Defenders Calls on Lawmakers to Protect Sensitive Border Lands and Wildlife As They Secure Our Borders
"We Don't Have To Sacrifice America's Natural Heritage To Ensure Our National Security"
(9/20/2006) - WASHINGTON, D.C. - Defenders of Wildlife president Rodger Schlickeisen issued the following statement today as the Senate begins consideration of legislation to require the building of 700 miles of double-layered fencing along the U.S.-Mexican border."Proposed border construction projects, including large-scale walls, will severely harm some of the Southwest's most significant and beautiful lands, including wildlife refuges, national parks, forests, and wilderness areas. But we don't have to sacrifice America's natural heritage to ensure our national security. There are simple steps that can be taken that will allow us to secure our borders even as we protect the local environment. These include the use of high-tech surveillance and communications equipment, enforcement and conservation training for border security and land management personnel, and strategically placed vehicle barriers and fencing where it will be more effective and do less damage to wildlife and public lands. It is also essential that lawmakers advancing border protection proposals take into account the effect of their proposals on our natural heritage and work to minimize adverse impacts.
"Unfortunately, the Secure Fence Act of 2006 does not accomplish this goal. In its current form, it allows all laws to be waived to facilitate the construction of more than 700 miles of fencing, including one section that would cover almost the entire Arizona border and much of California's. This fence would damage numerous protected lands and break up the habitat of many imperiled animals, including jaguars, desert bighorn sheep, and the Sonoran pronghorn. And while fencing may be appropriate in some areas, the Secure Fence Act is an inflexible approach that fails to consider a fence's potential impact on wildlife, natural resources, and communities. It takes fence placement decisions out of the hands of the Department of Homeland Security, which should make these decisions in consultation with federal land managers at the Interior and Agriculture Departments.
"National security must always come first, but we should not forget that America's natural heritage is one of the things Congress is charged with protecting. They need not set aside that charge to secure our borders."
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Defenders of Wildlife is dedicated to the protection of all native animals and plants in their natural communities. With more than 1 million 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.
Contact(s):
William Lutz, (202) 772-0269Cindy Hoffman, (202) 772-3255
