{"id":40119,"date":"2026-10-05T08:30:59","date_gmt":"2026-10-05T15:30:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/community.nrs.com\/duct-tape\/?p=40119"},"modified":"2026-09-11T07:55:57","modified_gmt":"2026-09-11T14:55:57","slug":"a-wall-through-the-wilderness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/community.nrs.com\/duct-tape\/2026\/10\/05\/a-wall-through-the-wilderness\/","title":{"rendered":"A Wall Through the Wilderness"},"content":{"rendered":"

As the sun lightens the morning sky, <\/span>ranchers and river guides<\/span>, <\/span>locals <\/span>young and old, line up along a major road junction leading to Big Bend National Park. Some hold up signs they brought from home. Others hastily construct new ones from poster board and markers. A big pickup truck stops in front of the demonstrators and signals it wants to cut through the crowd. People part, allowing passage. The driver, wearing a weathered cowboy hat and work clothes, steps out of the cab and manipulates levers to deposit a shipping container in the middle of the parking area. On the side of the container hangs a banner with the words \u201cNo Wall\u201d written in large font. With handshakes and smiles, he joins the pack of protestors.<\/span><\/p>\n

A wall is the physical symbol of division\u2014it\u2019s meant to divide people. But in the Big Bend region of Texas, opposition to a wall along the Rio Grande River is unifying a diverse community.<\/span><\/p>\n

In our modern world, the first wound on the land is not a blade cutting into the soil, but a pen drawn across a map. In February 2026, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) released <\/span>plans<\/span><\/a> for \u201csmart wall\u201d border protection across the Big Bend region, with a potential for a 30-foot-high steel bollard barrier through Big Bend National Park, Big Bend Ranch State Park, Black Gap Wildlife Management Area, the Lower Canyons of the Rio Grande, and numerous private ranches and land holdings.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The funds for this project were already appropriated through the <\/span>One Big Beautiful Bill Act<\/span><\/a>. And, because the U.S.-Mexican border was declared a <\/span>state of emergency<\/span><\/a> on January 20<\/span>th,<\/span> 2025, <\/span>laws<\/span><\/a> designed to protect these areas and impede superfluous construction had been nullified. No public input was required or requested. The map was not a proposal but a prediction of what was to be accomplished over the next few months. <\/span><\/p>\n

After the demonstration, a friend and I negotiate a rock slab and drop into a draw, making our way to the river for a picnic. We are in a portion of Big Bend Ranch State Park known as the Hoodoos because of its interesting rock formations. A slight breeze keeps the temperature pleasant, but the sun is intense. When the heat becomes too much, we take refuge in the river then crawl back up on the sunbaked rock, soaking in its warmth until it\u2019s time to cool off again. <\/span>Despite being the height of the spring break tourist season, we have a section of canyon to ourselves\u2014a section of world to ourselves.<\/span><\/p>\n

The cathedral where we are seeking solace doesn\u2019t have stained glass. It has blue skies, green riparian corridors, blossoms of yellow prickly pear and red ocotillo, and rock walls that change colors with the rising and the setting of the sun. Big Bend Ranch State Park is the largest state park in Texas, encompassing approximately 311,000 acres. It is a spectacular destination on its own virtues and complements Big Bend National Park, located just downstream.<\/span><\/p>\n