Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge in southern Texas has been named one of the ten most endangered national wildlife refuges by the Defenders of Wildlife in their 2007 Refuges at Risk report.

The Lower Rio Grande Valley NWR (see map) is considered one of the most biologically diverse refuges in the entire System as the property hosts 11 distinct biotic communities that contain 1,100 types of plants, 700 vertebrate species (including 513 bird species), 20 threatened and endangered species, and over 300 species of butterflies — which is over half the total number of species in America. Birds visiting the refuge come from both the Central and Mississippi migratory flyways, and many bird species reach their northernmost range at the refuge.

The refuge currently contains approximately 90,000 acres in 115 land tracts spread throughout the valley. In addition to the refuge property, conservation lands nearby are also managed by the state, Audubon, The Nature Conservancy, private landowners, and the neighboring Santa Ana and Laguna Atascosa NWRs. Due to the high quality of the natural ecosystems, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has plans to expand the Lower Rio Grande Valley NWR to almost 133,000 acres, although under the Bush administration land acquisition money has been in short supply and expansion opportunities are slipping away.

The current refuge configuration supports temperate, desert, coastal and sub-tropical environments, making it a highly unique and valuable refuge and a major eco-tourist destination for both birders and butterfly enthusiasts. Nature tourists to the area pump almost $150 million into the local economy, which enjoys an environmentally sustainable form of industry thanks to the protected conservation lands.

In addition to the wealth of birds and butterflies inhabiting the Lower Rio Grande Valley NWR, the area also protects populations of the endangered ocelot and jaguarundi, which are small cats that are being squeezed into an ever shrinking habitat due to the dramatic increase in development in the valley.

According to the Defenders of Wildlife:

Designed as a new model for refuges, the Lower Rio Grande Valley refuge was established to create a wildlife corridor and protect rare and unique habitat types, fulfilling the refuge improvement act’s call for growing the refuge system to conserve unique and various ecosystems. But human populations have been expanding in the Rio Grande valley. When the refuge was established in 1979, the surrounding population was only a third of what it is today. In the 2000 census, the nearby McAllen metropolitan area had the fourth-highest population growth in the nation.

But perhaps the greatest threat to the Lower Rio Grande Valley NWR is the pending border fence that has been ordered by the United States Congress. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency has just released a series of maps that illustrate the current plan to build a 16-foot-tall fence along 70 miles of the international border. Bulldozers will clear over 500 acres of land and the wall is expected to be completed by the end of 2008.

Despite the fact that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has worked for years to rehabilitate the habitat in this area – working with conservation groups for decades to spend $70 million on 88,800 acres of land that today forms a corridor along the river – the wall will likely cut off access to the river for both endangered and non-endangered species and could prove to be the final survival straw for endangered animals like the ocelot and jaguarundi.

Jim Chapman, president of the Lower Rio Grande Valley Group of the Sierra Club, was quoted in the Brownsville Herald as being concerned about the impact on local species:

“The fence is going to be bad for the refuge and for wildlife,” said . “Our biggest concern is that it’s a barrier to animals, keeping them from crossing to the river. It’s likely to impact endangered and non-endangered species.”

The USFWS staff at the Lower Rio Grande Valley NWR are working with Homeland Security to find a way to ensure security of the border while honoring the legal mandate to protect the local wildlife. Nancy Brown, public outreach specialist for the South Texas Refuge Complex, stated that they’ve been talking with the CBP:

“We’ve been discussing the different types of fencing and are trying to soften the impact to wildlife. We’ve encouraged the use of technology (rather than physical fencing), and they were receptive, although they said there were some areas …that were non-negotiable.”

Between now and October 15, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency is taking comments for a draft Environmental Impact Statement that will consider the fencing alternatives and potential environmental impact of the fence. It is very important that citizens write to express their support for wildlife protection and for alternatives such as virtual fencing, which uses technology (vehicle barriers, cameras, motion detectors, etc) rather than a physical wall that will isolate wildlife from both food and water, as well as other members of their species.

Listed below is the contact information for sending in comments on the EIS. Once the comment period is closed, a draft EIS will be written and distributed for additional comment. Please take this opportunity to speak out for the wildlife:

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Be sure to include your name, address and identify your comments as for the “RGV Sector EIS.”

Electronically: Border Fence NEPA

E-mail: RGVcomments@BorderFenceNEPA.com

Mail:
Rio Grande Valley Tactical Infrastructure EIS
C/O e2M
2751 Prosperity Avenue, Ste. 200
Fairfax, Virginia 22031

Fax: (757)282-7697

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Note: Visit the No Border Wall blog for photos and more information

wildlife, wildlife refuge, conservation, endangered species, border, Texas