“We’re already seeing drought stress, with half the mature oaks in the valley dead,” Palma said. “The wall will only accelerate the collapse. You lose the trees, you lose the shade. The creek dries, the habitat dies. It’s a cascade of ecological devastation.” azluminaria.org/2025/10/07/a...

This interview with my dear colleague Russ McSpadden is a phenomenal roundup of our work to stop Trump's absurd and irreversibly destructive push to wall off Arizona's San Rafael Valley. And if you're not already following @peccarynotpig.bsky.social, you should!

Excited to share this! Join us to celebrate the release of BORDERLINGS, the debut book of poems from environmental activist RUSS MCSPADDEN, Saturday October 18, 2025, 6:30pm doors, 7pm reading and book signing. Free & all-ages. Che's Lounge, 350 N. 4th Ave, Tucson Published by Artspeak Press.

The Trump administration is declaring a bogus emergency and tossing aside decades of hard-won environmental protections to fast-track wall construction. It's yet another senseless attack on the wildlife and communities of California’s borderlands. inewsource.org/2025/09/24/h...

Breaking: First new sections of Trump border wall are going up in the San Rafael Valley. This is an ecological catastrophe for the Arizona-Sonora borderlands, especially for the endangered jaguars and ocelots that move across the border here. READ: biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press...

Arizona's San Pedro River is being sucked dry. Yesterday, one of its main monitoring wells dried up, violating a court order guaranteeing water minimums. Dire implications for myriad endangered species & millions of neo-tropical songbirds that depend on it. biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press...

We’re suing DHS over their waiver of environmental laws to bulldoze a border wall across Arizona’s remote San Rafael Valley. Jaguars, ocelots and a host of other species will be stopped dead in their tracks if this wall goes up. Construction crews arrived this week.

Survey stakes are in the ground at the San Rafael Valley, where DHS is preparing to wall off the last best corridor in Arizona for jaguars, ocelots & other species. Not a soul in sight.

The earth crushers have arrived at the San Rafael Valley. No words to describe the absurdity of building a wall across this peaceful, desolate wilderness.

No notes.

Breaking: Trump's DHS waives all enviro laws to wall off premier Texas Wildlife Refuge. There’s a special cruelty in walling off a wildlife refuge created for conservation. All under the guise of a fake emergency, as border crossings are at record lows. biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press...

Great piece on the ongoing militarization of Friendship Park by @yessfun.com. Remarkable to read First Lady Pat Nixon's words “I hate to see a fence anywhere,” as she asked security to cut the barbed wire separating U.S. from MX to join the people on the other side. atmos.earth/once-a-rever...

Trump weighs in on Oak Flat, calling the Indigenous Tribes fighting it “Anti-American.”

Then, read the full report by Center staff @peccarynotpig.bsky.social and @laikenjordahl.bsky.social to learn more. This report documents the San Rafael Valley’s biodiversity, the species it sustains, and its indispensable role in the survival of endangered wildlife. ➡️ biodiv.us/4l1iGfb

A recent Center report found that a new border barrier, in a remote part of Arizona, would threaten one of the most important remaining animal migration routes on the state’s southern border. Check out the @nytimes.com feature about it. ⬇️

BREAKING: The Center for Biological Diversity sued the Trump Admin today for unconstitutionally waiving dozens of enviro laws to speed border wall construction across San Rafael Valley in AZ’s Sky Island region, a biodiversity hotspot w/the most significant jaguar corridor remaining along border.

We just sued the Trump administration for waiving dozens of environmental laws to speed border wall construction through the San Rafael Valley in Arizona’s Sky Island region. More info: biodiv.us/462nspc

Proud to have co-authored this report with the amazing Russ McSpadden on the imminent harm border wall construction poses to the last best jaguar corridor between the U.S. & Mexico. This are has seen the highest number of jaguar detections anywhere in the U.S. biologicaldiversity.org/species/mamm...

Check out our new report by Center staff @peccarynotpig.bsky.social and @laikenjordahl.bsky.social that exposes how plans for new border wall construction in southeast Arizona pose dire threats to one of the last remaining jaguar corridors between the U.S. and Mexico. ➡️ biodiv.us/4nCzRX3

BREAKING: Sen Lee's disgraceful attempt to sell off our public lands is stripped from the Senate budget bill. A truly historic coalition of enviros, hunters, Tribal leaders, mountain bikers, MAGA rednecks & almost every American united to DEFEAT MIKE LEE. biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press...

BREAKING: Sen. Mike Lee is STILL trying to sell off public land. He just released a FOURTH version of his reconciliation language, and it keeps getting worse. It doesn't look like this version has been reviewed by the parliamentarian, but he's still trying. 🧵: www.energy.senate.gov/services/fil...

"It's just small percentage of barren BLM scrubland." I wonder which one of Mike Lee's billionaire buddies is eyeing this stunning BLM parcel near Green River, Utah--land that would be up for auction under his Senate bill text--for a private ranch?

Senator Mike Lee is one hell of a coalition builder. He's got granola hippies locking arms with MAGA trophy hunters & motorheads, and the Center for Biological Diversity on the same side as Ryan Zinke. The whole West is united against him.

Don’t forget to call your Senators/Reps and demand they vote against the largest sell-off of public lands in U.S. history, which will likely be voted on tomorrow. Today from Wyoming:

The redlines are in—& let’s be clear: the core purpose of this bill remains unchanged. It’s a mass privatization scheme dressed up as housing reform. A calculated dismantling of public ownership, repackaged as “disposal.” A land grab by any other name. westernwatersheds.substack.com/p/lipstick-o...

Senator Mike Lee’s newly amended sell-off plan isn’t a compromise — it’s the largest disposal of public lands in U.S. history. We say HELL NO.

Sen. Mike Lee is trying to sneak the largest attack on public lands in U.S. history into the Senate budget bill. We're not gonna let that happen, and thought we'd remind him of that with a full-page ad in his state's paper of record:

HERE WE GO AGAIN: Mike Lee is back with another attempt at a public lands heist. His new language in the Senate budget bill would open up over a million acres of BLM land around Arches, Zion, Organ Pipe and even the Grand Canyon to permanent "disposal." No way, buddy.

"100 organizations delivered a letter to the 19 state leaders at the WGA conference, urging them to oppose the legislation, which would allow an unprecedented disposal of public lands “with no environmental review, meaningful Tribal consultation, or public input.” sourcenm.com/2025/06/23/p...

Breaking: We're running full-page ads in Mike Lee's home state of Utah & neighboring Colorado slamming his disgraceful attempt to liquidate our cherished public lands. We won't let Lee & his developer buddies turn our public lands into private playgrounds for billionaires.

Big news: Mike Lee's disgraceful land grab provision has been removed from the Senate budget bill (for now). But Lee has vowed to continue efforts to liquidate our public lands so billionaires can build private playgrounds & lock the rest of us out. We'll fight him every step of the way.

Santa Fe New Mexican: "An animated crowd of about 2,000 people chanted 'not for sale' Monday afternoon... protesting the proposed U.S. Senate budget bill, which could make 14 million acres of public land in New Mexico—and 250 million acres across the West—available to be sold."

AMAZING turnout in Santa Fe to protect our cherished public lands from disposal. Senate Republicans want to liquidate our favorite campsites & hiking trails so billionaires can build private playgrounds & lock the rest of us out. Not on our watch.

“Our cherished #publiclands are the backbone of the West and the core of our identity as Americans. It’s disgusting that anyone would back this plan to permanently privatize and bulldoze these beautiful places,” said Laiken Jordahl, Southwest conservation advocate at the Center. Take action. ⬇️⬇️

PRESS RELEASE: We're proud to lead more than 100 groups urging Western Governors to reject the biggest public lands sell-off in history. Govs' annual meeting is today in Santa Fe. We call on each governor to publicly oppose the sell-off before meeting ends. biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press...

Senator Mike Lee’s disgraceful plan that would liquidate our cherished public lands to fund billionaire tax breaks must be stopped. This is personal to me, and it’s personal to everyone who loves the West.

The Western Governors’ meeting starts tomorrow, and guess who’s keynoting? Sec. Doug Burgum—the guy working with Sen. Lee to auction off the West’s cherished public lands. This sell-off is an assault on the West’s identity. These governors should boo him off the stage, not roll out the red carpet.

If passed, the Senate budget bill would put up for auction 100,000 miles of our favorite backcountry hiking trails & single track across the West--including much of the Arizona National Scenic Trail. It would be the largest liquidation of public lands & backcountry recreation areas in U.S. history.

The Senate wants to immediately sell off 3 million acres of your public lands to billionaires. No hearings. No environmental review. No public input. We’re fighting back. 100+ groups just told the Senate: HANDS OFF OUR PUBLIC LANDS. Letter: biologicaldiversity.org/programs/gov...

Here's Senator Mike Lee overtly lying about his despicable plan to permanently sell off 250 million acres of our public lands so billionaires can build their 14th vacation mansion. He swears he's not selling off your favorite campsite--he's just gutting the rest of the West.

The Senate is pushing for the largest privatization of public lands in U.S. history. They're coming for your favorite campsite, your summer swimming hole, your most cherished sunset vista--all to fund more billionaire tax breaks. 82% of Americans OPPOSE this plan (even a majority of republicans)

I know that everything's a lot right now but please call your reps about this. Once our public lands are sold off we'll never get them back.

ALERT: the Senate is trying to auction of $250 million acres of our cherished public lands to pay for billionaire tax cuts. In Tucson, this means selling off Sabino Canyon along w much of Mt. Lemmon, Madera Canyon, and all of Mt. Graham--the largest giveaway of public lands in U.S. history.

This is the U.S.-Mex border in the remote San Rafael Valley. Trump's moving forward at breakneck speed to wall this place off forever. They're racing to replace these wildlife-permeable vehicle barriers with an impenetrable wall—blocking jaguars, ocelots, black bears and deer dead in their tracks.

BREAKING: Trump just waived dozens of our nation's most important enviro laws to wall off the stunning San Rafael Valley, all while border crossings are at their lowest point in decades. This is a death sentence for jaguars, ocelots & other wildlife. I shot this footage out there last month:

NEW: I wrote about how militarization of the U.S.-Mexico border is expanding, and the consequences this could have for communities and ecosystems in the borderlands. My latest for Responsible Statecraft. responsiblestatecraft.org/trump-border...

Last week I took a trip out to the San Rafael Valley--a breathtaking grassland savannah where jaguars, ocelots, Mexican wolves, black bears, pronghorn, and a host of other species can still move freely between the U.S. & Mexico. The Trump administration is rushing forward with plans to wall it off.

“I’ve been in the Border Patrol 22 years, and I’ve never seen it this slow.” All the while, the GOP wants $50 BILLION more for the border wall--almost 3x what Trump spent in his first term. It would be enough to seal off every remaining wildlife corridor. www.azcentral.com/story/news/p...

"The U.S. government is rushing to give away our spiritual home before the courts can even rule—just like it’s rushed to erase Native people for generations. This is the same violent pattern we have seen for centuries.” -- Dr. Wendsler Nosie Sr. of Apache Stronghold becketfund.org/media/breaki...