Audubon and other conservation groups have said the current design amounts to an impenetrable concrete wall that would prevent wildlife from migrating and fragment habitat. Among the 30-some laws being waived are the Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Policy Act. Audubon President John Flicker called the action “unprecedented and extreme.”

Unfortunately, in addition to the implications of the border fence for wildlife and environmental law, Audubon’s own Sabal Palm Audubon Center and Sanctuary in Brownsville, Texas may find itself entirely on the Mexico side of the fence. The Department of Homeland Security is currently considering plans to erect the border fence just north of the sanctuary, effectively trimming it from the rest of the country and probably forcing its closure. The situation inspired the New York Times on April 7 to call Audubon’s sanctuary “a natural treasure that may end up without a country.”

National Audubon Society and Audubon Texas are working tirelessly to try to stop the border fence and save Sabal Palm Sanctuary. Stay tuned to learn what you can do to help.

Key West Migration Explosion!