{"id":1013035,"date":"2026-08-20T15:43:25","date_gmt":"2026-08-20T15:43:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1013035\/"},"modified":"2026-08-20T15:43:25","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T15:43:25","slug":"texas-parks-and-wildlife-commissioners-inundated-with-border-wall-concerns-during-annual-meeting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/1013035\/","title":{"rendered":"Texas Parks and Wildlife commissioners inundated with border wall concerns during annual meeting"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Dozens gather in opposition of border infrastructure projects in the Big Bend region before the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission\u2019s public meeting in Austin on Aug. 18, 2026. Credit: Texas Tribune \/ Kaylee Greenlee<\/p>\n

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission\u2019s annual public hearing kicked off Wednesday with an unusually festive scene outside the agency\u2019s Austin offices: a tailgate party where hundreds of people from around the state cooked out, shared cold drinks and talked about the reason they\u2019d come \u2014 the potential construction of border barriers through state park property in far West Texas.<\/p>\n

Cardboard cut-outs of desert animals with slogans like \u201cDon\u2019t fence us in\u201d and \u201cNo wall, no wire, no way\u201d lined the walkway leading to TPWD headquarters, mirroring chants from the crowd \u2013\u2013\u00a0all hoping that the agency that oversees the state park system would finally respond to months of public outcry about the possibility of large-scale federal border wall construction on public land.<\/p>\n

Videos of bulldozers tearing into Big Bend National Park have sparked headlines around the world, to the point that Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott personally paused construction until he could conduct an on-the-ground visit to the region.<\/p>\n

But the federal government\u2019s plans in neighboring Big Bend Ranch State Park and Black Gap Wildlife Management Area, both Texas Parks and Wildlife properties, are still up in the air. Customs and Border Protection has released little information to the public about its plans for border barrier construction on state land beyond an online map<\/a> that has changed numerous times without warning.<\/p>\n

\"\"Cutouts, signs and posters line the walkway leading to TPWD headquarters at Wednesday\u2019s meeting.<\/p>\n

Despite being one of the most pressing issues facing the agency, border barriers were not included in the agenda for the board\u2019s quarterly meeting. The commission only holds one forum for in-person public comment per year, so organizers seized on the opportunity to speak to commissioners directly.<\/p>\n

Mike Davidson, a river guide on the Rio Grande since 1977, said that in all of his years in the backcountry in Big Bend, he\u2019d never once felt threatened by crime on the border. \u201cWe don\u2019t see people trying to cross the river while we\u2019re paddling,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

David Long, a longtime TPWD employee and former superintendent of the Barton Warnock Center at Big Bend Ranch State Park, talked about the joys of teaching his grandsons how to safely navigate the river and the harsh Chihuahuan Desert backcountry.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is the legacy that we want to leave our future generations?\u201d he asked the crowd. \u201cMemories of how we coexist with nature and protect it \u2013\u2013 or a scarred landscape?\u201d<\/p>\n

Ninety-nine people signed up to speak at Wednesday\u2019s public hearing and the vast majority wanted to talk about border barriers, including a large contingency from the Big Bend region.<\/p>\n

\"\"The audience, including dozens who signed up to address the commission in opposition of border infrastructure projects in the Big Bend region, listens as the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission public meeting begins in Austin on Aug. 18, 2026. Credit: Courtesy photo<\/p>\n

Hillary Pierce, an organizer for No Big Bend Wall, a group dedicated to stopping the construction of border barriers in Customs and Border Protection\u2019s largest and least busy sector, said the pre-meeting tailgate was an attempt to make the gathering feel more like a celebration of Texas parks than a tense confrontation between the public and the commission.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of people don\u2019t realize that the commission consists of people who are appointed directly by Gov. Abbott himself,\u201d she explained. \u201cIn many cases, they are some of his biggest supporters, some of his biggest donors, and have a direct line to him. We\u2019re hoping that they\u2019ll advocate for us and amplify our voices in his ear.\u201d<\/p>\n

Former Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, who has been trying to rally fellow Republicans to the cause, said opposing federal barriers in far West Texas has become a bipartisan cause. \u201cI have yet to encounter anybody in the Big Bend area who does not oppose a wall,\u201d he said<\/p>\n

Jake Walker, a board member of the Texas chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, said that federal border projects could affect 20% of all publicly available hunting land in the state. \u201cAny changes in the landscape could have an impact on our access to that wildlife,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

While most of the commenters were concerned with TPWD holdings in Presidio and Brewster Counties, they are not the only properties that could be affected by the barrier project. Seminole Canyon State Park \u2014 home to the Lower Pecos style of rock art \u2013\u2013 preserves a storytelling and design tradition thousands of years old.<\/p>\n

There are 80 recorded archeological sites in the park spanning 10,000 years of human history, earning it a place on the National Register of Historic Places.<\/p>\n

Amanda Casta\u00f1eda, archeology director at Shumla, a nonprofit aimed at preserving the Lower Pecos rock art tradition, explained that CBP\u2019s current plan would effectively cut the park in half with a six-foot fence that would cut off hiking trails and interpretive sites.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis park contains a deep and varied history that Texans are proud of,\u201d Casta\u00f1eda said.<\/p>\n

Though the TPWD commission is not obligated to respond to public comments, Chair Paul Foster did address the volume of comments related to border barriers.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we agree with most of you, and are working with the governor\u2019s office and the federal government,\u201d he said. \u201cOur goal is to minimize damage to the ecosystem and the natural beauty of not only the parks, but the whole area.\u201d<\/p>\n

Disclosure: Paul L. Foster has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in The Texas Tribune\u2019s journalism. Find a complete\u00a0list of them here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This article<\/a> first appeared on The Texas Tribune<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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