1. United States
2. Texas
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to take immediate action to protect the Big Bend region and surrounding borderlands from any further destruction related to federal border wall construction, surveys, road building, or land disturbance. This is not simply a federal policy dispute. This is a matter of defending Texas lands, Texas property rights, Texas heritage, and the people who live in and care for this region. The Big Bend region is one of the most ecologically and culturally significant landscapes in the world. Its desert ecosystems, riparian habitats, wildlife corridors, ranchlands, river systems, dark skies, archaeological resources, and public lands form an interconnected whole that cannot be divided by arbitrary boundaries. Damage inflicted on adjacent private lands, river corridors, or downstream areas will inevitably harm Big Bend National Park, Big Bend Ranch State Park, surrounding state lands, and the broader regional ecosystem. These lands do not stop mattering because they fall outside a park boundary. Public and private lands in this region are inseparably connected. Harm one piece of this system, and the consequences spread across the entire landscape. This is our Texas heritage. Once destroyed, it cannot be restored. I urge you to stand up for the State of Texas, for Texas citizens, and for the Texans whose private property and livelihoods are at risk. This includes ranchers, landowners, local communities, tourism economies, and generations of families whose lives are rooted in this region. Texas officials should not remain silent while irreplaceable public lands and private property are put at risk. If state leaders do not act now to defend these lands, they are allowing the destruction of a defining part of our state’s natural and cultural heritage. I respectfully urge you to: 1. Publicly oppose any federal wall construction or related infrastructure in the Big Bend region and adjacent Texas lands; 2. Use every available state legal and legislative tool to protect state parks, public lands, and private property rights; 3. Support state-led conservation protections for the entire region, not only within park boundaries; and 4. Stand unequivocally for the preservation of Texas heritage and the integrity of these interconnected ecosystems. Texans expect their elected leaders to defend this state, its people, and its lands.