Construction of Second Border Wall Raises Environmental Concerns at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
A new development in the construction of a second border wall in the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument has sparked environmental concerns, particularly regarding the impact on local flora. Located southwest of Tucson, the area is seeing significant changes as contractors advance with their work.
Recent footage has emerged showing the removal of iconic saguaro cacti to accommodate the construction of a 30-foot steel bollard wall. The video captures a fallen saguaro, its pale green trunk and roots conspicuously lying amidst a heap of displaced vegetation.
Russ McSpadden, a southwest border conservation advocate with the Center for Biological Diversity, documented these activities on September 23. According to McSpadden, this removal is part of the preparations for the new wall, which involves clearing extensive areas of vegetation.
Back in 2020, thousands of saguaros were uprooted for the first steel wall. Although some were replanted, the majority did not survive. McSpadden remarked, “The few that did survive are being transplanted again, so exponentially less chance of survival for those saguaros.”
This issue extends beyond the monument itself. The Tohono O’odham Nation has reported that wall contractors are expected to remove thousands more saguaros from their tribal lands.
The current plans, initiated during the Trump administration, aim to erect over 200 miles of parallel steel walls along the Arizona-Mexico border, a move that continues to stir debate over environmental and cultural impacts.
