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!
Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
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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The Pajarita wilderness is 7,420 acres and is located in the U.S./Mexico border region in the heart of the Tumacacori Highlands. Sycamore Canyon, which drains into Mexico, is an important feature of the wilderness. The canyon has permanent pools of water that support endangered fish and is an outstanding area for viewing rare neotropical birds coming up from Mexico. It also has several very rare plants.
In June 2021, the Madrean Archipelago Wildlife Center coordinated and guided a team of environmental scientists from UC Berkeley led by world renowned hydrology and environmental planning Professor Matt Kondolf to areas along the border wall. Scott Walls, an environmental consultant, was a member of the team that conducted drone photogrammetry surveys to create 3-D imagery of the border wall construction. The team conducted field analysis at the Pajarito Mountains, San Pedro River, and Guadalupe Canyon. Their research aims to quantify the risk of dangerous dams forming along the border wall during floods and the impact of the erosion caused by wall construction. Permanent photo stations were also established in key locations within each of these areas to note erosion and flooding pre-monsoon 2021.
On January 4, 2022, Scott Walls returned to conduct post-monsoon drone photogrammetry surveys of the Pajarito Mountains west of Nogales. The photos depict the extreme erosion that has occurred after just one monsoon season. With the Pajarito Mountains highlighted as an area that Customs Border Protection is addressing as an action item for remediation work, we are hoping to share this information.
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Photo Credit: Scott Walls
Pajarito Mountains area as of January 4, 2022
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Photo credit: Scott Walls
Pre-monsoon to of “orphan wall” area west of photo #2 taken at our site visit with UC Berkeley June 2021
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Photo credit: Scott Walls
Post-monsoon photo of the same area, please note the erosion and the canyons being filled with soil and rocks. Scott describes the downward facing triangles of debris as “full prisms”, which he conducts detailed analysis of to determine amount of infill and other factors.
As a result of this visit, we are working towards a meeting with CBP, Scott Walls, and Professor Matt Kondolf to share information and begin restoration of this once pristine wilderness area. We would greatly appreciate funding support for this endeavor.
Article by Kate Scott
Kate Scott
Co-Founder/Director
520-975-8107
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Powerful documentary “Undeterred” documents resistance to Border Militarization
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Since the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), 9/11, and the Obama and Trump administrations, border residents have been on the front-lines of the humanitarian crisis caused by increased border enforcement build up. Undeterred is an intimate and unique portrait of how residents in a small rural community, caught in the crosshairs of global geo-political forces, have mobilized to demand our rights and to provide aid to injured, oft times dying, people funneled across a wilderness desert. The film was made by Eva Lewis, a resident of Arivaca and long time member of People Helping People in the Border Zone (PHP). Undeterred was created in close collaboration with the Arivaca community and members of PHP.
Check out the resources and additional readings on the U.S. Border Patrol and border policing that have been shared by ACLU:
- “The Border Humanity Project” (ACLU, a hub of information regarding efforts to rebuild asylum, to end the horrors of immigration detention at the border and to secure other humane border reforms)
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Transboundary Wildlife Conservation
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As the assault to wildlife continues in our Borderlands there is a conversation that has been put aside that could be a way to start building better relationships across borders “Transboundary conservation.”
According to the World Commission on Protected Areas, transboundary conservation areas are ecosystems across the globe that are divided by political boundaries. So they are exposed to many different policy, legal and institutional structures, and management and governance regimes; they are affected by various social, cultural, and economic contexts and systems; and they are sometimes impacted by complex relations between countries. Transboundary conservation has emerged as a practical way to overcome these differences and is considered a process of cooperation to achieve conservation goals across one or more international boundaries.
Today, as environmental threats continue to grow in the US-Mexico region, transboundary conservation is more important than ever. Both governments must work together to save our shared resources and push beyond borders to protect the borderlands.
The intention to collaborate amongst institutions across our border region has been present for many years but very little action has been taken.
The Sierra Club Borderlands Program and The Chihuahuan desert education coalition are looking at ways to help the US and Mexico governments designate lands currently protected by the National Park Service, Texas Parks and Wildlife, and Comisíon Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas as one giant Big Bend Rio Bravo international protected area. Both countries would retain their national sovereignty over all lands within the protected area and each land management agency would continue to manage lands as authorized by each government. Please read Goals and Benefits.
We hosted our first meeting with the representatives of CONANP (Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas) with the intention to continue the conversation that started in 1935 by President Roosevelt. We are currently sharing a list of challenges or opportunities from both sides so we can start building from there.
The hope is that we continue to build bridges of cooperation between the two nations instead of walls of separation starting at Big Bend but spreading to all the different natural protected areas in the borderlands region.
If interested in participating or sharing information, please reach out to erick.meza@sierraclub.org or ricklobello@gmail.com
More Resources:
US-Mexico AZ border study case
WWF Transboundary conservation fact sheet
Work done by CEC
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Volunteer Upcoming Opportunities. |
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Photo Credit: Erick Meza
The upcoming month we will be presenting to different groups from across the nation wanting to know the environmental impacts of the border wall construction, feel free to reach out to attend to erick.meza@sierraclub.org
Space is limited so please let us know advance.
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Sacred Territories Webinar
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Take a look at our recording of Sacred territories webinar with Alberto Mellado, he is leader in the biocultural conservation of the Comcaac territory. Based in Punta Chueca Sonora "Socaaix"his work is based on promote and defend the natural and cultural resources of his community.
This webinar is part of a series with the intention to elevate indigenous peoples voices in their struggle to protect land, water and life in their territory.
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The Hummingbird and The Fire
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One day there was a big fire in the forest. All the animals fled in terror in all directions, because it was a very violent fire. Suddenly, the jaguar saw a hummingbird pass over his head, but in the opposite direction. The hummingbird flew towards the fire!
Whatever happened, she wouldn't stop. Moments later, the jaguar saw her pass again, this time in the same direction as the jaguar was walking. He could observe this coming and going until he decided to ask the bird about it because it seemed very bizarre behavior.
"What are you doing, hummingbird?" he asked.
"I am going to the lake," she answered, "I drink water with my beak and throw it on the fire to extinguish it." The jaguar laughed. 'Are you crazy? Do you really think that you can put out that big fire on your own with your very small beak?' Even the elephant with the big trunk did nothing.
No, said the hummingbird, I know I can't. But the forest is my home. It feeds me, it shelters me and my family. I am very grateful for that. And I help the forest grow by pollinating its flowers. I am part of her and the forest is part of me. I know I can't put out the fire, but I must do what I can."
At that moment, the forest spirits, who listened to the hummingbird, were moved by the bird and its devotion to the forest. And miraculously they sent a torrential downpour, which put an end to the great fire.
The Native American grandmothers would occasionally tell this story to their grandchildren, then conclude with, "Do you want to attract miracles into your life? Do what you can.”
Look at the video version narrated by Wangari Maathai
Story told by Grandmother Flordemayo, Indigenous healer and Mayan priestess, grandmotherflordemayo.com,
Suggested by Kate Scott.
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