WASHINGTON, DC – For their contributions to rejuvenate wilderness designation efforts at Big Bend National Park, a grassroots group of citizens known as “Keep Big Bend Wild” is the recipient of the 2023 National Park Service (NPS) Excellence in Wilderness Stewardship Award, in the External Partner category. The annual award recognizes outstanding contributions to wilderness stewardship by an individual, team, and non-governmental partner. The National Park System includes over 44 million acres of designated wilderness, in 50 different NPS areas, including Guadalupe Mountains National Park in far west Texas. The recipients of these awards exemplify a commitment to preserving wilderness character and unwavering devotion to help connect people to their wilderness heritage and the benefits of these special places.
Over forty years ago, after extensive study and public input, most of the undeveloped lands of Big Bend National Park, about 2/3 of the park, was officially recommended for wilderness designation through Congressional action. During that time, the NPS has protected these lands by policy from being developed, but they are potentially vulnerable if future policy changes.
At Big Bend, formal wilderness designation by Congress would reduce uncertainty about the park’s future direction as visitation increases. As all public roads, the Rio Grande, the Lodge, campgrounds, and all other infrastructure would remain outside of the wilderness, all uses that are currently allowed would continue both inside and outside of the wilderness. Existing infrastructure would be maintained or improved, and any additional development needed in the future would be concentrated in the existing developed areas.
Working collaboratively with the NPS, Keep Big Bend Wild has successfully brought the wilderness issue back to the forefront in Texas. They have built a strong coalition of local and regional governments, government officials, businesses, tribes, NGOs, and “ordinary Texans” who support wilderness designation at Big Bend. Their efforts have stirred up a buzz in West Texas that is getting noticed even by citizens and public officials across the political spectrum. This effort is also getting wide notice within the NPS, as it is the only place in the nation where there is a vibrant and collaborative community effort to resurrect a long-dormant wilderness recommendation. In recent months, Keep Big Bend Wild and the NPS held two public meetings in Big Bend’s gateway communities, and they plan to hold additional public meetings across Texas this fall.
The awards ceremony took place in Washington, DC on August 23. Keep Big Bend Wild members and current Acting Big Bend Superintendent Kendell Thompson traveled to DC to accept the award at the main Department of the Interior building. They were accompanied by Evelyn Merz, Cary Dupuy, and Cristobal Lopez in accepting the award on behalf of all the Keep Big Bend Wild volunteers. A recording of the entire award ceremony, including a short pre-recorded video produced by Keep Big Bend Wild, is available at https://doi.gov/events
Learn more about wilderness management at Big Bend National Park at: http://www.nps.gov/bibe/learn/management/wilderness.htm.
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