Under a recent directive from President Donald Trump, the military has been authorized to take control of the Roosevelt Reservation, a 60-foot-wide strip of federal land that runs along the U.S.-Mexico border, including through Arizona.
Russ McSpadden is a conservation advocate with the Center for Biological Diversity. He worries that militarization could set a precedent for the dozens of sky islands in southern Arizona.
Those are unique, biodiverse hotspots along the border that are natural habitats for "animals like jaguars and ocelots. But also it's really important habitat for bears and mountain lions and all sorts of biodiversity," McSpadden said. "It's an incredible landscape that is very sensitive and so, having military operations out there, we do have great concerns about that."
He says the order bypasses a lot of environmental laws and other protections, fast-tracking the military’s ability to operate there.
