Despite a commitment earlier this year from local U.S. Border Patrol’s management that the agency’s de-vegetation actions on the river vega (of one of the ten most endangered rivers on the planet) would involve consultation with the Río Grande International Study Center (RGISC) and Monte Mucho Audubon Society (MMAS), the river vega east of Bridge II was stripped clean of its foliage in November.
In a void of grasses, brush, and trees, runoff in a heavy rain can carry tons of silt into the Río Grande
City staff, USBP agents, and representatives of RGISC and MMAS met at City Hall on April 26, 2018 to discuss the protection of Las Palmas Nature Trail below Bridge II, Father McNaboe Park, and the Hachar tract in South Laredo.
They will meet again Thursday morning at 10 a.m. at the office of City Council member George Altgelt.
“We took USBP at its word, that we would be consulted before any such de-vegetation actions were undertaken. We left that meeting believing that a partnership was finally being forged with agents, city officials, and environmental groups. We were not consulted when government tractors wiped out acres of avian and wildlife habitat on the river vega last month,” said Tricia Cortez, executive director of RGISC.
Cortez said the discussion at City Hall back then involved the need for USBP to carry out its mission to protect the border, while also preserving ecologically rich areas along the river vega and preventing their destruction from tractors and bulldozers.
She called the sight of the now defoliated vega “shocking.” She pointed to the irony of the Border Patrol leaving invasive, water guzzling salt cedar trees standing while destroying the vega’s vegetation that provides food and habitat for wildlife.
According to Cortez, Las Palmas Nature Trail and the surrounding vega are among the most unique natural areas left in Laredo. “It is a small and contained eco-system that is richly diverse. It hugs the banks of the river and starts just underneath International Bridge II and ends about a mile downstream at the mouth of Zacate Creek. The trail itself, only three quarters of a mile, is a large old-growth palm grove. South of it is an island that teems with bird life. The entire area is a prime birding spot for local and out of town visitors. It is one of the City’s most accessible environmental treasures,” Cortez said.
“This latest and most recent episode is unacceptable,” she continued. “The constant encroachment into an already small and ecologically sensitive area has begun to degrade this truly unique Laredo landmark. It will also have negative consequences for the avian, terrestrial, and aquatic wildlife that this riparian habitat supports.”
In a December 18, 2018 letter to USBP interim chief Felix Chavez, Cortez wrote, “We are asking for a negotiated change in USBP’s approach to this rich eco-system. The neglect and misuse of this public land has left it denuded and vulnerable to erosion and the disappearance of critical habitat for wildlife.
“We are asking for a formal agreement in writing with the City, USBP, and community groups such as ours to find a sustainable balance to save this location. We are also asking to designate Las Palmas as Laredo’s first Birding Sanctuary, and to make USBP a full partner in this endeavor with a formal ceremony slated for the spring.
“While the area is critical to USBP’s mission on the border, it is critical, too, to Laredoans and visiting nature enthusiasts who find respite in so beautiful a place.”
