As the former superintendent of Big Bend National Park, I spent the capstone years of my career working to protect this remarkable desert landscape. I am appalled that the Department of Homeland Security is now planning to build a completely unnecessary massive border wall through the spectacular river frontage that gives Big Bend its name — and with no public or environmental review.
I strongly support a secure border with Mexico and worked closely with U.S. Customs and Border Protection during my five years at Big Bend. But there are two goals for the government here. National Park Service rangers and Border Patrol agents must both effectively monitor this broad stretch of wilderness and also protect the wild, scenic, recreational and ecologically important treasures that make this place beloved by Texans.
Luckily, in my experience, border security and conservation are compatible when agencies cooperate.
These 118 miles of the Rio Grande have long been the least active section of the entire U.S.-Mexican border. Terrain and remoteness on the Mexican side make it extremely difficult to reach. Plus, more than half of the river through the park is entrenched in deep canyons with walls of their own that stretch higher than the Empire State Building. Just late last year, Customs and Border Protection itself noted that there are areas where terrain acts as a natural barrier.
In contrast to the land’s difficulty for humans, Big Bend is essential habitat for the species that call it home. It hosts more nesting bird species than any other U.S. national park, mountain lions, and black bears that recolonized the park from south of the Rio Grande. A border wall here would block off wildlife migration routes and intensify the risk of flooding.
Big Bend National Park also has the darkest night skies in the lower 48, and is part of the world’s largest International Dark Sky Reserve. A wall’s blaring lights would devastate the darkness and discourage astrotourists.
The tourism Big Bend attracts is vital for the region: The National Park Service estimates that Big Bend contributed $64 million to the local economy in 2024. In addition to the stars, access to the Rio Grande is fundamental to the park experience. A wall would cut off river access from the U.S., eliminate the river outfitting economy, and likely deter many of the visitors who keep these remote gateway towns afloat.
Sadly, this is yet another addition to the long list of attacks on our national parks. Over the last year, park staff have been cut, budgets have been restricted, sell-offs have been threatened, and last year’s shutdown caused serious damage.
This is in direct opposition to the will of the American people, and at Big Bend, Texans are standing up to protect this vital land. Leaders of the five counties that surround the park — including Brewster County Judge Greg Henington and Hudspeth County Judge Joanna MacKenzie, both Republicans — have said it doesn’t make sense, urging the Trump Administration to reconsider. Terrell County Sheriff Thaddeus Cleveland, who has impeccable security credentials, opposes the wall here, and so too do Big Bend-area State Rep. Eddie Morales and State Senator Cesar Blanco. Texas Governor Abbott stood against a wall here a decade ago, and Morales, along with 46 other legislators from both parties, are now urging him to intervene with the Administration.
From the local to the top of the state, our elected officials need to urge the Administration to reconsider its highly unpopular and destructive plans. We must defeat this ill-conceived project. And with enough public pressure, we can.
But stopping the wall cannot be the end of our work. The best way to ensure that the still-undeveloped portions of this extraordinary landscape are protected for future generations would be to give them the highest level of protection for public lands — federal wilderness designation. Though the Department of Homeland Security can still waive the protections of wilderness designation and other environmental laws, the higher profile would make it much more difficult for a future presidential administration to defy the will of the public. Republican and Democratic Presidents since Richard Nixon have recommended the wilderness designation for Big Bend, and it’s time for Congress to finally act.
Texans have a long history of standing up for Big Bend. When the public first began calling for a national park here, the Depression had left the federal government without the funds to acquire the land. So Texans took on the job themselves, purchasing land from ranchers and presenting the deed to President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1943. That’s why Big Bend is proudly known as “Texas’ Gift to the Nation.”
We cannot allow this great gift to be desecrated. Our elected leaders must act to protect Big Bend now and forever.
Bob Krumenaker retired from the National Park Service after a 41-year career as a biologist and park manager in many national park units across the U.S. He served from 2018 to 2023 as the Superintendent of Big Bend National Park. He is a member of the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks and chairs Keep Big Bend Wild, which is working to preserve the park’s wildness and build support for wilderness designation. He testified before Congress in 2025 about how existing border security cooperation mechanisms are working well at Big Bend National Park.