For Immediate Release

Border Wall Threatens Refuge Wildlife and South Texas Economy

Wall would impede movement of wild cats in the Lower Rio Grande Valley Wildlife Refuge

WASHINGTON – The planned border walls and surrounding infrastructure on the U.S.-Mexico border will have devastating effects on the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge, according to a new report released Thursday by Defenders of Wildlife. The wall would divide the natural habitat of the endangered ocelot and jaguarundi, which are among the significant diversity of wildlife that hundreds of thousands of ecotourists travel to the refuge each year to see.

Defenders of Wildlife released the report, “Refuges at Risk,” in advance of National Wildlife Refuge Week, October 7-14. It highlights Lower Rio Grande Valley and nine other refuges throughout the country that are threatened by a failure to uphold core refuge values.

“Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge is a work 30 years and $80 million in the making, protecting and restoring the unique wildlife and habitat of southern Texas. A 15-foot-high concrete wall would not only ruin that effort, but also put the area’s ecotourism economy in jeopardy,” said Rodger Schlickeisen, president of Defenders of Wildlife. “There are less costly, more effective ways of enhancing border security without undermining one of our nation’s most precious habitats. Development and intensive agriculture have already put heavy pressure on this refuge. We need to do all we can to protect the last vestiges of undisturbed land in the valley.”

Like pearls on a string, the refuge consists of more than 100 parcels along the Lower Rio Grande Valley and is home to an amazing 513 bird species. Many of these irreplaceable species, including great kiskadees and green jays, do not travel north of Texas.  Together with the 300 species of native butterflies, including zebra longwings, birds are a great attraction for ecotourists who pump $150 million annually into local economies.

“People from all over the country come here to experience the special beauty that can only be seen this far south,” said Roy J. Rodriguez, a Valley native and birder who is South Texas’ only bilingual refuge tour guide. “The border wall would have a terrible impact on habitat and wildlife here, undermining the tourist industry on which many people, including me, rely.”

This year’s “Refuges at Risk” report marks the 10-year anniversary of the passing of the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act, which outlines core values and standards that all national refuges should meet, including establishing a unified wildlife conservation mission. One key provision of the Act mandates that the biological integrity and environmental health of the refuge system be maintained. The report documents failures of the current administration to implement this and other key provisions of the legislation.

To read the full report, go to http://www.defenders.org/refugesatrisk

For more information, please contact Roy J. Rodriguez at 956-221-1340 or rjrod2@aol.com.

Top 10 Refuges at Risk (in alphabetical order)

Cape May NWR, NJ – Each year, thousands of migratory songbirds, including the ruby-crowned kinglet and the Nashville warbler, arrive at this crucial stopping ground for birds traveling on the Atlantic Flyway. But year after year, they arrive to find that their precious habitat is not as they left it. Illegal all-terrain vehicle use, barely hindered by the refuge’s lone refuge enforcement officer, is tearing up the habitat, disturbing nesting birds and jeopardizing their food sources.

Hailstone NWR, MT – This refuge is a vital hub for hundreds of migratory bird species that use the 300-acre lake and the surrounding area as a stopover and breeding ground. However, agricultural runoff has allowed excess salt and selenium from the soil to accumulate in the wetlands, and each year mallards, American white pelicans and hundreds of other species are harmed or even killed by the deteriorating water quality.

Lower Rio Grande Valley NWR, TX – The territories of jaguarundi and ocelot extend into Texas from Mexico, where these rare cats roam among 300 species of butterfly and more than 500 species of birds. But the cats’ territories are not bound by international borders, and their habitat is threatened by a border wall that could destroy the biological integrity of the entire region.

Nisqually NWR, WA – For years, local children living in an increasingly developed region have enjoyed and learned from this rich landscape, where pacific tree frogs chorus in the night and river otters dart after fish. Fewer children will be given this opportunity, however, as refuge staff are forced to cut back or eliminate educational programs that teach America’s future leaders how to appreciate and protect our environment.

Pea Island NWR, NC – This refuge boasts an enormous array of birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians, including breeding American oystercatchers and loggerhead sea turtles. A planned replacement bridge and highway would carve through the heart of refuge wetlands, requiring constant maintenance as even mild storms regularly inundate the road with sand and ocean water.

Rappahannock River Valley NWR, VA – With one of the largest concentrations of bald eagles on the East Coast, this refuge provides wildlife with an island of wilderness in a region where urban development is steadily encroaching. Without the funds to acquire available neighboring land, the refuge is at risk of bring surrounded by development, making the refuge into a decorative center piece instead of a crucial wildlife oasis.

Rhode Island NWR Complex, RI – Local children have long been taught the importance of the wildlife, habitat and ecology of Rhode Island’s five refuges that provide a haven for thousands of birds traveling the Atlantic Flyway, including hawks, falcons and songbirds. But lack of funds has forced refuge staff to cease their educational programs, despite an increasingly desperate need for environmental education in a quickly developing area.

San Luis NWR, CA – With 95 percent of California’s wetlands drained, filled or destroyed, this critical stopover and wintering grounds for migratory ducks, geese and cranes along the Pacific Flyway is a haven for the weary travelers. But the water they find there is decreasing in quality and quantity, year upon year, due to commercial competition for California’s limited water supply.

Trempealeau NWR, WI - Thousands of wood ducks and black terns share these Wisconsin skies, located at the confluence of the Trempealeau and Mississippi rivers, with monarch butterflies, blue-winged teal, hooded mergansers and tundra swans. But these native beauties are under attack from a marching army of invasive plants and animals that severely undermine the environmental health of the refuge.

Yukon Flats NWR, AK – The retreat of a bitter winter and the arrival of spring brings millions of waterfowl to the refuge, where they transform the landscape from a quiet wilderness to a chaotic courtship and breeding ground. Efforts to drill for oil and natural gas in the refuge are threatening this ancient ritual as an ill-conceived land swap aims to trade away key habitat to industrial developers.

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Defenders of Wildlife is dedicated to the protection of all native wild animals and plants in their natural communities. With more than 900,000 members and activists, Defenders of Wildlife is a leading advocate for innovative solutions to safeguard our wildlife heritage for generations to come. For more information, visit www.defenders.org.