The U.S. Forest Service is closing access to the border wall construction zone along the U.S-Mexico border across most of the southern end of Arizona’s San Rafael Valley until Jan. 20, 2029, according to a closure order posted Sept. 28.
The order also closes dozens of miles of border access through the mountains west of Nogales.
These areas, spanning roughly 56 miles of Coronado National Forest, have been the focus of public protest and media coverage in part because they are considered environmentally and culturally sensitive areas where wildlife such as jaguars and ocelots have been documented entering the United States.
But they do not prevent protester access to private lands in Lochiel, a border outpost where activists have attempted to save
old cottonwood treesfrom removal for wall construction.
Violators could face up to six months in jail and fines of up to $5,000 for individuals and $10,000 for organizations.
The Department of Homeland Security and other government agencies acting to secure the border are generally exempt from environmental laws due to congressional action that predates either of the Trump administrations that have pressed to close off the frontier with a steel wall. Environmentalists say they have sometimes succeeded in turning back destruction only by documenting the damage or through media coverage that attracts the attention of government officials.
The closure will keep the public from seeing or being informed about destruction of cultural and environmental treasures, such as when contractors damaged an ancient geoglyph at Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge or a spring at San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge, said Russ McSpadden, a Southwest conservation advocate for the Center for Biological Diversity. The closure impedes the First Amendment rights of both the media and protesters, he said.
“These closures cut across public lands along the treasured landscapes of the San Rafael Valley, Patagonia Mountains, Atascosa Highlands, Pajarito Wilderness and Sycamore Canyon, reaching nearly to Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge,” McSpadden said in an email. “It’s really infuriating that the Forest Service is locking us out to make it easier for contractors to bulldoze the places the agency should be protecting.”
The closure covers an area extending outward 300 yards where federal land ownership allows, or less where private land exists nearer the border. It does not affect the San Rafael State Natural Area, a state preserve that includes the headwaters of the Santa Cruz River.
The order does not restrict federal, state or local government officers, members of active rescue or firefighting crews, or those with a Forest Service permit specifically exempting them from the order. Licensed hunters may enter the closed area for the sole purpose of retrieving downed game.
Coronado National Forest Supervisor Kerwin Dewberry signed the order. His office did not immediately respond to questions that The Arizona Republic submitted asking the rationale for closing the entirety of the border areas slated for construction all at once and until the final day of President Donald Trump’s term.
The order states that its purpose “is to protect public health and safety during construction of the international border wall.”
Sierra Club Borderlands Coordinator Erick Meza released a statement questioning the closure’s safety justification when the “most dangerous actions we see out there are the semi trucks and heavy machinery above the speed limit on forest roads.”
“It is a shame that the Forest Service instead of doing its job to prevent further destruction will now be policing land protectors,” Meza said.
U.S. Rep. Adelita Grijalva, D-Ariz., released a statement criticizing the decision to close “dozens of acres of public lands at a moment’s notice” when construction already has led to “devastating consequences.”
Grijalva attendeda rally against wall construction last year in the now-closed area, where she called the wall “a despicable symbol of hatred that does not belong in our beautiful San Rafael Valley.”
Brandon Loomis covers environmental and climate issues for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Reach him at brandon.loomis@arizonarepublic.com.
Environmental coverage on azcentral.com and in The Arizona Republic is supported by a grant from the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.
Follow The Republic environmental reporting team at environment.azcentral.com and @azcenvironment on Facebook and Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Feds close access to border wall work zone in Arizona's San Rafael Valley
