Border Wall at San Pedro National Riparian Conservation Area by Craig Miller

This is the U.S./Mexico border wall as it approaches the San Pedro National Riparian Conservation Area in Arizona (picture taken during the dry season). Construction is planned to continue directly through the Conservation Area, a region of unique and sensitive wildlife and biological diversity. The San Pedro River is one of the last undammed, free-flowing rivers in the American Southwest. The river and Conservation Area are known as one of the most biologically diverse areas in the U.S., hosting an estimated 83 species of mammals, more than 100 species of breeding birds and an additional 250 species of migratory and wintering birds. The border wall: 1) is planned to cross the San Pedro River and its floodplain, as well as over 60 seasonal streams and desert washes causing significant erosion and sedimentation into the river impacting habitat, 2) blocks wildlife movements that ensure healthy wildlife populations, with especially concerning impact on such rare and sensitive species as Sonoran pronghorn, jaguar, Mexican wolves, Mexican Black Bear and ocelot, 3) increases the likelihood that invasive species will colonize an ecosystem of international importance, 4) shifts undocumented migrant traffic, enforcement activities and associated degredation into adjacent wildlands, including rugged and ecologically-sensitive Sky Island mountain ranges (Sky Islands are tall mountain ranges that rise up from a "sea" of surrounding desert to support diverse ecosystems. These mountains receive enough moisture to sustain woodlands and forests, and provide niches for unique species that can only be found in these isolated "islands" of habitat.) www.defenders.org  www.northernjaguarproject.org  www.defenders.org