Speak Out to Safeguard Black Bears in Big Bend National Park

The construction of a physical border wall threatens bears and all wildlife that depend on migration corridors in the Big Bend region of Texas.

Tell Congress there are ways to maintain border security in the Big Bend region without building a wall that threatens wildlife, river access, and public lands.

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Dear Representative {user_data~US Rep Last name}, Senator {user_data~US Sen 1 Last name}, and Senator {user_data~US Sen 2 Last Name},

I’m writing to urge you to reject the administration’s proposal to construct a physical border wall in the Big Bend region and to waive current environmental protections to do so.

I know that border security is an essential responsibility of the federal government and that landowners and local communities deserve solutions that address border-related security needs. But how that security is achieved matters.

The Big Bend region is a beloved and iconic landscape. Big Bend National Park, Big Bend Ranch State Park, and surrounding private ranchlands form an interconnected system of desert, river, and mountain habitat that supports wide-ranging wildlife, including migratory species that depend on cross-border movement and genetic exchange. The Rio Grande is not only a geopolitical boundary—it is a living river system that sustains recreation, local communities, and wildlife on both sides of the border.

The remoteness of this area raises real questions about the feasibility of large-scale wall construction. It would also require significant condemnation of private property under eminent domain, trampling on long-standing property rights. Wall infrastructure would affect public access to the Rio Grande and to portions of Big Bend National Park and Big Bend Ranch State Park—access that supports recreation, local outfitters, and a tourism economy central to many west Texas communities.

I believe that a continuous physical border wall in the Big Bend region does not represent the most effective approach to security. Alternative strategies— including advanced surveillance technology, targeted infrastructure, and appropriately deployed personnel—can enhance border security in ways that are cost-effective, more adaptable, and less disruptive. In a region defined by sensitive ecosystems and challenging terrain, flexible approaches are likely to prove more practical over time.

Construction of a border wall will fundamentally alter one of the most intact desert river systems in North America—fragmenting habitat, restricting river access, affecting working ranchlands, and reshaping landscapes that have remained largely uninterrupted for generations.

I urge you to pursue border security solutions that strengthen the safety of our nation, while upholding the integrity of one of our most extraordinary landscapes.

Sincerely,
{user_data~First Name} {user_data~Last Name}

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Bears

A black bear cub roaming among the cactus in Big Bend National Park, Texas.