"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
Big Bend Sentinel | ‘We already lost it once’: Eminent domain returns to the Big Bend
When Everett Ewing Townsend, a 23-year-old customs inspector stationed on the border in the Big Bend, saw the South Rim of the Chisos Mountains for the first time, he[…]
Outside | The Trump Administration Just Waived Dozens of Protections in Big Bend. Former Park Leaders Are Sounding the Alarm.
Originally posted June 17, 2026 Lawmakers and former leaders of Big Bend National Park are sounding the alarm after the Trump administration recently waived dozens of environmental and historic protections. The groups[…]
Valley Central.com | Proposed ban on Big Bend border wall fails in U.S. House funding panel
A proposal to bar the Trump administration from building a border wall in Big Bend National Park died Wednesday in the U.S. House Appropriations Committee, after the GOP-controlled panel[…]
Austin American-Statesman | This is the edge of America. Why would we change it?
We stood at the doorstep of a foreign land and a gorge millions of years in the making. I told my kids: This is the edge of America.
Marfa Public Radio | Former Big Bend superintendents sound alarm about widespread border construction plans in the national park
A group of six former superintendents of Big Bend National Park are warning about the Trump administration’s border security plans for the park, which recently revealed details show include[…]
Austin American-Statesman | Texas Democrats, former Big Bend leaders urge halt to border barrier plans
Every Democratic member of the Texas congressional delegation has joined seven former Big Bend National Park leaders in calling for the Trump administration to halt plans to construct border[…]
KTSM | Catholic Diocese of Las Cruces gets more support from border communities in fight over Mount Cristo Rey property
A federal judge in New Mexico has ruled the U.S. government can deposit money into a court as part of a plan to seize land from the Catholic Diocese[…]
National Parks Traveler | Wilderness Lost
Across the United States, from Alaska to Puerto Rico, there are about 112 million acres of officially designated wilderness. That amounts to about 5 percent of the country’s land[…]
NYTimes | A Diocese Tries to Protect Its 29-Foot Jesus From Trump’s Border Wall
At sunrise, when the day’s first golden glow washes over the 29-foot-tall limestone Jesus atop Mount Cristo Rey, Lourdes Castañon feels the presence of the divine. “The rays catch[…]
Wild Idea Media | New Wilderness Directives, Congress Approves $2 Billion for Parks, Former Big Bend Supervisors Fight Border Wall
This week on The Wild Line, we’re tracking new federal directives reshaping wilderness management for climbing anchors and livestock grazing, a bipartisan bill that would restore nearly $2 billion[…]
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.
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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.
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Images © Rebecca Latson.
Keep Big Bend Wild
P.O. Box 66
Big Bend National Park, TX, 79834