1. United States
2. Texas
3. Letter

What is happening in Big Bend? Why are the people not being informed? Who is in charge of this? Why are you standing by while this gorgeous Texas landmark is destroyed? Contractors for Customs and Border Protection (CBP) broke ground on construction work in Big Bend National Park (BBNP) on Wednesday, August, 5, yet CBP still won’t reveal details of the plan it is now busy executing – with bulldozers. Instead, it continues to claim to be “in the initial stages of planning and design.”[1] If that is true, they are beginning their highly unpopular and unnecessary assault on the integrity of one of America’s iconic national parks without plans. There is no good reason for CBP to keep the plan for BBNP hidden. As work takes place, the details will emerge for all to see. Secrecy only serves to keep the American public in the dark, a strategy that CBP might feel would quiet public disagreement over the plans. Instead, it fuels suspicion and confusion. Bulldozers are clearing a right of way for a new road, likely a “patrol road” as CBP has named it. It is in the southwestern section of BBNP, immediately adjacent to the existing paved road from the Santa Elena boat ramp, heading east. While CBP has said it would utilize existing roads where possible, they have given no explanation for cutting a new road right alongside an existing road. The road is heading in the direction of the popular Cottonwood Campground and the Castolon Historic District. The consequences for Cottonwood Campground are unknown, but likely devastating. The CBP route is in the Rio Grande floodplain, through an area subject to frequent, damaging flooding. The route also goes through designated critical habitat for the Yellow-billed Cuckoo, but the Secretary of Homeland Security has waived the Endangered Species Act. If Castolon will be impacted, they’ve also waived the National Historic Preservation Act. A general view of the CBP plans for Big Bend National Park is available online on the so-called “Smartwall” map.” The data used to build that map is also public, but it contains confusing details and contradictions. Perhaps it is a clerical error. But it serves to further obscure whatever the actual plans are. Another example of CBP’s lack of clarity and transparency is its public claim that it will not blast Mariscal Mountain, failing to say whether they still intend to build a road up and over the mountain. Because of the steep grade required, that would likely require blasting or heavy-duty rock saws and hydraulic hammers, which would also deface Mariscal and send spoil toward the river below. The public needs to know in advance where the bulldozers are headed or where technology might replace roads. CBP’s lack of transparency raises suspicion and confusion. It needs to make its plans public now. What can you do to ensure this happens now? *information from Keep Big Bend Wild