Rattler12 said:

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AggieOO said:

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wheelz said:

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Big Bend is 800,000 acres. I don't believe a border wall along one side is going to have much effect on the habitat.

Aesthetically, it will not be as pleasing to the eye for the few people that get to see it, but this is the world we live in today. A border wall means nothing if it's not complete.

Acting like a few roads and a wall is going to destroy BB though is simply not true ecologically speaking.

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Do you realize how long the desert takes to recover from the damage being done? It can literally take 100 years to recover the damage from some simply driving their car off the established roads. This is an incredibly fragile ecosystem.

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Then maybe people should not be allowed to drive in BBNP at all. Walk in and walk out. Yall don't seem to have a problem with the existing roads and dollar to a doughnut if those existing roads were allowed to go back to nature and all upkeep ceased on them, yall would be the first to start bawlin, squallin and slingin snot ever which way..

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If you can't understand the difference, I don't know what to tell you.

AggieOO said:

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Rattler12 said:

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AggieOO said:

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wheelz said:

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Big Bend is 800,000 acres. I don't believe a border wall along one side is going to have much effect on the habitat.

Aesthetically, it will not be as pleasing to the eye for the few people that get to see it, but this is the world we live in today. A border wall means nothing if it's not complete.

Acting like a few roads and a wall is going to destroy BB though is simply not true ecologically speaking.

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Do you realize how long the desert takes to recover from the damage being done? It can literally take 100 years to recover the damage from some simply driving their car off the established roads. This is an incredibly fragile ecosystem.

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Then maybe people should not be allowed to drive in BBNP at all. Walk in and walk out. Yall don't seem to have a problem with the existing roads and dollar to a doughnut if those existing roads were allowed to go back to nature and all upkeep ceased on them, yall would be the first to start bawlin, squallin and slingin snot ever which way..

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If you can't understand the difference, I don't know what to tell you.

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You're against new roads because they will destroy the habitat but all for the existing roads which destroyed the habitat when they were made......it's not that hard ...

CBP pausing all construction activity in BBNP. At least for a day or two.

Rattler12 said:

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AggieOO said:

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Rattler12 said:

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AggieOO said:

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wheelz said:

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Big Bend is 800,000 acres. I don't believe a border wall along one side is going to have much effect on the habitat.

Aesthetically, it will not be as pleasing to the eye for the few people that get to see it, but this is the world we live in today. A border wall means nothing if it's not complete.

Acting like a few roads and a wall is going to destroy BB though is simply not true ecologically speaking.

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Do you realize how long the desert takes to recover from the damage being done? It can literally take 100 years to recover the damage from some simply driving their car off the established roads. This is an incredibly fragile ecosystem.

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Then maybe people should not be allowed to drive in BBNP at all. Walk in and walk out. Yall don't seem to have a problem with the existing roads and dollar to a doughnut if those existing roads were allowed to go back to nature and all upkeep ceased on them, yall would be the first to start bawlin, squallin and slingin snot ever which way..

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If you can't understand the difference, I don't know what to tell you.

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You're against new roads because they will destroy the habitat but all for the existing roads which destroyed the habitat when they were made......it's not that hard ...

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good lord, you are dense.

Aggie_Boomin 21 said:

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wessimo said:

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Yesterday said:

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wessimo said:

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How about this one? Anyone who has been to BB knows exactly where this is.

BREAKING: DHS IS BULLDOZING THE MOUTH OF SANTA ELENA CANYON.

DHS waived every single environmental law, now they’re butchering the most iconic part of Texas’ crown jewel national park. All happening the day after a massive protest right here and on the morning CNN left. This is… pic.twitter.com/GEc5YQEDxK

— Laiken Jordahl (@LaikenJordahl) August 13, 2026

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That is fake. This is what I'm talking about. There is no bulldozer at the mouth of the Santa Elena canyon.

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You clearly have no idea what you are talking about. The video is credited to a local photographer.

Article here: https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/texas-big-bend-border-wall-eye-on-politics/

Insta account of the photographer: https://instagr.am/p/Dbr4FvOtn7-

ETA - it is disturbing world that we live in where people shout "fake" at any evidence that doesn't fit their worldview, even when the veracity is easily verifiable. I guess this is nothing new, but it is only going to get worse.

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I looked through the "photographers" instagram and didn't see the video of the dozer running wild anywhere. Pretty sure that first one you posted specifically is fake. There are others like this more recent link that seem real that are concerning, but the construction vehicles seem to be moving more purposefully.

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https://www.reddit.com/r/BigBendTX/comments/1vpx12o/saturday_aug_15_visit_photos_the_bad/

there are many people documenting this, but for whatever reason people want to pretend like none of it is actually happening.

Statement from CBP Commissioner Rodney S. Scott correcting the record on Big Bend border security projects

Release Date

Thu, 08/13/2026
"Big Bend belongs to the American people, and our job is to keep it safe. So, let's be clear about what isand is nothappening there.

CBP is building one new access road, improving existing roads, installing detection technology, and placing vehicle barriers in limited, strategic locations. We are NOT building a 30-foot wall or stadium lighting through Big Bend National Park, Big Bend Ranch State Park, or the Black Gap Wildlife Management Area.

What people are seeing right now is survey and design workNOT construction of a wall through the park. We are working to preserve the landscape and protect the access visitors and local businesses depend on.

The first step in securing our border is knowing who and what is entering our country. These improvements will help our agents detect illegal crossings, respond faster, and assist visitors in danger. As we strengthen the border across the Southwest, we will not leave Big Bend as an opening for cartels to exploit by shifting their routes and tactics. We are securing this park to protect its legacykeeping it safe, secure, and pristine so American families can enjoy the beauty of our country, free from cartel activity and without fear, for generations to come."

I have never questioned if I was on the OB or the craptastical politics zoo board, more, before today. This whole thread sucks! Especially attacking Gunny. GTFO!!!

TAMUallen said:

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How many people crying about this actually spend any time in or around the park?

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I've been there more times than I can count. For the last 15 years, I've been out there multiple times a year, sometimes 5+ times per year. Been going out there for more than two decades. Got engaged on top of Casa Grande. We did our honeymoon in Big Bend. Took my oldest tent camping in the chisos for the first time when she was 9 months old. Youngest went when she was 5 months old. I've backpacked the outer mountain loop multiple times. I've been deep into the backcountry. I've been on top of Mariscal Canyon Rim where they are supposedly going to attempt to put a road. There aren't too many of the areas of the park I haven't been. Then you can add in the time I've spent in the state park, davis mountains, CDRI, all the small towns, Chinati, etc. I don't care if you think I'm "crying."

Big screw-up and missed opportunity by CBP to lay out, with visuals, what they plan on building out there. Could've saved a lot of heartache with better communication from the jump.

ol'Porkbelly said:

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Big screw-up and missed opportunity by CBP to lay out, with visuals, what they plan on building out there. Could've saved a lot of heartache with better communication from the jump.

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Yea right. You think the crazies that are protesting now would have just stayed home? This is what they live for.

SanAntoneAg said:

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CBP pausing all construction activity in BBNP. At least for a day or two.

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Good!

Yesterday said:

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ol'Porkbelly said:

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Big screw-up and missed opportunity by CBP to lay out, with visuals, what they plan on building out there. Could've saved a lot of heartache with better communication from the jump.

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Yea right. You think the crazies that are protesting now would have just stayed home? This is what they live for.

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Yeah, but the problem is that the reason a lot of those crazies get riled up the way they do is because of the lack of solid information. Because of how word spreads in the community out there, it is like a great big game of telephone where the claims get bigger and bigger every time the story gets passed on. Eventually the construction of a road and a few camera towers becomes a bulldozed wall through the middle of the hot springs and a gate across the entrance to Santa Elena Canyon.

Spending a few days presenting what they plan to do and how they plan to minimize impact to delicate ecosystems in doing it would have gone a long way to help minimize the rumor mill inflating everything into worst case scenarios.

As the person who started this thread, I am embarrassed that it has reached the F16 level of discourse. A couple of things...

• I never stated that they were building a wall in the OP.
• I never said that people should start arguing about who spends the most time in the park, or which roads destroyed more habitat, or for half of the posters to get into pissing contests on the internet. Y'all need to grow up.
• If you don't believe the videos people have posted, do some research yourself. No one has to "prove" anything one way or the other.
• If you blindly believe everything you see or read on the internet with out digging in, you are a fool.
• If you blindly trust the federal government, you are even more of a fool.

Aggieangler93 said:

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I have never questioned if I was on the OB or the craptastical politics zoo board, more, before today.

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I know what you mean - I thought this was the Outdoors board too . . . you know, where people care about rivers, wildlife, nature, national parks, and private property rights more than just toeing the line drawn by a politician.

I have provided a lot of facts and original thoughts on this thread, and the primary counterargument so far has been to call me a liberal (which I am not) and say that the pictures are fake (which they are not).

txags92 said:

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Yesterday said:

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ol'Porkbelly said:

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Big screw-up and missed opportunity by CBP to lay out, with visuals, what they plan on building out there. Could've saved a lot of heartache with better communication from the jump.

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Yea right. You think the crazies that are protesting now would have just stayed home? This is what they live for.

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Yeah, but the problem is that the reason a lot of those crazies get riled up the way they do is because of the lack of solid information. Because of how word spreads in the community out there, it is like a great big game of telephone where the claims get bigger and bigger every time the story gets passed on. Eventually the construction of a road and a few camera towers becomes a bulldozed wall through the middle of the hot springs and a gate across the entrance to Santa Elena Canyon.

Spending a few days presenting what they plan to do and how they plan to minimize impact to delicate ecosystems in doing it would have gone a long way to help minimize the rumor mill inflating everything into worst case scenarios.

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Had they done that there would still be self important experts on here calling them liars

One thing for sure. The next time I do some more fence building on the ranch down by the river I'm going to reach out to the experts on here that know all about how to build it.

Yesterday said:

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This is the mouth of Santa Elena canyon. From Texas Monthly. Know what's missing? Bull dozers. Do you think Texas Monthly would ignore bulldozers in the mount of Santa Elena canyon?

Stop with the emotional theatrics. Post facts. That way when something of substance does happen you will have people on believe you.

?auto=compress&crop=faces&fit=fit&fm=jpg&h=0&ixlib=php-3.3.1&q=45&w=1250

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Spot on. Goebbels would be laughing at the "Big Bend Wall" propaganda.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DcKHJYbEZPp/?igsh=MWFwMzlyYnpmb2FrYw==&igsi=MWFwMzlyYnpmb2FrYw==

wessimo said:

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https://www.instagram.com/p/DcKHJYbEZPp/?igsh=MWFwMzlyYnpmb2FrYw==&igsi=MWFwMzlyYnpmb2FrYw==

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What I don't like about this Insta post is the interspersed pictures of a beautiful landscape, and then a pic of a bulldozer dozing a mostly level and straight line thru some flat piece of land that has nothing to do with the pics on either side of it. Insinuating that the dozer is going to be headed towards that cool rock formation and destroying it.
Yeah, the editing is very clever to make it seem as though the scenic landscapes are the ones being ground down, when they are not.

And while I am a native Texan, I have lived in NM for nearly 35 years, and am now retired here, living in a very rural part of western NM a long way from the border.

It was meant to be disingenuous. Just like a lot that has been posted on this thread. Some see it as yet another opportunity to bash the administration. Many of the "sky is falling" posters have little to none history posting on the OB, but yet they say how passionate they are about the outdoors.
One of them posted almost verbatim on this board last week what he posted on 2/20/26 on the politics board with the same agenda.
Then folks came on the OB and insult veteran OB respected guys like Yesterday, Ratler12, texags92, etc. by saying " you don't know what you're talking about" or calling people "dense"….or that they are "toeing the line of a politician" …because they disagree with them.
Typical political agenda BS that belongs on the politics board.
I am all for protecting our lands, rivers, lakes, parks and wildlife. Hell I went to school for it.
But when facts are not accurate or skewed criticism is the result.

Or maybe, just maybe, I'm a landowner on the river that is about to lose a significant piece of property to the other side of the wall but doesn't want to disclose too much on a public forum. Maybe that's also why I'm saying the same thing I said in February . . . I didn't realize making a consistent argument six months later on a different forum was against the rules, my bad.

Senator Blutarski said:

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Or maybe, just maybe, I'm a landowner on the river that is about to lose a significant piece of property to the other side of the wall but doesn't want to disclose too much on a public forum. Maybe that's also why I'm saying the same thing I said in February . . . I didn't realize making a consistent argument six months later on a different forum was against the rules, my bad.

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There is a lot of mixed information and deliberate distortion of reality for political gain going on both here and out at Big Bend. A lot of the initial outrage was because the initial plan included a wall through Big Bend. CBP backed away from that pretty quickly due to public outcry and switched to a "smart wall" that was mostly a patrol road and some camera towers along with a few smaller vehicle barriers at key locations.

When the dozers showed up, a huge number of people started posting that the contractors were there to build a wall and wailing about how a wall would destroy the views and ecosystem of Big Bend NP and SR even though there was no intent to build an actual wall there anymore. Now there are people trading on the public impressions about the public lands in Big Bend to piggyback concerns about their own property along the border that is not part of the state or federal park properties. I get the concerns of all sides and feel like most of the folks have a legit set of concerns about what will be done and how it will impact the landowners and the ecosystem in the area.

But what pisses me off is the hyperbole and outright false information that twists up the public angst up to 11 over things that are not happening (such as "putting a wall across the entrance to Santa Elena Canyon" and **** like that). The situation is already difficult enough and has enough righteous emotion on both sides without fanning the flames with exaggerated claims and lies about what is actually happening. This is a difficult set of issues that need a careful solution and I think the pause to discuss things with stakeholders is a good first step. But I also think the idea that there is no risk of trafficking in humans and drugs via Big Bend and locations nearby is naive at best. I just wish people could take the hyperbole and fake news out of it all and deal with the situation rationally instead of turning it up to 11 all the time.

Part of that is CBP refusing to communicate exactly what they plan to build and where.

They have a map on their website that doesn't match press releases or public comment, changes without announcement, and is seemingly vague on purpose.

The 4' vehicle barrier fence is still unnecessary for the vast majority of the park. No one is driving across the river even at designated crossings (like Boquillas).

The "patrol road" shouldn't require excavation of Mariscal Mountain nor bulldozing a new road from Castolon to Santa Elena. Roads already exist.

I haven't seen where the "against" crowd is saying crossings don't happen at all, but most folks point out that the $2B would be much better spent elsewhere.

But when you have folks like Yesterday is pretending every photo with a bulldozer is fake, it's difficult to have a real conversation.