Building a border wall through Big Bend National Park would choke off vital wildlife migration routes, intensify flooding risks, and inflict irreparable damage to one of our country’s most iconic national parks.
AUSTIN, Texas – This week, Inside Climate News, Marfa Public Radio, and other news organizations reported that the United States Customs and Border Protection agency intends to build a border wall through one of America’s most iconic landscapes. The wall would pass hundreds of miles through the Chihuahuan Desert, Big Bend Ranch State Park and a significant portion of Big Bend National Park.
In response to these reported changes in border policy, National Parks Conservation Association Texas Regional Director Cary Dupuy issued the following statement:
“Building a border wall through Big Bend National Park would choke off vital wildlife migration routes, intensify flooding risks, and inflict irreparable damage to one of our country’s most iconic national parks.
“Big Bend is a staggeringly beautiful, one-of-a-kind desert landscape that draws visitors from Texas and around the world. These visitors come to explore and enjoy the rugged beauty of the park from Santa Elena Canyon to uninterrupted vistas of the Chihuahuan desert. Visitors have a significant economic impact to the local communities, totaling more than 60 million dollars in spending in 2024. We should not risk this treasured place for the sake of a border wall, particularly when there are other options on the table.
“Big Bend National Park, Big Bend Ranch State Park, and the corresponding protected areas on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande are areas of bi-national interest and must be managed accordingly. Dividing this pristine, irreplaceable desert would force residents and resource stewards to manage one side of the river at a time. Wildlife and communities on both sides of the wall would suffer, and nobody would be the winner here.”
“Big Bend is no place for a border wall. Harsh desert conditions and unforgiving mountain terrain already form natural barriers that discourage unsanctioned border crossings. The detection technology initially proposed for the region would not have as significant an impact to the landscape as a physical barrier. Customs and Border Protection already maintains a presence in Big Bend, given its status as a borderland park, and the current system is not presenting undue burdens on the park. Building a wall here makes no logistical sense and only serves to harm the region’s wild scenery and thriving community-based tourism economy.”
“We need to look for border solutions that are as unique as our landscapes and communities. And we must ensure the solutions we find don’t destroy the national treasures we’ve committed to protecting.”
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About the National Parks Conservation Association: Since 1919, the nonpartisan National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) has been the leading voice in safeguarding our national parks. NPCA and its more than 1.9 million members and supporters work together to protect and preserve our nation’s most iconic and inspirational places for future generations. For more information, visit www.npca.org.
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