Community members and environmental groups say they’re beginning to see signs of upcoming border wall construction slated for a stretch of the San Rafael Valley south of Tucson.
The valley is a rugged stretch of grassland dotted with tall mountain ranges that straddles the Arizona-Sonora border. Conservationists have tracked endangered species like the jaguar there, and it’s also home to the San Pedro River.
In June, Homeland Security awarded a roughly $309 million contract to wall off some 27 miles of it. Erick Meza, borderlands coordinator the Sierra Club, says monitors have seen crews conducting land surveys and doing staking in the area in recent weeks. Construction is expected to break ground as early as next week.
“There has been very little transparency right now about what kind of results they’ve been getting, how these environmental surveys, or land surveys, have been conducted,” he said.
Meza says he worries construction will exacerbate problems already seen in the valley because of this year’s dry monsoon season — forcing animals to travel further to find water.
He says a public comment page about the project garnered thousands of responses, including requests to make adjustments for wildlife, like small openings in the wall.
“We still haven’t gotten any response from the Department of Homeland Security on what kind of considerations they are planning to do with this design in order to respond to the concerns of the community,” he said.
A duo of environmental groups that filed suit in July are asking the court to halt the wall segment, but the case has not yet had a ruling.
The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to questions about the project timeline or any plans for wildlife accommodations.
