Aerial
view
of
the
U.S.-Mexico
border
ending
with
a
gap
near
Sasabe,
Arizona
on
Jan.
19,
2025.
John
Moore
/
Getty
Images
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President
Donald
Trump
is
building
a
new
section
of
the
border
wall
between
the
United
States
and
Mexico
that
will
present
a
threat
to
the
movement
of
wildlife
living
in
a
remote
part
of
Arizona’s
San
Rafael
Valley.
The
area
is
one
of
the
country’s
most
biodiverse
regions,
with
many
rare
animals
but
few
people,
reported
The
Guardian.
“This
is
a
crucial
wildlife
corridor,”
said
Eamon
Harrity,
wildlife
program
manager
with
conservation
nonprofit
Sky
Island
Alliance. “Large
predators
and
other
animals
move
freely
through
this
landscape.
That
[movement]
won’t
happen
once
the
wall
is
complete.”
Harrity
helps
monitor
over
110
trail
cameras
for
a
study
that
started
in
2020
and
records
how
Trump’s
barrier
affects
cross-border
movements
of
local
wildlife.
Private
companies
have
been
invited
by
Customs
and
Border
Protection
to
bid
on
contracts
to
build
a
24.7-mile
section
of
the
border
wall
in
the
valley
south
of
Sonoita,
BEX
reported.
The
area
is
flanked
on
both
sides
by
mountains,
known
as
“sky
islands,”
that
rise
steeply
over
grasslands
and
high
desert.
[embedded content]
One
of
the
65
wildlife
cameras
operated
by
the
Sky
Island
Alliance
in
this
portion
of
the
wall
—
where
there
is
a
long
gap
—
has
captured
thousands
of
images
of
bears,
mountain
lions,
bobcats,
pronghorns
and
other
wildlife.
Construction
of
the
30-foot
fence
through
San
Rafael
Valley
will
make
the
area
impassable
for
animals
bigger
than
a
jackrabbit,
interfering
with
a
critical
migration
route
between
Arizona
and
Mexico.
Studies
conducted
on
the
impacts
of
the
border
wall
on
ecosystems
and
wildlife
suggest
that
it
has
changed
behavior,
fragmented
populations
and
cut
some
animals
off
from
essential
food
and
water
sources,
reported
Sierra.
A
study
by
Harrity
and
a
team
of
researchers
last
year
found
that
less
than
10
percent
of
observed
wildlife
were
able
to
pass
through
one
stretch
of
fencing
in
Arizona.
“I
have
seen
deer
and
wild
turkey
moving
along
the
wall
and
unable
to
cross,”
Harrity
said,
as
Sierra
reported.
“When
you
see
it
in
person
and
you
see
the
panting
and
the
running
back
and
forth,
looking
for
a
way
to
cross
and
ultimately
failing,
you
recognize
that
wow,
this
animal
is
trying
to
survive,
and
there’s
this
giant
thing
in
its
way
that’s
causing
a
lot
of
grief
and
stress.”
Erick
Meza,
Sierra
Club’s
borderlands
coordinator,
said
bisecting
the
valley
with
the
wall
would
be
“catastrophic
for
the
environment
and
wildlife,”
reported
The
Guardian.
More
than
60
percent
of
Arizona’s
border
has
already
been
completed.
The
sections
that
remain
open
are
crucial
for
wildlife,
as
the
San
Rafael
Valley
is
one
of
the
only
remaining
intact
stretches
of
Sonoran
desert
grasslands
in
Arizona.
The
Patagonia
and
Huachuca
mountains
—
part
of
the
Sky
Island
range
—
offer
a
variety
of
habitats,
water
and
food
sources
for
wildlife
amidst
the
extreme
desert
climate.
In
addition
to
mountain
lions,
bears
and
wolves,
subtropical
species
like
the
javelina
and
endangered
large
cats
like
jaguars
and
ocelots
make
their
homes
in
this
unique
landscape.
Their
natural
ranges
cover
hundreds
of
miles,
as
they
crisscross
the
international
border
in
search
of
water,
sustenance
and
mates.
“The
biodiversity
here
is
incredible,”
Meza
said.
“This
is
at
the
heart
of
all
these
different
ecosystems
coming
together.”
Harrity
emphasized
that,
as
the
climate
crisis
worsens
drought
conditions
in
the
Southwest,
the
border
region’s
wildlife
will
be
forced
to
travel
farther
to
find
what
they
need
to
survive.
“The
last
thing
we
should
be
doing
right
now
is
walling
off
corridors
and
severing
connectivity,”
Harrity
added.
Another
feature
of
the
borderlands
is
the
Santa
Cruz
River,
which
serves
as
a
vital
wildlife
migration
corridor,
winding
back
and
forth
across
the
border
of
Arizona
and
Mexico.
“The
river
will
now
be
walled
on
both
legs
of
its
journey,”
Harrity
said.
A
study
last
year
by
Sky
Islands
Alliance
and
the
Wildlands
Network
using
cameras
along
a
100-mile
stretch
of
the
wall
found
it
reduced
wildlife
crossings
by
86
percent,
with
a
100
percent
decrease
for
larger
animals
like
bears,
jaguars,
pronghorns
and
wolves.
While
the
San
Rafael
Valley
is
full
of
wildlife,
it
is
nearly
devoid
of
humans.
A
camera
that
has
been
in
operation
by
the
river
for
five
years
has
yet
to
capture
a
single
image
of
a
migrant
crossing
the
border
into
the
U.S.
“The
Trump
administration
would
rather
score
cheap
political
points
and
a
favorable
Fox
News
headline
than
solve
a
problem,”
said
Democratic
Senator
from
New
Mexico
Martin
Heinrich,
as
The
Guardian
reported.
“New
Mexicans
who
live
on
the
border
want
actual
solutions,
like
creating
new
legal
pathways
for
immigration,
investing
in
effective
border
security
for
law
enforcement,
and
addressing
the
root
causes
of
mass
migration.”
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