The US already shares an international park with Canada, and if the vision of Franklin Roosevelt and Manuel Camacho is realized, the United States and Mexico will one day establish a transnational park along the shores of the Rio Grande in the Big Bend region. Big Bend National Park was established on June 12, 1944, and at that time Roosevelt wrote the Mexican President that the undertaking would not be complete until the protected areas on both sides of the Rio Grande "forms one great international park". Today, Mexico and the US are working to restore the desert river region's diverse eco-system, control invasive species, preserve wildlife, and manage wildfires. In October wildlife officials from both sides released endangered Rio Grande silvery minnows into the river as part of these efforts. Silvery minnow, once common, have vanished from this stretch of the river since the 1960s. The first reintroduction occurred in 2008
[photo]. Mexican wildlife officials also released hawks and owls in the border state of Chihuahua. At the fish release, Secretary Salazar said both governments "share a commitment towards the conservation vision proposed over 60 years ago." The possibility of a peaceful, beautiful and healthy transnational park is a far cry from the specter of barbed wire, guard towers, searchlights, and concrete walls often touted as solutions by reactionary nationalists in the United States. As the Ambassador to Mexico put it, "the seamless flow of nature across both banks of the river is far stronger and far more enduring than what divides us." The cooperative plan to restore the Big Bend/Rio Bravo region was developed by the US National Park Service, Fish & Wildlife Service, Geological Survey, the Mexican National Commission of Natural Protected Areas and other partners. It was signed into action by Secretary Ken Salazar and Secretary Juan Elvira on October 24, 2011.
