The Scoop
Objective: To document the wildlife, landscapes and human communities of the borderlands, and the impact the border wall is having on them. We are using the images to enhance the reach of a coalition of groups and people working on this issue. We have displayed an exhibit of our photos on Capitol Hill and shown the above multimedia that details what we learned on the expedition. This effort is coordinated with legislative work being done by Rep. Raul Grijalva and others, and lobbying efforts by our conservation and human rights partners.
Threats to the Borderlands: The borderlands of the United States and Mexico harbor a hidden gem. These remote wildlands that stretch from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico across the belly of North America provide safe haven for many wild species of plant and animals. Because much of the landscape around this international border has remained isolated for so long, many relatively intact and continentally rare ecosystems endure here—including Arizona’s last free flowing river, the San Pedro; some of the last undeveloped grasslands on the continent in the Janos/Hidalgo area along the New Mexico border; the single most diverse birding area in the United States along the Lower Rio Grande river, and habitat and migration corridors for some of both nation’s most imperiled species including the jaguar, Sonoran pronghorn, ocelot, bighorn sheep and Mexican gray wolves.
The WALL: A wall bisecting borderlands habitat will not only disrupt the crucial uninhibited movement of imperiled species, it will curtail the movement of many species that are essential to the dynamics of ecosystems. Animals like javelina, who distribute seeds for many plant species, will be blocked from their role in the environment. Plant movement will be inhibited at a time, when due to global warming, plants will have to transition north or perish. If a steel barrier and destructive immigration and law enforcement activities block their pathways, any hope of recovery will be lost.
Outreach Strategy: Our expedition will take the story of wildlife, landscape, plants and people in the borderlands to the public and policy makers. Through a photo exhibition, documentary, book and public outreach we hope to broaden the discussion of immigration to include what we all stand to lose if the current policy continues.
Photographers
Associate Fellow
Associate Fellow
Fellow
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Associate Fellow
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Associate Fellow
Associate Fellow
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Associate Fellow
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Guest Photographers:
Ian Shive, Santiago Gibert
Partners
Art for Conservation
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Cuenca Los Ojos
Defenders of Wildlife
DodoAgurupación AC
Felidae Conservation Fund
Instituto de Ecologia UNAM
Lighthawk
Sierra Club
Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico
Project Buzz
Project Outcomes
+ Photographic Exhibit debuted on Capitol Hill in April—events organized with borderlands champion Rep. Raul Grijalva of Tucson, who attended our reception along with 8 other representatives. Shows in Wyoming, New Mexico, Maryland, South Carolina: Action alerts included at exhibit shows to encourage people to contact legislators. At Maryland exhibit, four state legislators were motivated to send a joint letter to Sen. Barbara Mikulski urging her to stand up for the borderlands on Maryland’s behalf.
+ Documentary created with Cornell Lab of Ornithology (1) Shown at congressional briefings at both House of Representatives and Senate and at exhibit locations around the country. (2) Being used by conservation groups to motivate the scientific and legislative communities.
+ Created a series of short videos on the borderlands which have been seen by more than 10,000 viewers on youtube.
+ Slideshow presented to the US EPA’s Good Neighbor Board, which is tasked with advising the president on environmental matters on the border of the US and Mexico. Since that slideshow, the board is working on a letter to President Obama advising him on the impact of the wall, which may include photos from the RAVE.
+ Created borderlands brochure with Defenders of Wildlife - Dozens of media outlets have covered the RAVE including: CNN, NBC TV, Defenders
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sunrise, Tecolote crater, Pinacate Desert
ILCP Borderlands RAVE
PhotographerAssociate Fellow
Mexico Miguel Angel de la CuevaRecent Buzz
Photographer of the Month: An Interview With Miguel Ángel de la CuevaPhotographer of the Month: An Interview With Miguel Ángel de la CuevaJan 12, 2011 // Expose: BlogRelated Projects
Borderlands RAVEBorderlands RAVEJan 25 ~ Feb 18, 2009 -
Agave Landscape, Los Ojos, Chihuahua
ILCP Borderlands RAVE
PhotographerAssociate Fellow
Mexico Miguel Angel de la CuevaRecent BuzzPhotographer of the Month: An Interview With Miguel Ángel de la CuevaPhotographer of the Month: An Interview With Miguel Ángel de la CuevaJan 12, 2011 // Expose: BlogRelated ProjectsBorderlands RAVEBorderlands RAVEJan 25 ~ Feb 18, 2009 -
Matt Clark, Defenders of Wildlife
ILCP Borderlands RAVE
PhotographerAssociate Fellow
Mexico Miguel Angel de la CuevaRecent BuzzPhotographer of the Month: An Interview With Miguel Ángel de la CuevaPhotographer of the Month: An Interview With Miguel Ángel de la CuevaJan 12, 2011 // Expose: BlogRelated ProjectsBorderlands RAVEBorderlands RAVEJan 25 ~ Feb 18, 2009 -
Antler, Organ Pipe National Monument, Arizona
ILCP Borderlands RAVE
PhotographerAssociate Fellow
Mexico Miguel Angel de la CuevaRecent BuzzPhotographer of the Month: An Interview With Miguel Ángel de la CuevaPhotographer of the Month: An Interview With Miguel Ángel de la CuevaJan 12, 2011 // Expose: BlogRelated ProjectsBorderlands RAVEBorderlands RAVEJan 25 ~ Feb 18, 2009 -
Border patrol, San Pedro, Arizona
ILCP Borderlands RAVE
PhotographerAssociate Fellow
Mexico Miguel Angel de la CuevaRelated ProjectsBorderlands RAVEBorderlands RAVEJan 25 ~ Feb 18, 2009 -
Ghost Forest
PhotographerAssociate Fellow
Seattle, WA, USA Chris LinderRelated ProjectsBorderlands RAVEBorderlands RAVEJan 25 ~ Feb 18, 2009 -
Border wall near Nogales
PhotographerAssociate Fellow
Seattle, WA, USA Chris LinderRelated ProjectsBorderlands RAVEBorderlands RAVEJan 25 ~ Feb 18, 2009Related Events
RAVE Retrospective at The G2 GalleryRAVE Retrospective at The G2 GalleryJan 4 ~ Feb 13, 2011 -
Silent Sentinel
The saguaro cactus is a treasured symbol of the American Southwest. Saguaros can live for up to 150 years, and it can take 75 years to grow a single arm. Numerous bird species, including gila woodpeckers and elf owls, use saguaros for their nests.
PhotographerAssociate Fellow
Seattle, WA, USA Chris LinderRelated ProjectsBorderlands RAVEBorderlands RAVEJan 25 ~ Feb 18, 2009 -
Saguaro sunrise
Saguaro cactus at sunrise.
PhotographerAssociate Fellow
Seattle, WA, USA Chris LinderRelated ProjectsBorderlands RAVEBorderlands RAVEJan 25 ~ Feb 18, 2009 -
Borderwall through Pinacate Desert, Sonora-Arizona
ILCP Borderlands RAVE
PhotographerAssociate Fellow
Mexico Miguel Angel de la CuevaRecent BuzzPhotographer of the Month: An Interview With Miguel Ángel de la CuevaPhotographer of the Month: An Interview With Miguel Ángel de la CuevaJan 12, 2011 // Expose: BlogRelated ProjectsBorderlands RAVEBorderlands RAVEJan 25 ~ Feb 18, 2009Related EventsRAVE Retrospective at The G2 GalleryRAVE Retrospective at The G2 GalleryJan 4 ~ Feb 13, 2011 -
Sotol gatherer, Los Ojos, Chihuahua
ILCP Borderlands RAVE
PhotographerAssociate Fellow
Mexico Miguel Angel de la CuevaRecent BuzzPhotographer of the Month: An Interview With Miguel Ángel de la CuevaPhotographer of the Month: An Interview With Miguel Ángel de la CuevaJan 12, 2011 // Expose: BlogRelated ProjectsBorderlands RAVEBorderlands RAVEJan 25 ~ Feb 18, 2009Related EventsRAVE Retrospective at The G2 GalleryRAVE Retrospective at The G2 GalleryJan 4 ~ Feb 13, 2011
Borderlands Continental Divide
Video
Principal
Huffington Post: U.S.-Mexican Border Wall Destroying Habitats for Endangered Animals (SLIDESHOW)
Jan 11, 2010
Huffington Post: U.S.-Mexican Border Wall Destroying Habitats for Endangered Animals (SLIDESHOW)
"The building of a border wall along the Rio Grande has an unlikely victim: local wildlife. "
