As Chris continues his Southwest Tour after the Chihuahuan Desert Conference in El Paso, the Supreme Court of the United States deals a blow to efforts to protect Big Bend from a needless border wall. We revisit an earlier discussion with Laiken Jordahl of the Center for Biological Diversity, who has been working with locals to oppose the destructive project. Chris and Laiken discuss:

• Why ranchers, river guides, business owners, conservationists, and conservative local officials have united against the wall.
• Threats to river access, private property, agriculture, recreation, and the region’s tourism economy.
• Cross-border connections: families, firefighting crews, conservation work, and wildlife moving between Mexico and Texas.
• How waivers of environmental and cultural protection laws remove safeguards for border wall construction.
• The ecological consequences of separating desert wildlife from the Rio Grande.
• Community organizing in Terlingua and neighboring towns, including the No Big Bend Wall Coalition.

Useful Links

• No Big Bend Wall Coalition — Community campaign information, updates, and resources for affected landowners. Take action here.
• Support the coalition — Donation page through the El Paso Community Foundation, supporting organizing and outreach.
• Supreme Court ruling, November 9, 2026 — The Court’s opinion allowing construction to resume while further review is sought.
• Texas Tribune coverage of the ruling — Accessible reporting on the decision, the lawsuit, and local opposition.
• 132 organizations and businesses urge Congress to protect Big Bend — The March 2026 letter discussed in the interview, requesting restrictions on federal funding for wall construction.
• Environmental protections waived for Big Bend construction — Center for Biological Diversity background on the June waivers and their implications for the parks and river.
• Black bears return to Big Bend — National Park Service account of bears recolonizing the Chisos Mountains from Mexico, illustrating the importance of cross-border habitat connections.
• Los Diablos Fire Crew — National Park Service history of the Mexican firefighting crew and its longstanding cooperation with Big Bend.

Episode image courtesy BaseCamp Terlingua.

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