Border wall seen as threat to Big Bend beauty, wildlife

Opponents of a vast border wall championed by President-elect Donald Trump say it will impair tourism and conservation efforts at Big Bend National Park and beyond.

They contend Big Bend was first envisioned in the 1930s as Big Bend International Peace Park, extending from Texas into Mexico, and that a wall will ruin the original vision for the park.

But The Dallas Morning News reports that supporters of the wall say border security is paramount and that concerns it would threaten wildlife and undermine the park’s beauty are secondary concerns.

The National Border Patrol Council, which represents Border Patrol agents, says building the wall elsewhere but not in the park will eventually lead smugglers to seek routes through Big Bend.

The park extends along 118 miles of the border.