Ginny Roscamp, ginny.roscamp@sierraclub.org
TERLINGUA, TEXAS — The Sierra Club has joined more than 130 conservation groups, outfitters and rural Texas businesses in urging Congress to block federal funding for border wall construction in Big Bend National Park and Big Bend Ranch State Park.
- Read the letter: https://biologicaldiversity.org/programs/environmental_health/pdfs/Big-Bend-Appropriations-Letter-3_12-final.pdf
A wall through Big Bend would sever public access to the Rio Grande and devastate the region’s wildlife, recreation economy, and natural and cultural heritage.
In today’s letter, the groups and businesses pressed Congress to include a funding ban on border wall construction in both parks in the upcoming Homeland Security appropriations bill.
“Border security is important, and here in Big Bend we’ve shown it can be done with technology and boots on the ground — not a destructive wall,” said Bob Krumenaker, former Big Bend National Park superintendent and chair of Keep Big Bend Wild. “Law enforcement across the political spectrum say that a wall is simply unnecessary to secure the border here, and its harm to local communities and the resources and values of these wild lands would be grossly out of proportion to any possible benefits. Nothing would permanently destroy the wildness of Big Bend more than a border wall with its accompanying roads, fences and lights.”
On Feb. 17 the Department of Homeland Security waived 28 environmental and cultural resource protection laws to fast-track construction in the Big Bend region — including through Big Bend Ranch State Park — and has since awarded construction contracts for much of the region. Local media reports that contractors have been surveying inside Big Bend National Park.
In late February, DHS released planning maps showing border walls sealing off every reachable stretch of the Rio Grande in both parks. After bipartisan public outcry from local sheriffs, residents, elected officials and business leaders, the agency released revised maps, removing physical wall segments from the national park and replacing them with “detection technology” — an undefined term — while keeping border walls planned across much of the state park.
DHS said that border barriers are “still in the planning stages,” signaling the maps could change again with no public input or congressional approval. Without action from Congress, both parks remain in the crosshairs.
The DHS push to wall off the Big Bend region comes even as migrant apprehensions along the southern border have fallen to historic lows. The Big Bend Sector accounts for just 1.3% of total apprehensions nationwide.
Big Bend National Park and Big Bend Ranch State Park protect more than 1.1 million acres of public lands along the Rio Grande, including long stretches designated by Congress as a Wild and Scenic River. The parks shelter vast desert landscapes, critical wildlife habitat and thousands of years of cultural history, drawing visitors from around the world to boat, hike, watch wildlife and explore the backcountry.
The parks are major economic drivers for rural West Texas. In 2024 the national park drew 561,459 visitors who pumped an estimated $56.8 million into nearby communities, generating $63.7 million in total economic output, and supporting jobs and businesses across Brewster County and surrounding towns.
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.