Posts by KBBW Admin

Photo ©Rebecca L. Latson

"I stand with the Keep Big Bend Wild coalition"

I stand with the Keep Big Bend Wild coalition in their mission to secure official Wilderness designation for Big Bend National Park's untouched backcountry. This fight isn't new—the National Park Service first championed it in 1974, during my tenure as Director, and reaffirmed the call in 1978. Now, it's time for Congress to act. By enshrining permanent, statutory protection, we can ensure Big Bend’s breathtaking landscapes remain shielded from policy shifts or development threats. It's heartening to see the backing of former NPS Directors, united in our commitment to safeguarding America's wilderness legacy so future generations can continue to embrace its solitude, beauty, and ecological richness."

~ Ronald H. Walker, NPS Director 1973-1975

Satellite imagery of Big Bend border construction.

NYTimes | Satellite Images Contradict Border Agency on Construction in Big Bend

Customs and Border Protection claimed that construction on a border security project in Big Bend National Park in Texas was limited to “survey and design” work. Visual Investigations’ satellite[…]

Construction workers and heavy equipment at Big Bend National Park.

Our Public Lands and Waters | Big Bend National Park Border Contract Could Fund the Entire Park for 210 Years

“This decision will be remembered by generations of Texans—and all Americans—as a waste of our money and an assault on not just our iconic desert but on the values[…]

Planet Labs satellite imagery captured on August 15 and August 19 shows new roads cleared through the riparian forest around the Rio Grande in Big Bend National Park.

Bellingcat | Satellite Imagery Documents New Border Patrol Road Construction in Big Bend National Park

Satellite images obtained and analysed by Bellingcat show over five miles of new road constructed in Big Bend National Park in southwestern Texas, part of a US Customs and[…]

Construction equipment in Big Bend National Park, South Texas, on August 15, 2026, where Trump wants to continue his anti-immigration policies. - © Ronaldo Schemidt / AFP

Reporterre | ” A sigh of relief “: Trump suspends his anti-immigration project in a national park

Faced with cross-party mobilization, the Trump administration has finally suspended its anti-immigration project at the border with Mexico, in Big Bend National Park, until further notice. Opponents, however, remain[…]

Southwest Valley employees install T posts and rope along a leveled river access area off Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive in Big Bend National Park on Aug. 13, 2026. Kaylee Greenlee for The Texas Tribune

The Texas Tribune | Cornered by Big Bend backlash, Texas Republicans tread carefully around Trump

For over a generation, Texas Republicans have owned the politics of the southern border. Now the Trump administration’s latest border project has them cornered, stuck between constituents outraged over federal[…]

A bulldozer at Cottonwood Campground. Photo credit Mary Cantrell/Marfa Public Radio

A Billion Worlds | How Planned ‘Border Patrol Roads’ Will Devastate Big Bend National Park

The Billion Worlds newsletter was created to help open my eyes and yours to worlds of hopeful possibilities we may not have known were there. Sadly, in recent months[…]

Charlie Gandy hikes last year into Santa Elena Canyon at Big Bend National Park. Recent construction work in the park threatens one of the wildest, darkest and quietest places in the lower 48 states, Pam LeBlanc writes.

Austin American-Statesman | For Big Bend, a pause is not the same as protection

Last spring, when drought had slowed the flow of the Rio Grande through Big Bend National Park to little more than a trickle, I slung a daypack over my[…]

CNN Interview with Wolf Blitzer and Bob Krumenaker

CNN | Border project threatens Big Bend

Originally posted August 18, 2026 Former Big Bend Superintendent Bob Krumenaker discusses concerns that a proposed border security project could damage the park’s landscape and wildlife. Watch the CNN[…]

Big Bend National Park Entrance

AP | Trump administration briefly pauses contentious border project in Texas’ Big Bend National Park

The Trump administration said Monday it is temporarily pausing construction of a contentious border construction project in Texas’ Big Bend National Park while the head of the agency tasked with building[…]

A view of the Rio Grand from Hot Springs Train in Big Bend National Park, Texas. Photo credit: NPS Climate Change Response, Flickr

Public Domain | Trump Administration Halts Border Work In Big Bend National Park As Outrage Grows

Originally posted August 17, 2026 The Trump administration has paused all border barrier construction work at Big Bend National Park, after a flurry of videos showing bulldozers marring the[…]

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Support Keep Big Bend Wild

Click this button to add your name to the growing list of individuals, businesses, and organizations supporting a wilderness designation for the undeveloped lands of Big Bend National Park.

If you would also be willing to help support Keep Big Bend Wild financially please click Donate. 

Every contribution helps defray the cost of our volunteers to produce materials and travel to meetings to build awareness and strengthen our coalition. 

Contributions supporting Keep Big Bend Wild are managed by the El Paso Community Foundation and are tax deductible as allowed by law.

© 2026 Keep Big Bend Wild.
Layout by Jess Repanshek and Kubio.
Images © Rebecca Latson.

Keep Big Bend Wild
P.O. Box 66
Big Bend National Park, TX, 79834