U.S. IBWC meeting to defend their approval of dangerous border walls in the Rio Grande floodplain

In response to mounting criticism, the U.S. section of the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) has agreed to host a public meeting to discuss their decision to approve the construction of border walls in the Rio Grande floodplain.

The meeting will be held on Wednesday, August 29, from 6:00-8:00pm in Rio Grande City at the Holiday Inn Express located at 5274 East Highway 83.

Rio Grande City, along with Roma and Los Ebanos, will see miles of border wall built in the floodplain adjacent to homes, farms, and businesses.  These new walls will also repeatedly slice through the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge.

Since 2007 both the U.S. and Mexican sections of the International Boundary and Water Commission have rejected the construction of walls in the Rio Grande floodplain due to concern that during a flood event they would act as dams.  In the United States water could be trapped in communities, unable to drain into the river.  Flood water could also be deflected into Mexico, worsening flooding there, and potentially pushing the river into a new channel, which would change the location of the international border.

IBWC demanded that walls built in other parts of south Texas either be placed north of the levees or inserted into them, so that they would not impact flooding.  Roma, Rio Grande City, and Los Ebanos are not protected by levees, so walls have not been built there.

In February of this year the U.S. section of IBWC caved in to years of pressure from Customs and Border Protection and reversed their rejection of these walls.  Mexico continues to reject these walls.  If the U.S. acts unilaterally it will be in violation of the treaty that established the border.

U.S. IBWC claims that a flood model commissioned by Customs and Border Protection in July 2011 shows that if the Rio Grande were to engulf border walls after a hurricane, debris lodged in the walls would only block 10-25% of the water.  That model contains no explanation of where this number came from.  By starting with the assumption that walls will not block water, the result of the computer model is essentially predetermined.

In Arizona Customs and Border Protection have constructed nearly identical border walls – 6-inch wide posts with 4-inch gaps between them – across a number of washes.  In places these walls have trapped debris to a depth of nearly six feet.  Walls then act as dams, diverting water into nearby homes and businesses or causing severe erosion.  U.S. IBWC should explain how it is that walls of the same design trap debris and act as dams in the real world, but allow water to pass harmlessly though in the computer model that they are relying upon.

These walls have the potential to do serious damage to communities and refuges near Roma, Rio Grande City, and Los Ebanos.  The Sierra Club Borderlands Team and No Border Wall urge RGV residents to attend this public meeting and ask the U.S. IBWC tough questions.  These decisions are being made in Washington DC for political reasons, but it is our homes, and possibly even our lives, that are at stake.

#####

For more information about these border walls, please read the recent Texas Observer piece:

http://www.texasobserver.org/oped/new-border-walls-designed-to-flood-texas-towns

The Fence and Wild v. Wall screening in McAllen, TX

The Fence and Wild vs. Wall

Border Wall Films Showing at Cine el Rey

Cine el Rey * 311 S. 17th Street, McAllen, TX

Tuesday, July 31^st, 7:00 pm

Join us on Tuesday, July 31^st for a free screening of 2 short documentaries that explore the issues and controversies surrounding the recently constructed U.S./México border wall.  This free screening is part of Cine el Rey’s Sustainability Film Series, and is sponsored by the Sierra Club.

Hundreds of border residents have had their land condemned, and the erection of border walls through Wildlife Refuges and Wilderness Areas has already done tremendous damage, especially since the Department of Homeland Security has been able to use the Real ID Act to waive all relevant environmental laws. 

In February the US half of the International Boundary Water Commission approved construction of new border walls in the flood plain at Roma, Rio Grande City, and Los Ebanos.  If they are built, these border walls will channel flood water into these communities, and also deflect flood water into Mexican homes and property on the other side of the Rio Grande. 

The event at Cine el Rey will feature two documentary films, with a short discussion to follow-

·         The Fence   Award-winning filmmaker Rory Kennedy’s HBO documentary features candid interviews with Border Patrol agents, ranchers, environmentalists and voices from both sides of the border security debate.  Kennedy uses humor to highlight contradictions and politically-driven misinformation, as well as the ineffectiveness and costliness of the controversial border barrier.

·         Wild vs. Wall   The Sierra Club film by Tucson filmmaker Steev Hise is an overview of the environmental effects of current border policies, including insightful interviews and impressive footage demonstrating the long-term ecological impacts of border walls.

 Admission is FREE

Borderlands event in Austin March 4

Please join with some of Austin's finest bands in supporting the Sierra Club's Borderlands Team on Sunday, March 4, from 4pm - 7pm, at the 29th Street Ballroom (next to Spiderhouse Cafe on the University of Texas campus). Along with live music from Designer Genes and BitterHeaRt Society they will screen the short Sierra Club documentary Wild vs. Wall, which shows the damage dome by border walls in Texas and along the entire U.S.-Mexico border. Admission is free; donations for the Borderlands Team are welcome.

Unchecked by environmental protections, the walls that began in California’s borderlands now extend over 600 miles, inflicting tremendous damage upon many sensitive ecosystems. In Texas the walls that slice through the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge have fragmented habitat that is critical for the survival of endangered ocelots. In Arizona the border walls that cross washes and streams in the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument have caused severe erosion and flooding. Border walls built in New Mexico’s Playas Valley block the movement of one of the last wild herds of bison, whose range straddles the U.S. – Mexico border. And wall construction in California's Otay Mountain Wilderness Area has involved dynamiting steep mountainsides, sending hundreds of thousands of tons of rock into the Tijuana River below.

The Sierra Club's Borderlands Team is working to prevent further walls and greater destruction along both borders. It is trying to head off legislation that would call for hundreds of miles of new border walls, or waive environmental and other laws along both the northern and southern borders. And the Team is pushing for the Department of Homeland Security to mitigate some portion of the damage that their actions have already inflicted.

Please come out to the 29th Street Ballroom on March 4, and show your support for local music and for our borderlands.

Directions: http://www.spiderhousecafe.com/contact/spider-house-cafe.html

Border Wall Film Festival in Austin August 18

Austin Border Film Festival
Violet Crown Cinema * 434 W 2nd Street, Austin, TX
Thursday, August 18th, 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm

Join the Sierra Club's Borderlands Team Thursday, August 18th for a free screening of 3 short documentaries that explore the issues and controversies surrounding the recently constructed U.S./México border wall

-Featuring Three Documentary Films and a short discussion to follow-

• Fencing the Border and its Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s gives an inside perspective on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s concerns about the wall's possible effects on wildlife and protected refuges in south Texas – 7 minutes.

• Wild vs. Wall, Sierra Club’s produced by Tucson filmmaker Steev Hise, is an overview of the environmental effects of current border policies, including insightful interviews and impressive footage demonstrating the long-term ecological effects of border infrastructure – 20 minutes.

• The Fence, Award-winning filmmaker Rory Kennedy’s HBO documentary features candid interviews with Border Patrol agents, ranchers, environmentalists and voices from both sides of the border security debate. Kennedy uses humor to highlight contradictions and politically-driven misinformation, as well as the ineffectiveness and costliness of the controversial border barrier – 30 minutes.

Admission is FREE
Donations to the Sierra Club Borderlands Protection Campaign gladly accepted at the door.

This film festival is dedicated to the memory of long time borderista Mary Grisco

Presentations on the border wall's impacts in South Texas August 22 & 23

The rugged deserts and mountains of Arizona’s southern border can be a treacherous place. Josseline was fourteen years old when she and her little brother crossed the U.S.-Mexico border, hoping to reunite with their mother in California. Walking for days, Josseline got sick and fell behind her group and the coyote that led them.

Three weeks later, Dan Millis was among the humanitarian aid volunteers that stumbled across Josseline's lifeless body in a remote canyon along the border. Since then, Millis has come to know that the costs of fatally flawed U.S. border policies extend beyond the tragic deaths of border crossers like Josseline. Walls push crossers into more remote desert terrain. Border ecosystems and the federal laws that protect them have also been cast aside by costly, ineffective, environmentally destructive, and inhumane attempts to "secure the border."

The Lower Rio Grande Valley Sierra Club is proud to co-sponsor presentations by Dan Millis in Brownsville on Monday, August 22, and in San Juan on Tuesday, August 23 respectively. Millis will tell how he was ticketed, dragged to court, and convicted of "littering" after leaving drinking water for migrants along border desert trails shortly after he found Josseline. Now working for the Sierra Club in Tucson, Dan will also discuss the environmental impacts of border walls and other enforcement measures. He will share stories of trans-national friendship and offer tips on which border walls are easiest to climb. Most importantly, Millis will speak up for the people and places victimized by border walls and enforcement-only politics and invite you to join in the fight.

Please join us Monday, August 22 at Galeria 409 in Brownsville, TX and Tuesday, August 23 at St. John the Baptist Parish Hall in San Juan, TX. Both presentations begin at 7:00pm. Refreshments will be served.

Monday, August 22 at 7:00pm Galeria 409 in Brownsville, Texas
Directions to Galeria 409, 409 E. 13th St.: From Expressway 77/83 in Brownsville, exit International and go south. Turn right onto Washington. Turn left on E 12th. Turn left on Levee St. Turn left onto E 13th. Galeria 409 is on the left in the middle of the block between Levee and Elizabeth streets. Parking is available at meters on Levee and Elizabeth, and there's a big parking lot on Levee and E 12th.

Tuesday, August 23 at 7:00pm St John the Baptist Parish Hall in San Juan, Texas
Directions to St John the Baptist, 216 W. 1st St.: From Expressway 83, exit Raul Longoria/Nebraska exit in San Juan and turn south on Nebraska. Turn right on 1st St. You will see the tower on the right. The Parish Hall is just past the tower. Parking is on the west and north side of the church complex.

ARTE CONTRA EL MURO/ ART AGAINST THE WALL

ARTE CONTRA EL MURO/ ART AGAINST THE WALL

EXHIBITION TO OPEN IN BROWNSVILLE ON SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28
Hope Park, 12th and St. Charles, noon – 5 pm
Galeria 409, 409 E. 13th St.
Contact Mark Clark (956) 455-3599
Galeria409@yahoo.com
www.galeria409.com

Artists opposed to the construction of the Department of Homeland Security's new border wall will hang an exhibition of paintings and sculptures on the wall itself at noon on Sunday, February 28th at the once scenic Hope Park in historic downtown Brownsville, Texas. The exhibition is designed to draw attention to the waste of tax dollars used to produce this 18 foot tall, six hundred mile long barrier that cost an estimated 12 to 18 million dollars a mile. 34 federal, state and local laws and regulations were waived to facilitate construction of the iron fence that many Mexicans and south Texas residents now refer to as "El Berlin".

Construction of the rusting wall was recently completed through Hope Park, located at 12th and St. Charles Street, which was the site of the Homeland Security chief's press conference announcing the kickoff of the controversial project. The site was apparently selected as a backdrop for Chertoff's remarks because of its once picturesque view of the Rio Grande and the Gateway Bridge to Matamoros.

Numerous trees were removed for the right of way for the fence and historic marble plaques marking the start of the Chisolm Trail, the beginning point for many nineteenth century cattle drives, now butt up against the iron wall.

Organizers selected the date for the one day exhibition to coincide with Brownsville's annual Charro Days celebration during which Matamoros mayor Eric Silva and Brownsville's mayor Pat Ahumada came together on the bridge to exchange "abrazos", and pledges of brotherhood between the two cities.

Following the five p.m. closing of the one day outdoor show, the art work is slated to move to Galeria 409, a block away from the park at 409 East 13th Street, for a one month long run.

The Galeria 409’s laconic director, Mark Clark states he'll "do almost anything legal to oppose the border fence. It's going to block my view of the river". His 158 year old gallery building overlooks a bend in the river that will soon disappear behind this iron curtain.

Galeria 409’s hours are from twelve to five on Saturday and Sunday and by appointment during the week by calling (956) 455-3599.

Tell Congress to Support the Border Security and Responsibility Act

Last week, Representative Grijalva (D-Arizona) introduced the Border Security and Responsibility Act of 2009 (HR 2076). This legislation would restore the rule of law to the borderlands by repealing the Real ID waiver provision and help protect our communities, private property, and national parks and wildlife refuges from damaged caused by the border wall.

This week, dozens of concerned citizens from across the nation are traveling to Washington, D.C. on their own dime to walk through the halls of Congress and build support for Rep. Grijalva’s bill.

But you don’t have to be in DC to make a difference. Please take action today. Call your member of Congress and urge him or her to support the Border Security and Responsibility Act of 2009. The congressional switchboard is 202-225-3121, or find your representative’s contact information at www.house.gov.

With enough phone calls, we can elevate this critical issue for Congress and ensure that the damage caused by the border wall is no longer ignored.

Thanks for making a difference, and please pass on this alert and post links to it.

Suggested Talking Points for Phone Calls:

· Please cosponsor the Border Security and Responsibility Act of 2009, a bill recently introduced by Rep. Grijalva.

· The border wall has caused significant damage to communities, water quality, and wildlife habitat. I think that Congress needs to act to address these problems that the wall has created.

· I am concerned by the fact that three dozen laws were waived for border wall construction. Landmark laws like the Endangered Species Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act were put in place for a reason: to protect the public’s interest. These laws shouldn’t be ignored. An unelected official should not have the power to waive these laws.

· Land managers, local officials, and local communities have been shut out of the decision making process. This bill would allow them to have a say in border security decisions by requiring full public notice and participation.

· To address the damage that border walls have caused, there need to be robust mitigation efforts. This bill would develop initiatives to help mitigate negative impacts to communities and natural resources, including the network of congressionally protected federal lands along the border.

· Please cosponsor the Border Security and Responsibility Act of 2009 and help restore and protect the communities and natural areas of the borderlands.

Border Wall Vigil in Washington DC March 17

Sponsored by CASA

Vigil Against the
Mexico/US Border Wall
Tuesday March 17th, 2009
10am – 12pm
Meet us in front of the Capitol Reflecting Pool
at the East end of National Mall.

President Obama, help us tear down this wall!
Vigil Sponsored by CASA (Coalition of Amigos in Solidarity & Action)

A Coalition from the Rio Grande Valley, along the US/Mexico Border

For More Info,
Please contact:
Ryan 956-203-6801
or
Elizabeth 956-459-3205

Stop the Wall Event in El Paso 21 Feb

• Meet at Sunland Park and Anapra
• Sunday February 21, 2009
• 12:00 – 2:00 PM

Two purposes:

One is to show solidarity with the Compañeras and Compañeros from San Diego's Friendship Park. Just like Rio Bosque was crudely appropriated by the DHS, San Diego's Friendship Park has been under attack by the construction of the Border Wall. The Friendship Park has been a historical site for gatherings among residents of both countries. Family and friends have used this "public" area to exchange kisses, tamales and news through small gaps in the tattered chain-link fence. Now the Border Patrol and the DHS will slice trough the park, limiting access. U.S Customs and Border Patrol have begun demolishing the Pak and intend to eliminate all public access.

The second purpose is to continue with the ¡YA BASTA! --- TOD@S CONTRA EL MURO campaign. The campaign is still focused to stop and bring down the wall. During the Peace and Unity Walk from Ft. Hancock to Sunland Park we committed to go back to the communities that received us and report back as to what has been done and listen to their proposals. The idea is to strengthen our border communities under a same cause.

This is what we propose to do:

• Meet at Sunland Park and Anapra
• Sunday February 21, 2009
• 12:00 – 2:00 PM

Chertoff Retirement Parties in Brownsville, Texas and Tucson, Arizona January 10

FROM BROWNSVILLE TO TUCSON, BORDER COMMUNITIES CELEBRATE THE RETIREMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY MICHAEL CHERTOFF

BROWNSVILLE, TX — On January 10th communities along the Texas border will be throwing Retirement Parties to celebrate the end of Michael Chertoff’s tenure as Secretary of Homeland Security. During his illustrious career, Secretary Chertoff has driven a wall through the borderlands, condemned the property of hundreds of Texas landowners, waived the laws that protect us, imprisoned immigrant families, and set a new low in the response to Hurricane Katrina. Border residents will gather in Brownsville, where Chertoff’s concrete and steel legacy is being erected along the Rio Grande, to remember the man who has done so much to our communities.

“This is not a protest disguised as a party - this is a party. Chertoff has only been Secretary for three years but he has managed to do a tremendous amount of damage. Texas will be glad to see him gone, and it can’t come soon enough,” said Scott Nicol of the No Border Wall Coalition.

In Brownsville Chertoff’s Retirement Party will be held at Galeria 409 starting at 6pm, within spitting distance of the coming border wall. Chertoff’s retirement is like Christmas morning and the day after you get over the flu all wrapped up together. So the party will blend a corporate retirement party and Carnival. Poets and artists will contribute their thoughts on the man who has so profoundly impacted the border; Ensamble la Mision (and possibly other bands) will play; a retirement cake and piñata will bear his likeness; Chertoff’s Wheel of Fortune; a raffle; and still-President Bush may even stop by to give Chertie a send-off.

“We’re having a party for Michael, but he’s not invited,” said Bill Guerra Addington from No Wall – Big Bend.

Galeria 409 is located at 409 E. 13th Street in Brownsville, between Levee and Elizabeth, a block from the Gateway Bridge. Call gallery owner Mark Clark at (956) 455-3599, or Scott Nicol at (956) 532-5983, for information, or email No Border Wall at noborderwall@yahoo.com.

BREAKING NEWS!

TUCSON ARIZONA WILL CELEBRATE AS WELL!

Chertoff's long awaited departure will be celebrated in Tucson, Arizona, in a region that has suffered from more than its fair share of border wall. Raise a toast to the ex-Secretary, and rest assured that he will be watching on the virtual wall's spy cameras.

Celebrate the end of Chertoff's reign of ineptitude Tucson-style with a pinata, dart board, and cold beer at:

The Hut

305 N. 4th Ave.

Tucson, AZ

The El Paso Retirement Party has been postponed.

Check back later to for details on its rescheduling.

DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff's Retirement Party

During his illustrious career, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff has driven a wall through the borderlands, thrown out the laws that protect us, imprisoned immigrant families, and set a new low in the response to Hurricane Katrina. Join us on January 10th as we celebrate his long-awaited exit!

Retirement Cake! Music! Games! Puppets! Raffle!

Galeria 409 is located at 409 E. 13th Street, between Levee and Elizabeth, a block from the Gateway Bridge and spitting distance from the coming border wall in Brownsville, Texas. Contact noborderwall@yahoo.com for more information.

Hosted by No Border Wall and Galeria 409

Come to El Paso's Rio Bosque Wetlands Park Before the Border Wall Cuts It Off From The Rio Grande

Saturday 15 Nov, 11 AM to 3 PM.

Visit El Paso’s Rio Bosque Wetlands Park, http://www.riobosque.org and see the city’s largest park before the Border Wall changes it forever.

Walks through the park to the site of the Border Wall will start every hour on the half hour (11:30, 12:30, 1:30, and 2:30). Many local organizations will have exhibits about the local flora and fauna.

Directions from I-10: Take the Americas Ave. (Loop 375) exit (Exit 34) and head southwest towards the Zaragoza Bridge. Enter the freeway portion of Loop 375 and take it to the exit for Alameda Ave., Socorro Rd., Pan American Dr. and Zaragoza Rd. Exit to the frontage road and continue straight ahead, crossing both Alameda Ave. and Socorro Rd. At Pan American Dr., turn left. After driving approximately 1.1 mile on Pan American, you'll cross a bridge over the Playa Drain. At 1.5 miles, you'll reach a second bridge, which crosses the Riverside Canal right before the gated entrance to the Jonathan Rogers and Roberto Bustamante water-treatment plants. Proceed about 2.5 miles to the Visitor Center. For a map visit http://www.riobosque.org

Organizations are encouraged set up a booth at this event. Contact Rick LoBello for more information, RickLLoBello@ cs.com .

NO Border Wall of Death! Protest November 7 in San Antonio, Texas

Sponsored by the Southwest Workers Union

NO Border Wall of Death!
Protest Nov 7th Friday Noon
Federal Building in San Antonio, Texas

Contact: Ruben Solis 210 378 5699 cell

San Antonio-
November 9th will be forever connected with the ‘fall’ of the Berlin Wall dividing Germany and dividing the East from the West. Protests are being held simultaneously in San Antonio, TX, El Paso, TX, and San Diego, California.

Southwest Workers Union is organizing a protest against the Border Wall of Death on Friday the 7th of November at 12:00 noon to mark the date when the Berlin Wall came down. According to Ruben Solis, “If the Berlin Wall came down then so can the Border Wall of Death”.

Che Lopez, organizer with SWU said it like this “The Bush administration has been a dismal failure, the War, the Economy and the environment so if you link the Border Wall to these failures you will conclude that this is yet but another Bush failure”. According to documentation by the Immigration office of the American Friends Service Committee in San Diego, California, over 4,000 people with names and last names have died crossing the border since 1994 in the California region alone. Today border-wide it is calculated that immigration and border patrol policies have directly lead to approximately 7,000 deaths on the US-Mexico border.

Saturday November 15 See El Paso's Rio Bosque Wetlands Park Before the Border Wall Changes It Forever

Saturday 15 Nov, 11 AM to 3 PM.

Visit El Paso’s Rio Bosque Wetlands Park, http://www.riobosque.org and see the city’s largest park before the Border Wall changes it forever. Walks through the park to the site of the Border Wall will start every hour on the half hour (11:30, 12:30, 1:30, and 2:30). Many local organizations will have exhibits about the local flora and fauna.

Directions from I-10: Take the Americas Ave. (Loop 375) exit (Exit 34) and head southwest towards the Zaragoza Bridge. Enter the freeway portion of Loop 375 and take it to the exit for Alameda Ave., Socorro Rd., Pan American Dr. and Zaragoza Rd. Exit to the frontage road and continue straight ahead, crossing both Alameda Ave. and Socorro Rd. At Pan American Dr., turn left. After driving approximately 1.1 mile on Pan American, you'll cross a bridge over the Playa Drain. At 1.5 miles, you'll reach a second bridge, which crosses the Riverside Canal right before the gated entrance to the Jonathan Rogers and Roberto Bustamante water-treatment plants. Proceed about 2.5 miles to the Visitor Center. For a map visit http://www.riobosque.org

Organizations are encouraged set up a booth at this event. Contact Rick LoBello for more information, RickLLoBello@ cs.com .

If you can help with planning or during this event please contact judy Ackerman, 915-755-7371, Cell: 703-622-0661, j.p.ackerman@ sbcglobal. net . Please share this information with all your friends.

Big River Festival in South Texas - Enjoy the Rio Grande Before the Border Wall Cuts It Off!

Los Caminos del Rio is sponsoring the Big River Festival of 2008 at Anzalduas County Park south of Mission, Texas on Saturday, November 1.

Compete in an adventure race that combines kayaking, biking and other sports with mystery events!

Learn to paddle with one of Los Caminos del Rio's American Canoe Association-certified instructors.

Enjoy a nature tour of the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge, the nation’s best ocelot habit!

Or just listen to great music while snacking on something good.

Cooking classes (teaching healthy twists to traditional Mexican cooking) will be free to the public.

A section of combined levee / border wall that is currently under construction begins behind homes in Granjeno and will end at the gates of Anzalduas County Park. Enjoy the park and the river now, before the wall is finished.

For more information and driving directions, visit the Los Caminos del Rio website: http://loscaminos.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=38&Itemid=73

Discover El Paso's Rio Bosque – Last Chance Before the Border Wall!

Saturday 15 Nov, 11 AM to 3 PM.

Visit El Paso’s Rio Bosque Wetlands Park, http://www.riobosqu e.org and see the city’s largest park before the Border Wall changes it forever. Walks through the park to the site of the Border Wall will start every hour on the half hour (11:30, 12:30, 1:30, and 2:30). Many local organizations will have exhibits about the local flora and fauna.

Directions from I-10: Take the Americas Ave. (Loop 375) exit (Exit 34) and head southwest towards the Zaragoza Bridge. Enter the freeway portion of Loop 375 and take it to the exit for Alameda Ave., Socorro Rd., Pan American Dr. and Zaragoza Rd. Exit to the frontage road and continue straight ahead, crossing both Alameda Ave. and Socorro Rd. At Pan American Dr., turn left. After driving approximately 1.1 mile on Pan American, you'll cross a bridge over the Playa Drain. At 1.5 miles, you'll reach a second bridge, which crosses the Riverside Canal right before the gated entrance to the Jonathan Rogers and Roberto Bustamante water-treatment plants. Proceed about 2.5 miles to the Visitor Center. For a map visit http://www.riobosqu e.org

Organizations are encouraged set up a booth at this event. Contact Rick LoBello for more information, RickLLoBello@ cs.com .

If you can help with planning or during this event please contact judy Ackerman, 915-755-7371, Cell: 703-622-0661, j.p.ackerman@ sbcglobal. net . Please share this information with all your friends.

El Paso Protests Against the Border Wall

We have completed another week of protests against the wall at the construction site, Yarbrough and Cesar Chavez Highway (also called Border Highway).Every day, more and more border people are joining our cause. On Wednesday October 1, 2008, at 6:30 p.m., we begin our campaign "ENOUGH! EVERYBODY AGAINST THE WALL!" with a vigil ceremony at the construction site. The meeting point is the park located at Yarbrough and Cesar Chavez Highway.The vigil will be lead by representatives of many faiths. We are inviting everybody to join us. Invite your relatives, friends and co-workers. Bring your signs and candles.We also continue protesting at the construction site every day from about 7 a.m. to about 8 p.m. and from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

ESPAÑOL
Hemos concluido una semana mas de protestas en contra del muro en el sitio de construcción, en la carretera Cesar Chavez (también conocida como Border Highway) y Yarbrough. Cada día, mas y mas gente se une a esta causa. El viernes 26 de octubre, mas de 30 personas participaron en la protesta de la tarde. Poco a poco estamos levantando un movimiento realmente de la comunidad en oposición al muro.Este miércoles 1 de octubre a las 6:30 de la tarde, empezamos nuestra campaña "YA BASTA! TOD@S CONTRA EL MURO!" con una ceremonia de vigilia en el mismo sitio de construccion. Nos juntaremos en el parque que se encuentra en la Yarbrough y carretera Cesar Chavez. Esta vigilia estará encabezada por representantes de distintas religiones. Estamos invitando a todo mundo a que nos acompañe a esta vigilia. Les pedimos además que inviten a sus familiares, amigos y colegas de trabajo. Traigan sus pancartas de protesta y velas.También continuamos protestando todos los dias en el sitio de construccion de como poco antes de las 7 a.m. a las 8 a.m. y de las 4:30 p.m. a las 6 p.m.Sientase libre de distribuir y hacerle cambios a este mensaje.For information/Para informacion hable al (915) 873-8933

Help us stop the construction of the border wall!

Currently, we have a permanent protest at the site where construction of the wall started on September 12. We are protesting at this place daily during the mornings and evenings and are committed to intensify our protests if they intensify their construction. We are confident that the construction of the wall can be stopped if we continue pressuring.

The proposed activities are:
October 1: Vigil at the construction site.October 12: Indigenous ceremony at construction site.
October 25: International Day of Action Against the Wall of Death.
October 26: Interfaith Action Against the Wall.November 2: Day of the Death at the border.
November 9: Celebration of the 19th Anniversary of the fall of Berlin Wall.
November 27: No Thanks we Don't Want the Wall Day.December 18: Action for Justice for all Migrants That Died at the border.
January 1, 2009: Probable Joint Action at the border.
January 17, 2008: Human Action to Suspend the Construction of the Wall.

These are the proposed actions that still require work (and resources) for our campaign. At this point we are not making some of these actions public but we want to inform you about it to gain your support and participation. We will keep you informed of the details and developments of this campaign.

In solidarity, we send you fraternal greetings from the US-Mexico border.
Carlos Marentes

National Campaign Against the Border Wall: Activist Kits Available

No Border Wall Coalition has developed two national campaigns designed to amplify the anti-wall message during the presidential campaign season. (See below for details.) We hope that these projects can help diverse groups and individuals unite and build a strong national movement against the border wall ahead of the new Congress and new administration.

We would appreciate your help publicizing and distributing materials and facilitating these initiatives. If you are interested, we can send you a kit that includes a slideshow presentation CD, project worksheets, and a border wall factsheet. The slideshow is a 12 minute overview of the border wall issue and covers the entire southern border. Please request materials from noborderwall@yahoo.com.

Here are descriptions of the campaigns:

National Letter Writing Campaign: This campaign is targeted to those groups working outside of the border region or to border groups for which the wall has not been a central focus. It consists of a Letter-Writing Campaign Kit, which we will send upon request. The kit contains a 12-minute slide presentation which is an overview of the damages that border walls cause or will cause and features compelling photos from all along the border (thanks to many of you), a factsheet, and a letter-writing worksheet. The ideal use for the kit is for groups to set aside 45 min to 1 hour in their meeting program to view the slideshow, discuss the issue and write letters to their US senators.

Border Wall Documentation Project: This campaign is designed to bring together all of the activist groups and individuals along the border for a single mission: to document the negative impacts of the border wall and border wall construction, as well as the abuse, neglect and incompetence of DHS, CBP and Border Patrol in its implementation of the border wall project. It calls upon border residents to bear witness to the destruction caused by the border wall and the abuse perpetrated by DHS and to report the destruction and abuse to Congress. Many border residents were able to document the potential damage of the border wall in their areas during the Environmental Impact Statement process. However, now that Chertoff has waived the laws, there is no longer any official process through which damages will be documented. What we would like to do with the border wall documentation project is reinstate such a process border-wide and compile documents for use in anti-wall lobbying efforts, Congressional hearings and lawsuits. If we get a good response, we might also be able to assemble an online database which could be useful well into the future, even in future efforts to bring down existing walls. Joining together for such an important project will also help us all get to know one another and other sympathetic border groups, create solidarity, and give us an opportunity to speak with one voice.

Border Ambassadors Sponsors March from Fort Hancock to El Paso August 27 - 31

Join the border people’s march to stop the building of the wall, August 27-31, 2008. Wednesday 27: Cultural event to start the march at 6 p.m., Fort Hancock.

Thursday 28: March to Alamo Alto.

Friday 29: March to Fabens with a community event in Tornillo.

Saturday 30: March to Socorro with a community event in San Elizario.

Sunday 31: March from Ysleta del Sur to El Paso.

A major disaster for wildlife and parks along the U.S.--Mexico border may soon become reality if concerned citizens can not rally enough support to stop the construction of 700 mile fence. On April 1, for the fourth time in the past 2 years, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff used his authority to waive more than 30 environmental laws to expedite building 370 miles worth of new fencing along the U.S. Mexico border, including 57 miles of continuous wire mesh fencing and 21 miles of high-powered lighting from El Paso downstream along the Rio Grande. Being faced with growing and unexpectedly fierce opposition, DHS is cutting every corner in an attempt to complete 700 miles worth of fencing before the Bush Administration is out of office.


If DHS moves forward with fence construction before proper environmental analysis is completed, there will be serious impacts to wildlife and their habitats in the borderland region, including areas such as the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge, the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area, Big Bend National Park, the Lower Rio Grande Valley Wildlife Refuge, and the Rio Grande near El Paso. Within these areas live a number of endangered and threatened species, including jaguar, Mexican black bear, ocelot, Gila monster, and Sonoran pronghorn. The Rio Grande is an extraordinarily important area for wildlife in the Chihuahuan Desert, and an important migratory flyway for birds. The proposed fence will block wildlife access and passage, and the proposed lights could adversely affect migratory birds.

We can't allow the DHS to continue down this path. We need a comprehensive approach to border security that addresses root causes, is effective, and does not cause harm to border wildlife and ecosystems.

Unfortunately, Congress is not likely to act in this election year without significant outside pressure. This is a states' rights issue as much as an environmental one. That's why we are calling on our members who live in border states to contact their governors.

Encuentro Nical Tlaca in El Calaboz, Texas August 16

Encuentro Nical Tlaca in El Calaboz, Texas August 16

A Gathering among people of this Land.

Danza, Celebration, Refreshments,
Papel Picado Workshop, and the
breaking of our already famous wall piñata.

We claim our land, it was given to us by our ancestors, it is our land, no barriers between our people, we will fight the wall of shame until the end.

At Eloisa's Land, in el Calaboz, 23352 W Us Highway 281 (look for green balloons)
from 5pm till dusk.

For more info, please contact Ryan @ (956)203-6801 or Elizabeth @ (956)459-3205