"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
Wild Idea Media | A New Management Plan for the Colorado River, BLM Approves Data Center on Public Land, and Forest Service Initiates ICE Raid
Originally posted August 7, 2026 This week on The Wild Line, we’re tracking a new 10-year Colorado River management plan, the first data center approved on BLM-managed public land,[…]
SFGate | Bulldozers are ripping apart Big Bend National Park. Conservationists are furious.
Originally posted August 7, 2026 Heavy construction equipment has appeared inside Big Bend National Park in southern Texas as contractors for Customs and Border Protection begin a land assessment.[…]
Courier Texas | Trump Administration begins construction inside Big Bend
Billy Bartko has spent his life building something in Terlingua. He and his wife own Far Flung Outdoor Center near Big Bend National Park—guided river trips, Jeep tours, ATV tours, and[…]
Houston Public Media | Border project contractors arrive in Big Bend National Park as Texas lawmakers call for a pause
Texas Democrats in Congress are urging the Trump administration to pause its plan for widespread border security infrastructure inside Big Bend National Park, as a federal contractor working on[…]
Midland Reporter Telegram | Texas lawmakers urge delay of proposed road over Big Bend’s Mariscal Mountain
Texas members of Congress and U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman, ranking member of the House Natural Resources Committee, urged Trump administration officials to delay work on a proposed road across[…]
The Big Bend Sentinel | More questions than answers as contractors descend upon Big Bend National Park
Tensions are high in South Brewster County as federal contractor Southwest Valley Construction, a subsidiary of Nebraska-based Kiewit, moved heavy equipment into Big Bend National Park on Tuesday morning.[…]
Marfa Public Radio | Border project contractors arrive in Big Bend National Park as Texas lawmakers call for a pause
Texas Democrats in Congress are urging the Trump administration to pause its plan for widespread border security infrastructure inside Big Bend National Park, as a federal contractor working on[…]
The Travel | U.S. Customs And Border Protection Responds Over Plan To Blast Big Bend National Park Mountain
Bob Krumenaker, chair of Keep Big Bend Wild and former Superintendent of Big Bend National Park, told TheTravel in an emailed statement that the U.S. government intends to build[…]
Our Public Lands and Waters | The Bulldozers Have Arrived in Big Bend National Park
For months, the Trump administration’s border wall plans for Big Bend National Park existed mostly as contradictory maps, opaque contracts, and shifting (re)assurances. Now, however, the heavy equipment has[…]
A Billion Worlds | A Conspiracy to Murder Mariscal Mountain in Big Bend?
Posted July 29, 2026 When I saw on the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s preposterously named “Smart Wall” map that the route of a new and unnecessary patrol road[…]
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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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Contributions supporting Keep Big Bend Wild are managed by the El Paso Community Foundation and are tax deductible as allowed by law.
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Images © Rebecca Latson.
Keep Big Bend Wild
P.O. Box 66
Big Bend National Park, TX, 79834