Greetings from Sierra Club Borderlands
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Hi everyone,
The Borderlands program is working and collaborating with other organizations on multiple projects to bring awareness to the border communities and the rest of the nation about the current request to the Biden-Harris Administration to stop and/or remove Border wall segments that are causing harm to people, communities, wildlife and/or the land and remediate the damages.
These and other harms were facilitated and exacerbated by the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security issuing waivers that bypassed federal, state, and local laws that would
otherwise have protected the borderlands.
Get involved!
Would you like to volunteer with the Borderlands Program and make a difference?
Please reach out to Borderlands Coordinator: erick.meza@sierraclub.org.
Thank you!
Erick Meza
Borderlands Program Coordinator
Sierra Club - Grand Canyon Chapter
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Voices from the Border
What is happening in Friendship Park and the Otay mountains?
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Burrowing owl 1/4 mile south of border wall construction in Otay Oct 2020 photo by Daniel Watman
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Friendship Park is currently closed to thousands of families, separated by immigration status, who counted on this space to be with their loved ones, to the border church that has been meeting through the wall for communion since 2008, the binational friendship garden of native plants, to the 27 year tradition of the Posada sin Fronteras, to the annual Fandango Fronterizo, with hundreds of musicians traveling from all over Mexico and the US to play together, and to everyone who frequents the church and garden on Sundays whose arms are getting weary from reaching out through the 18 foot bollards from unrequited friendship.
The Friends of Friendship Park has been advocating for a truly binational park for 15 years and has created these terms for re-opening. This is only a small taste of how life could be if we followed in the steps of the Kumiai who lived in harmony with the native flora and fauna for 8000 years until the creation of the border, and a small ask compared to what is truly needed to create the environmental collaboration, family reunion, and friendship that Friendship Park was designated to create and that our border desperately needs as a model for a new narrative that gives priority to trust and collaboration that can only come through friendship and understanding.
In Otay Mesa in the two mile area designated as “San Diego 4” for double wall system construction was mostly halted on Jan 21, 2021 after over a year of destruction of natural habitat around the Otay Mountain wilderness preserve to build the walls and roads to about 80% completion, destroying whole hillsides and blasting with dynamite into canyons in order to blow apart the rocky terrain. Currently, as of about one month ago, drone footage caught some movement in one small area of the project, probably making or smoothing out roads and there are vehicles and workers along with over a thousand bollards at the construction base. It is unclear what the plans are for the area.
By: Daniel Watman, Contact info: dan@viainternational.org
619.335.3176
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Sacred Territories Webinar
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On December 11th the Sierra Club Borderlands program, the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona and Casa Carmelita Mutual Aid program from CD. Juarez/El Paso TX organized a webinar in support of water and land defenders Amber Ortega and Nellie Jo David from the Tohono O’odham/Hia Ced Nation. This was done with the intention to raise awareness and gather support for Indigenous people fighting to protect their culture and resources which are threatened by the construction of the Border wall.
If you missed you can see the recording here.
Please sign this letter in support of Amber Ortega.
Sierra Club Borderlands Program is committed to elevating and amplifying the voices of the communities directly impacted by the violent desecration caused by construction of the border wall in 2020.
Our next webinar will be on January 22nd with binational perspectives on access to land and water by Indigenous communities.
For more information, contact Erick Meza at erick.meza@sierraclub.org.
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We Love Nogales Interview
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The Sierra Club Borderlands program was invited toWe Love Nogales, an initiative that is a forever positive campaign to promote Nogales and Santa Cruz County, Arizona and sister city, Nogales, Sonora, Mexico.
The intention of the visit was to share with the Spanish Speaking community of both of the Nogales cities about the environmental and social impacts that the construction of the border wall has brought to their community.
Please feel free listen and share the Entrevista completa/Full interview. |
Tucson Young Adult Volunteer Program
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The Sierra Club Borderlands Program hosted an in-person conversation about Border Wall impacts on community and environment with the Tucson Young Adult Volunteers.
The Young Adult Volunteers (YAV) Program provides an opportunity for young adults, ages 19-30, to serve alongside local partners in communities around the world. YAVs respond to poverty, violence, and injustice, sharing the gospel in word and deed. Volunteers practice simple living in intentional community, and explore spiritual growth, social justice, and vocational discernment throughout their year of service.
Thanks to the Tucson Young Adult Volunteers for the invitation and I hope we can continue to have more conversation and direct action towards a more just and equitable border region.
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