As we nervously await news of whether or not the Supreme Court will uphold the preliminary injunction that has halted all border-related construction in the Big Bend area, and the results of the midterm elections,  this is a good time to write about what KEEP BIG BEND WILD is FOR, not just what we oppose. 

Keep Big Bend Wild’s expertise and credibility is centered on Big Bend National Park and the Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River, the lands and waters that are part of the National Park System. 

We are for CBP taking the longstanding and still-valid memorandum of understanding with federal land management agencies seriously, which says that both the Homeland Security and conservation/public-use missions are national priorities, and that the agencies are to work in partnership at the lowest possible level to achieve both missions without harming either through unilateral actions.  (www.umt.edu/media/wilderness/NWPS/documents/Border Patrol MOU.pdf). 

KBBW therefore is for cancellation of the contracts, and a recission of the waivers that allow CBP to build whatever border-related infrastructure they choose inside these ostensibly-federally protected areas. We are for the return to “normal” federal law which requires transparency, meaningful public involvement, and evaluation and mitigation of impacts to natural and cultural resources by federal agencies that are responsible to the citizens they serve.  

KBBW supports a secure border, and we are for full staffing of Border Patrol agents in the park utilizing the housing and infrastructure that already exists, which can support eight agents.  

We are for continuous improvements to the wireless sensor system that is already in place in the park and surrounding areas.  We support enhancements on the ground (and in the HIGH altitude above the park) provided they are wireless, unobtrusive, low impact, flexible — and necessary to improve security and do not further militarize the borderlands.  

We are for the continued use by the border patrol of existing roads in the park, as they have done for years, and if necessary, minor improvements to River Road that improve its ability to withstand washouts but stop far short of paving, significant widening, the installation of buried or above-ground communication or power lines, or the installation of any sensors on towers or poles.

We are for unobstructed public use of the Rio Grande without barriers or gates.

We are for the permanent protection of the undeveloped lands of Big Bend National Park with an overlay designation of “wilderness,” which would prohibit any future development more intrusive than trails in the areas between existing NPS roads, and have no impact on any existing uses or users anywhere in the national park, including the Rio Grande.  

We are for a federal legislation package that would inscribe into law the cancellation of the contracts, the recission of the waivers, the wilderness designation, and the requirement that any future plans for border infrastructure have to be explicitly authorized by a future congress and the prohibition of any legal waiver in the future.

And — importantly — we are for all of these border-related provisions to apply to the entire greater Big Bend region, from Fort Quitman to Amistad Dam. We are for as much local input as possible into security decisions that affect the livelihoods, economy, and quality of life of those who call this area home (as Let Texans Do Texas has proposed), while recognizing that border security and federal land management are ultimately national responsibilities.  

Lastly, we are for a federal government that respects its citizens.

We think all of these are possible if we elect the right people this week, and we, the people, make it clear what we want the people we elect to actually do.  VOTE!

KBBW is a strategic partner in the No Big Bend Wall Coalition.  Please follow us on our Facebook and Instagram pages. #keepbigbendwild

Bob Krumenaker

Chair, Keep Big Bend Wild