For the past few years, the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance has been working with the superintendents of Guadalupe and Big Bend national parks in Texas on a range of issues, including the reintroduction and management of native species.

For Big Bend, we’re trying to have more than 600,000 acres placed into the Wilderness Preservation System. Along the Mexican side of the border, across from Big Bend, lay 1.8 million protected acres, encompassing Sierra del Carmen, Ocampo, and Cañon de Santa Elena. What makes this important is the opportunity to create an international peace park. A significant precedent was established thirty-two years ago when Glacier National Park, on our northern border, and Waterton Park on the Canadian side, were declared an international peace park. The idea came from U.S. and Canadian citizens and members of the International Rotary Club, who felt they had strong connections that transcended national borders.

On July 30, 2009 a Resolution was introduced in the House of Representatives by Congressman Ciro Rodriguez (D-TX), supporting an international park between Big Bend National Park in the United States and the protected areas of the Coahuila and Chihuahua States across the border in Mexico.

This is tremendous news!

Please take the time to send a free fax to Congressman Rodriguez, thanking him for this resolution and to also urge New Mexico’s congressional delegation to support this important step forward in establishing this international peace park.

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

Thank you very much for introducing into the House of Representatives a resolution supporting an international park between Big Bend National Park in the United States and the protected areas of the Coahuila and Chihuahua States across the border in Mexico.

I fully support an international park between Big Bend National Park in the United States and the protected areas of the Coahuila and Chihuahua States across the border in Mexico; and I encourage you to work with other colleagues in the House of Representatives to request that the President, in conjunction with Secretaries of Homeland Security, Interior, and State, discuss with Mexico and study the probability of designating an international park.

Thank you for your leadership on this issue.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
July 30, 2009