Don’t Build the Wall!

Seminole Canyon is located along the Rio Grande. I was hiking along the river with the absolutely gorgeous views and realized this is another of those places that Trump wants to make ugly. A crude 30’ wall will not make things safer. The walls of the canyon are already steep enough that you can’t simply climb down from Mexico, cross the river, and then climb up the canyon walls. We heard that the park does have more modern sensors to detect anyone who travels up the canyon.

There would be no benefit to a wall. Instead, it would destroy the view. The construction would damage the ecology. Do you think Trump has ever hiked along a river?

Talking to rangers, they don’t want money spent on a wall but they wouldn’t mind having money spent on more modern items like more infrared sensors and drones. Technology from this century, not a wall from the past.

We’ve visited other parks along the border and an old-fashioned and crude wall would ruin the experience. Big Bend National Park has a tremendous view along the border. How would a wall help, especially since border crossings really aren’t a problem here? 

Also in Big Bend, there is a hot spring along the Rio Grande. It is full of history as the remains of a resort. The area has swallows nesting in the cliffs along with pictographs along the cliff wall. When you get too hot in the water, you can climb into the Rio Grande to cool off and perhaps walk to Mexico for a minute and come back. How can you build a wall here? Through the hot springs? Through the river? On this side so the hot springs is off-limits to the thousands of hikers who currently enjoy it? Do you think Trump would care if he is damaging history and the environment?

Theodore Roosevelt will be known for years as the president who started the national park system and is listed as one of top U.S. presidents. He worked to preserve parts of our country for future generations. Other presidents over the years have added more national parks, monuments, forests, and protected areas. It looks like this president will be known as the short-sighted one who allowed drilling and mining in our national lands, built an ugly wall cutting off our views, and cut finances to the national park service and to the environmental protection agency for short-term profit. What a legacy.