Border Wall Threatens Endangered Wildlife

Mexican stoneroller, courtesy USFWS

The water levels of life-sustaining ponds in the San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge are dropping precipitously.  Wildlife officials are having to remove endangered fish species from the ponds in order to save them.  Since its creation in 1982, the mission of the Refuge has been to preserve rare species of the Rio Yaqui, such as the Yaqui chub, Yaqui topminnow and Huachuca water umbel.  Through a series of artesian wells connected to an aquifer, the refuge has kept ponds filled for nearly forty years.

That is all changing as the regime withdraws acres of water to mix concrete for its border folly--the wall of shame.  Under normal circumstances, such a major federal project would be subjected to extensive environmental review under NEPA, the Endangered Species Act, and the Fish & Wildlife Coordination Act.  But these protections have all been circumvented under national security exceptions.  Consequently, the Refuge is without legal protection.  Forced to cooperate with the regime, Refuge officials sent hydrological studies and recommendations about how to reduce the impact of construction on the Refuge and its endangered residents.

courtesy USFWS

Emails released to High Country News under FOIA show Homeland Security consistently ignored the advice and expertise offered it.  Months of dysfunctional communication took place between August 2019 and January 2020, and during crucial moments, Homeland Security kept USFWS officials in the dark.  Despite claims it was coordinating with the wildlife protection agency, documents show construction caused groundwater levels to plummet.  In October, Refuge managers wrote Homeland Security saying the depletion of groundwater had reached a "dire emergency". 

Wall contractors went ahead and drilled within 480 feet of the Refuge, abandoning the well after it did not produce water.  Pond levels continued to drop as the contractors continued to pump large volumes of water from private land just a mile and a half from the Refuge.  In the Sonoran desert, water is precious and scarce.  The connection between adverse impacts on the Refuge ponds and water withdrawals for building are undeniable. The Refuge ordered more powerful pumps for its ponds, but they came too late for at least three of the ponds it is trying to protect.