The Arizona Trail Association is hoping the community will voice concern to help to stop construction of the border barriers near its southern trailhead through the Huachuca Mountains in Cochise County.
And fast: The deadline is May 15.
Customs and Border Protection officials announced plans to continue a 30-foot steel barrier across the Huachuca Mountain landscape on March 17, as a part of 74-miles of future border barrier projects scheduled throughout Pima, Santa Cruz and Cochise counties.
Arizona Trail Association Executive Director Matthew Nelson is urging the public to voice their concern over the project while the CBP continues to accept public comments via email until May 15. The ATA’s beef with the project is how the scenic view will be disturbed, which was the reason why that spot was chosen as the trailhead 30-plus-years prior.
“The southern terminus of the Arizona National Scenic Trail is one of the most significant locations along the entire 800-mile trail,” Nelson said. “This is where the Arizona Trail begins, and where the dream of the Arizona Trail was born over 30 years ago. “
In addition to the 30-foot-tall steel barriers, the proposed project includes the installation of a linear ground detection system, road construction, and the installation of lighting, which will be supported by grid power and embedded cameras. Nelson said if the project continues, it will be another law of dozens discarded to allow border construction over the past decade.
“When Congress designated the Arizona Trail a National Scenic Trail in 2009, it was supposed to be protected in perpetuity from these types of impacts,” said Nelson. “If this project moves forward, the National Trails System Act will be the 42nd law waived to allow construction of the wall, along with the National Environmental Policy Act, Endangered Species Act, and Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, to name just a few.”
To send your public comment to the CBP via email before the May 15 deadline, at TucsonComments@cbp.dhs.gov
For more information about the Arizona Trail, click here
This article appears in May 7-13, 2020.
Who thought the arizona trail association would become entitled, rigid, and a nimby? Wonder if a solar or wind farm was going to be built, if the dynamic would be different?
The mission of the Arizona Trail Association is to protect, maintain, enhance, promote and sustain the trail. So when mines, power lines, forest thinning projects, solar and wind farms and other projects that directly conflict with the nature and purpose of the trail arise, YES the ATA works hard to protect the trail. Most projects can mitigate their impacts, or the trail can move, but CBP is not offering any compromise with the wall. So the ATA hopes the public will speak up to prioritize public lands, wildlife, history and recreation over the wall.
Yet the tons of trash along the trail, the lack of security, and the erosion and by-trails from illegal activity never seem to bother them. Gee, wonder if they have another motivation here?
Wouldn’t it be useful if tax payers that may be funding the Gropenfuhrers’ wall focused on it’s benefits, rather than the motivations of its’ detractors. The effectiveness of any wall in preventing human passage has yet to be demonstrated, though the Berlin wall came close, only an average of three people a day made it across that 27 mile long barrier while it existed. But the barrier being built along our southern border in Arizona will disrupt in a negative way the ecological systems it transects. And if the barrier crossing the San Pedro river in Cochise county is designed with a similar level of concern, those living near the San Pedro downstrem from the border may want to consider moving to higher ground.
trump’s border wall IS a Crime against nature & humanity !