"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
NYTimes | Dark Sky Defenders Raise Alarm Along the Border of West Texas
Unfettered access to the cosmos is an integral part of the landscape in Terlingua and across the Big Bend region of West Texas. It has fostered a community of[…]
Texas Observer | What Is (and Isn’t) Happening with the Border Wall in Big Bend
You’ve probably heard about the Trump administration’s plans for a border wall through Big Bend. Or its plans not to build a wall at all, but instead to put[…]
The Border Chronicle | Trump’s Border Wall Is Coming for Some of the Oldest Murals in North America
On June 3, the Department of Homeland Security awarded its largest upfront border wall contract to date to Fisher Sand & Gravel, a North Dakota company with a checkered[…]
The Alpine Avalanche | Border Wall Outcries Fall on Deaf Ears
The ongoing controversy involving the building of a border wall in Big Bend looks to be forging ahead, despite multiple organizations and conservation advocates’ pleas, as well as comments[…]
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[…]
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[…]
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[…]
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[…]
National Parks Traveler | Congressional Democrats Express Opposition To Waivers Issued For Big Bend Border Wall
In a letter sent to Secretary of Department of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin on June 16, Congressional Democrats expressed strong opposition to the agency’s recent decision to issue waivers[…]
Deseret News | Ex-superintendents urge Homeland Security not to build through Big Bend National Park
Since February, there’s been uncertainty about whether the Department of Homeland Security would build a wall through stretches of the Big Bend region of West Texas.
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.
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Images © Rebecca Latson.
Keep Big Bend Wild
P.O. Box 66
Big Bend National Park, TX, 79834