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[Xe4]

Given all of the other problems of the border wall, particularly its cost and infeasibility, one that is often overlooked is the disastrous environmental effects of enacting permanent barrier.

On dusty land in Mission, Tex., near the Mexican border, Marianna Trevino Wright recently took a walk with a contractor. She was showing off her effort to turn the earth surrounding the National Butterfly Center into “an oasis for butterflies,” she said — with 10,000 native milkweed plants that a dwindling number of monarch butterflies use as habitat in their arduous and yearly migration from Mexico and across the United States to Canada.

But the yellow that caught her eye that day wasn’t the fluttering wings of butterflies. It was heavy machinery that mows vegetation, said Wright, executive director of the butterfly reserve. And men were taking soil samples on the center’s property. “I said, ‘Hey guys what you’re doing?’ They said, ‘Working.’ I said, ‘On what?’ They said, ‘Clearing the land.’ I said, ‘You mean my land.’ They said, ‘We’re going to have to call our supervisor.’”

The Department of Homeland Security sought a waiver from environmental regulations this month to build a section of border wall near San Diego. But 1,500 miles away in Texas, the Trump administration is working on another section that could block migrating butterflies and cut across the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, one of the most treasured spots for birdwatching in the country and a “crown jewel” in the federal refuge system. Wright unknowingly walked right into that effort.

The Trump administration has reportedly allocated $40 million to construct 35 giant gates to close gaps in a current border wall along the Rio Grande Valley on the western end of Texas. The Army Corps of Engineers is also studying a plan to raise the wall of a levee that runs through the area by 10 feet, effectively creating another physical barrier.

Wright hoped the contractor could expand the center’s monarch butterfly habitat as part of $400,000 project, but now much of the land it owns could end up behind the wall — which in many places does not follow the international border. “For us, it’s 70 acres,” she said. “Two-thirds of our property and a significant portion of America will wind up behind the border wall. About four percent of our native wildlife will be trapped behind the border wall.”

The levee wall is a major concern for conservationists who say it would trap numerous animal species that travel across the border. It would have bright lights and cameras that could be frightening. “It could be a problem for everything from endangered ocelots to rabbits,” said Scott Nicol, co-chair of the Sierra Club’s Border Lands Team. “There are about 50 ocelots left in the United States. They’re endangered because of a loss of their habitats.”

A wall would make desert rains that cause the Rio Grande to flood all the worse, Nicol said. “Animals are trapped, and they drown,” he said.

Wright said the Butterfly Center isn’t waiting for Congress to approve or turn down funding for the wall. “We’re talking to lawyers about how to fight this,” she said. But so far it seems like a losing battle. “The government’s ultimate weapon is eminent domain,” Wright said, and there is little she can do about that.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...-s-territory-in-texas/?utm_term=.a14c042d3c0c

For at least six months, private contractors and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials have been quietly preparing to build the first piece of President Trump’s border wall through the Santa Ana Wildlife Refuge in South Texas. The federally owned 2,088-acre refuge, often called the “crown jewel of the national wildlife refuge system,” could see construction begin as early as January 2018, according to a federal official who has been involved in the planning but asked to remain anonymous.

CBP plans to construct an 18-foot levee wall that would stretch for almost three miles through the wildlife refuge, according to the official. The structure would consist of a concrete base, which would serve as a levee, and be topped with a fence made of steel bollards, similar to a levee wall built almost a decade ago near Hidalgo, Texas. A second federal official confirmed these details to the Observer.

On Friday afternoon, several workers were drilling into the existing earthen levee on the wildlife refuge and extracting soil samples to prepare for the construction. A security guard watching over the site asked me to leave when I started asking questions. Engineers from Michael Baker International, a global engineering firm, have been attending meetings on the project, according to the federal official.

The official said that the Department of Homeland Security picked the Santa Ana Wildlife Refuge as the first site for a border wall segment because it’s owned by the federal government, avoiding legal entanglements with private landowners.

If the levee wall is constructed, it will essentially destroy the refuge, the official said.

https://www.texasobserver.org/trump-border-wall-texas-wildlife-refuge-breaking/
More at the links.

In my opinion, it is sad and gross that the places in America that need the most protection will ultimately become the first to have a border wall put up, doing unknown damage to any wildlife in the area. It is clear that the administration does not care for any proposed environmental effects, given their wiliness to waive environmental regulations.

Thoughts?

 

[TheContact]

It's less overlooked and more like "undercared"
Trump don't give a fuck about the environment.

What's especially ironic, environment aside, is a lot of these people who voted for trump who live or have land at the border wall don't realize half their land might be on the Mexico side of the wall. This happened already with the existing wall and the new wall if it gets built will be even worse. There was one family who was pro wall, their land got cut in half, a fire started, and the fire truck couldn't get in to save their barn and they lost a lot of livestock bc of it.

 

[ShadowSwordmaster]

I highly doubt that Trump or his admin ever thought of the environmental effects of the wall.

 

[The Jazz Cabbage Master]

My thoughts.

F U C K
T H E
W A L L

 

[yanipheonu]

The even bigger fuck you for people ostensibly against government intervention will be the fact they'll have the build the wall through private property.

So much for owning your own land. Would have thought Trump would have been championing the rights of landowners. ¯_(&#12484_/¯ Whoops.

It's almost as if this whole wall thing is a bad idea from all angles.

 

[Master Yoshi]

My thoughts.

F U C K
T H E
W A L L

And the king as well.

 

[HotHamBoy]

The environment is a Chinese hoax.

 

[fluffydelusions]

 

[thecouncil]

I highly doubt that Trump or his admin ever thought of the environmental effects of the wall.

I highly doubt they or their supporters care.

 

[Xe4]

It's less overlooked and more like "undercared"
Trump don't give a fuck about the environment.

What's especially ironic, environment aside, is a lot of these people who voted for trump who live or have land at the border wall don't realize half their land might be on the Mexico side of the wall. This happened already with the existing wall and the new wall if it gets built will be even worse. There was one family who was pro wall, their land got cut in half, a fire started, and the fire truck couldn't get in to save their barn and they lost a lot of livestock bc of it.

I highly doubt that Trump or his admin ever thought of the environmental effects of the wall.

I was actually talking about the public perceptions of the wall, mine included, we all know Trump don't give a fuck. Though perhaps overlooked wasn't the correct word. Apologies for any confusion : P

 

[Netherscourge]

I love this so much.

 

[ShadowSwordmaster]

I was actually talking about the public perceptions of the wall, mine included, we all know Trump don't give a fuck. Though perhaps overlooked wasn't the correct word. Apologies for any confusion : P

To be fair, the wall idea is a bad idea all around.

 

[Hobbles]

Santa Ana is right down the road from some of my land. Sad what's going on down there. And unfortunately there aren't many options to stop it.

 

[Xe4]

To be fair, the wall idea is a bad idea all around.

Oh absolutely. Indeed, it's such a bad idea, some reasons why it's so bad are lost because there's just so much else wrong with it (cost, infeasibility, use of eminent domain on private property, etc). I think that's what I was trying to get at. Again, I could've worded it better