CTA Members,
Our colleagues at Shumla are actively working to try to raise awareness about the border wall and its potential impacts to cultural resources within the Lower Pecos Canyonlands. Please read the following infographic from Amanda Castenda and provide comments at the link below. CTA will not provide a form letter, as form letters are counted as a single comment. Shumla is trying to get the word out, so please circulate this among your networks in Texas and nationwide. Social media posts tagging Shumla and the petition/comment link may also be appreciated.
Shumla's Board of Directors has unanimously adopted a resolution calling for thoughtful stewardship, sound science, meaningful consultation with Tribal communities and affected landowners, and careful consideration of the irreplaceable cultural resources of the Lower Pecos Canyonlands.
Further, we have started a petition to raise awareness and hopefully encourage decision-makers to pursue border security solutions that protect the irreplaceable cultural resources of the Lower Pecos Canyonlands.
On July 27, the Department of Homeland Security waived 30 regulations (including the National Historic Preservation Act) for our section of the border project to expedite the construction process (https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/07/27/2026-15096/determination-pursuant-to-section-102-of-the-illegal-immigration-reform-and-immigrant-responsibility).
Currently, there is an open comment period for Big Bend Project 5. I would encourage as much participation in this as possible. The comment period closes on August 31, 2026.
Our biggest concerns are the lack of clear communication from the federal government and what cultural sites could be destroyed due to the lack of archaeological monitoring and survey. Further, there is still confusion about the exact route of the barrier (the project line has changed twice and the current line on the cbp smart wall website does not even match the line on the comment website above). Once the barrier is in place, there is no guarantee that the ~62,700 acres south of the barrier will be accessible for site access or monitoring. We have not been able to get straight answers about the possibility of vehicle or man gates.
- Government Affairs Committee
