Hunt Companies is in a unique position to turn a perceived detriment of our operations into a tremendous benefit, both perceived and actual, to the City of El Paso and to the residents thereof.  As Hunt Communities develops land in the suburban areas of El Paso the clearing and grading operation destroys countless desert plants.  As we are all aware, certain segments of the population are very vocal in expressing their displeasure at this perceived ‘injury’ to the community, but the community as a whole regards this as a necessary evil.  Is it possible to appease both the environmentalists and the consumer who wants rock bottom prices?  I believe it is
It is tremendously feasible to relocate select desert plants from the areas to be developed into areas of the city that could use cheap or free landscaping.  Because these plants are native, they require little to zero maintenance landscaping.  This operation would turn what is described as a necessary evil into a huge positive, and would not only improve the Hunt brand within El Paso, but would give us a competitive advantage over the other developers in the area.  
	Put as simply as possible, desert plants will be excavated from land to be developed, then transported to a candidate’s home and planted.  Volunteers will perform most of the work involved in transporting and planting the vegetation and will also perform maintenance on the front yard to provide a polished finished product.  
	Obviously, it is quite difficult to dig an ocotillo out of the mountain side.   There are several ways that this can be addressed.  One way to address this would be to add excavation of cacti and other select plants to the contract of the earthwork sub.  This would be the easiest, but would have a cost impact on the development of lots.  A second method would be to trade vegetation for excavation.  I have spoken with one grower in town that might be interested in harvesting some of the cacti for resale in his nursery.  In return for plants a grower could provide us with the service of digging up the plants we intend to re-plant in a candidate’s home.  A final way to address this would be to hire perhaps two laborers in charge of excavation & transplanting plants.  Whatever method is chosen for excavation, this operation would also provide opportunities for community involvement as volunteers can be organized to perform the work at a candidate’s home.
	The involvement of a candidate or beneficiary of this service opens an opportunity to further our brand within the military community.  Two possible types of candidate could be a member of the retired military currently residing in El Paso, or a home of a deployed soldier.  In the case of the former, native plants would be particularly attractive in that they require little maintenance for the retired/elderly to perform.  In the case of either, the Hunt brand would be strengthened within the military community by providing this service to its brethren. 