Grande Delta. (reproduction of signage at Resaca de la Palma State Park by author) 6. Valley Bird Specialties. List adapted from “The Lower Rio Grande Valley Biological Profile”. fermatainc.com. 7. All Bird Illustrations Copyright (C) 2007 WhatBird.com 8. Map Historic Boundaries Of RDLP Compared To Today. Based on information provided by NPS Staff at Palo Alto. 9. Scaled Comparison Of 3,400 Acre Palo Alto Battlefield And 34.4 Acre Resaca De La Palma Battlefield. 10. Map of Historic Vegetation of RDLP compared to 2010. From PAAL Library, Drawing Files and Google Maps. 11. Image from “Imagine Brownsville”, page 190 IMAGE CREDITS 1. “Memorial Illumination”. Courtesy of Douglas Murphy, NPS. 2. http://www.nps.gov/yose/historyculture/muir.htm 3. http://www.nps.gov/features/yell/slidefile/history/1919_1945/peopleevents/page.htm 4. http://theworldbirdingcenter.com/greenkingfisher.html 5. http://www.window.state.tx.us 6. Courtesy Palo Alto Battlefield NHP Library, Drawing Files. 7. http://www.google.com/earth/index.html 8. http://www.pps.org/great_public_spaces//one?public_place_id=26 9. http://www.asla.org/awards/2005/05winners/556.html (all images on page) 10. http://www.mexican-architects.com/portal/pics/bdw_mex/tema_07_07_2.jpg 11. http://amigosdesiankaan.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/paisajismo (a,b,c) 12. http://amigosdesiankaan.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/paisajismo (all images on page) 13. Juan Arias © Texas Parks and Wildlife Department 14. Earl Nottingham © Texas Parks & Wildlife Department 15. Author - May, 2010 16. http://www.asla.org/awards/2008/08winners/117.html (all images on page) 17. http://www.asla.org/2009awards/418.html (all images on page) 18. Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates. / http://www.mvvainc.com/project.php?id=60&c=parks (all images on page) 19. http://www.nps.gov/archive/manz/virtualtour/tour/map 20. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manzanar.html (a,b) 21. http://www.nps.gov/whmi/index.htm (all images on page) 22. http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy00osti/29315.pdf (all images on page) 23. http://www.wrtdesign.com (all images on page) 24. http://www.crja.com/parks/battleroad.html (all images on page) 25. http://tti.tamu.edu/publications/researcher/newsletter.htm?vol=43&issue=3&article=7&year=2007 *images without a numbered citation are by author v ABSTRACT This project is largely focused on two main issues, the principle being a master plan for the Resaca de la Palma (RDLP) Battlefield. In 2009, the RDLP Battlefield site became one of the newest units of the National Park Service and one of only two focused on the U.S. - Mexico War. An isolated natural area at the time of the War, the RDLP site today lies within a suburban context. Most of the original battlefield has been overtaken by development. Nevertheless, a 34.4 acre portion of the battlefield has avoided development and retains a trace of the site’s historic character. As the Park Service moves to open this site to the public, many question remain as to how this segment of the once water-abundant Rio Grande, turned Mexican territory, turned battleground, turned picnic area, turned citrus grove, turned polo grounds, turned private residence, can be best incorporated into its latest context. Coupled with this question is the difficulty of access to the site as well as a general unfamiliarity within the local community as to the goals and mission of the National Park Service. The second issue relates to connectivity at a broader scale, as currently an incomplete connection exists between the three aforementioned historic sites. All three of these sites are located along a relatively straight 11-mile long stretch between downtown Brownsville and rural areas of the city. While the construction of a dedicated bike lane connecting Palo Alto to downtown Brownsville has been completed, a proposed route for a final segment connecting the existing trail to Fort Brown has to date not yet been explored. The thought is that, in addition to completing the connection of the three sites, addressing this issue might give impetus to the reconstruction of Fort Brown as a significant historic and tourist destination. In sum, this project envisions a bright future for the RDLP Battlefield. The research and design efforts here focused on merging the NPS staff goals of cultivating the site’s history and ecology, while providing an opportunity for the creation of a beloved community and national space. vi “...to promote and regulate the use of the...national parks...which purpose is to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future gen- erations.” National Park Service Organic Act, 16 U.S.C.1. Aug. 25 1916 INTRODUCTION RESACA DE LA PALMA MASTER PLAN INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION The central focus of this report is a master plan for the Resaca de la Palma (RDLP) Battlefield in Brownsville, Texas. In 2009, the RDLP Battlefield site became one of the newest units of the National Park Service (NPS) and one of only two focused on the U.S. - Mexico War. The purpose of the phased master plan is to guide the park’s future development, including physical planning, visitor experiences, and interpretive needs. Although the main focus of the master plan is on the Resaca de la Palma Battlefield site, the Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park visitor center, Fort Brown, and the Brownsville Historic Battlefield Hike & Bike Trail are also addressed. As such, specific areas of focus relating to Palo Alto, Ft. Brown and the Hike and Bike Trail are included in the final project submission. As such, this report addresses three levels of project planning: 1 – a phased master plan for the RDLP site with proposals for connections to the hike and bike greenway 2 – an general overview of the existing historic hike and bike greenway and suggestions for its improvement / expansion 3 – a conceptual plan for the entry garden at the Palo Alto National Historic Park Visitor Center GENERAL SITE INFORMATION The Resaca de la Palma Battlefield (known as Resaca del Guerrero in Mexico) includes 34.4 acres associated with the second battle of the U.S. - Mexico War (1846 - 1848). The Resaca de la Palma site is located 3.5 miles north of downtown Brownsville, Texas, in Cameron County, near the heart of an expanding urban center along the United States-Mexico border. Brownsville is located at the semi-tropical, southern-most tip of Texas. The RDLP site is bounded on the west by Paredes Line Road and to the north, east, and south by the Resaca de la Guerrero, a former channel of the Rio Grande. The 3,400+ acre Palo Alto Battlefield site and associated visitors center are located approximately 6 miles to the north of the Resaca site, while the historic remains of Ft. Brown lie approximately 3 miles to the south. The Historic Battlefield Hike and Bike Trail connects downtown Brownsville to the Palo Alto Battlefield site, and at one point passes closely by the Resaca de la Palma Battlefield site.
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