The following column is the opinion and analysis of the writer.
Last year, my husband Tony Heath and I created the San Pedro Anthology to share the communityβs love, respect and reverence for the San Pedro River, to express the joy, beauty and sustenance of mind, body and spirit she gives freely to each of us whenever we seek her calm or raging waters. Barbara Kingsolver eloquently expresses the riverβs vital importance in her essay, βPatience of a Saint,β from βSmall Wonder.β She gifted us with an excerpt we published in our anthology:
βTo jump across this River with the right measure of reverence requires an animal frame of mind; 82 species of mammals β a community unmatched anywhere north of the tropics β inhabit this valley ... The San Pedro harbors the richest, most dense and diverse inland bird population in the United States β 385 species. For millions of migratory birds traveling from South and Central America to northern breeding grounds, there is one reliable passage which life depends. Just this one.β
On June 12, 2020 dedicated river activists and non-governmental organizational representatives were invited to a virtual briefing with Paul Enriquez and Customs Border Patrol Tucson Chief Roy Villareal, on the plans for imminent border wall construction over the San Pedro River. The wall will be made of 30-foot steel bollards with 4-inch openings between. A conceptual plan was presented (with no dimensions given) for a bridge 9 feet from the wall with 24/7 stadium lighting. Agents will manually open and close the gates, which will be open from June to September.
When asked how animals are to migrate when the gates are closed the other eight months, the answer was 50 letter-sized wildlife βopeningsβ placed along 63 miles of the wall in Arizona. The guidelines on their website state Environmental Stewardship Plans are created that summarize the natural and cultural resource surveys conducted during project planning, and estimate the potential environmental impacts of the design.
During construction, environmental monitors ensure implementation of best management practices developed and recorded in the ESP and report any deviations. Mr. Enriquez stated that best management practices and environmental stewardship plans were in place. I found nothing on the website and nothing has been shared even after repeated requests. Stated on the CBP website, βIf no ESPs are listed for a Sector, this indicates that there are no ESPs applicable for the Sector.β Clearly, no ESP has been done for the border wall crossing over the San Pedro River.
Why is a wall even necessary? Why canβt we employ 24/7 agents from our county and state, utilizing electronic surveillance to safeguard the border, instead of this environmentally devastating wall with inadequate accommodation for migrating wildlife and a normal, healthy river flow?
Meanwhile, bollard walls are going up and the river bed is studded with concrete forms. What happens when water that normally moves downstream is met by resistance? Flooding and damage to ecosystems is the inevitable result.
Why have they not shared their plans with the public to essentially dam off the flow of the San Pedro River? No law prevents it. It represents a perpetration of ecological crimes against nature and they are being deliberately duplicitous.
Will Cochise County citizens be forced to live with a visual monstrosity and be left to pay for the consequences of this ill-conceived, disastrous plan?
Demand from our public officials a virtual public forum to share their plans and solicit public comment. Our democracy is based on citizen oversight and participation in government. Make no mistake, your voice matters.
