ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

In 1996 the United States Congress called for the construction of triple layered fencing along the U.S. / Mexico border, beginning in the Pacific ocean and extending inland for 14 miles. This consisted of a primary fence, which was in fact a ten foot high wall made of welded steel, and a parallel fifteen foot high steel mesh fence. Between these was 50 feet of land cleared of all vegetation, a graded road, and floodlights. The Border Patrol also proposed filling in a deep canyon with more than 2 million cubic yards of earth. California’s Coastal Commission determined in 2004 that triple fencing would violate the federal Coastal Zone Management Act. Of particular concern were the damage that would be done to the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve; impacts on threatened and endangered species; and lands that had been set aside for protection. The Sierra Club and other environmental groups also challenged the triple fence under the National Environmental Policy Act. Construction came to a halt.

The U.S. Congress responded by passing the Real ID Act, which gave the Department of Homeland Security the power to waive all laws that might slow construction of a fence, and severely limited judicial review. Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff used his new power to “waive in their entirety” the Coastal Zone Management Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, and the National Historic Preservation Act to extend triple fencing through the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve. The challenges brought by the California Coastal Commission and the Sierra Club were thrown out when the laws that they were based upon were waived. Construction of the walls resumed.

The Arizona wall and Sonoran Pronghorn

The Secure Fence Act of 2006 called for “[at] least 2 layers of reinforced fencing” to cover up to 850 miles of the U.S. / Mexico border. One section will fence off most of Arizona’s southern border. It will cut through Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Cabeza Prieta National Monument, and other protected lands. Many species that are found in Mexico and Central America have their northernmost ranges in the borderlands of southern Arizona. Jaguar, which have been almost entirely exterminated in the United States, have been photographed there in recent years. Rare birds such as the Cactus Ferruginous Pygmy Owl and the Thick-billed Parrot live there. A small population of Sonoran Pronghorn, the second-fastest land mammal in the world and able to run up to 60 miles per hour, moves between the Cabeza Prieta N.W.R., Organ Pipe Cactus N.M., and the Barry M. Goldwater Range. The Sonoran Pronghorn is listed under the Endangered Species Act. To allow for construction of border fencing through the Barry M. Goldwater Range on January 19, 2007 Secretary Chertoff waived the Endangered Species Act and a host of other federal laws. The Army Corps of Engineers then began construction of a 15 foot high wall made of rusted steel slabs.

Border walls coming to Texas

In Texas the border wall will slice through the heart of the Rio Grande wildlife corridor. US Fish & Wildlife has spent 30 years and $100 million to buy and revegetate lands to recreate habitat.

Ocelots, numbering less than 100 and listed under the Endangered Species Act, live in the area’s remaining habitat. Because so few are left in the U.S. they must have access to mates in Mexico to avoid inbreeding.

The Central and Mississippi migratory flyways converge on the last few hundred miles of the Rio Grande. Migrating birds, bats, and butterflies need to rest and refuel during their journeys. Clearing hundreds of miles of riparian habitat to build walls and roads will result in increasing stress on migrants who may end up without the energy necessary to survive the long flight.

These impacts will be in addition to the more visible damage that will be done to the ecosystems of the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park & World Birding Center, Roma Bluffs World Birding Center, NABA International Butterfly Park, Sabal Palm Audubon Sanctuary, The Nature Conservancy’s Southmost Preserve, and numerous US Fish & Wildlife tracts that front the Rio Grande, all of which are in the direct path of the border wall. U.S. Fish and Wildlife refuge tracts are already owned by the federal government, allowing the Department of Homeland Security to avoid the thorny issue of eminent domain in building walls through them. Ken Merritt, project leader for the South Texas wildlife refuge complex has said, "The refuge will receive the fences first in my estimation ... whether there is a [wildlife] corridor left is anybody's guess."

Birders and other eco-tourists come from around the world to see the rare wildlife that the Lower Rio Grande Valley harbors. Specialty avian species such as the Gray Hawk, Brown Jay, and Muscovy Duck, just to name a few, depend on the riparian forest. They can not adapt or relocate to new habitats and would disappear from Texas. Nature tourism brings 200,000 visitors to the area, who in turn pump $125 million into the local economy and support 2,500 jobs. Eco-tourists come to see endemic and migratory birds and, if they are very lucky, perhaps an endangered cat. They will not travel to see a concrete and steel wall that has destroyed the animals’ habitat.

The Border Patrol claims that building a border wall will actually be good for the environment because border crossers leave litter, make foot paths, and in the states that do not have a river for a border drive off road vehicles through sensitive habitat. This ignores the difference in scale between a 2 foot wide path that winds through the brush and an area 150 feet wide cleared of all vegetation with 10 – 15 foot tall parallel walls. This is borne out by the Department of Homeland Security’s need to “waive in their entirety”our nation’s most important environmental laws. The only reason for DHS to waive laws is the knowledge that their plans would violate them.

 

 

 

Contact: noborderwall@yahoo.com

© 2007 notexasborderwall.com