In this episode, I interview Bob Krumenaker, retired Big Bend National Park superintendent, about the recently proposed Big Bend border wall and its implications. Bob describes Big Bend’s desert, Chisos Mountains, and the Rio Grande riparian corridor, emphasizing biodiversity, cross-border wildlife movement, and the park’s international protected-area status. He argues Big Bend has the lowest illegal crossing activity on the southern border—about 200 apprehensions annually within the park—and says a 30-foot bollard wall would require new roads, towers, lighting, and secondary barriers, harming wilderness character, dark skies, river access, and wildlife. The discussion covers existing surveillance infrastructure, an MOU guiding Border Patrol conduct, prior wall impacts in Organ Pipe and Coronado, and a nonpartisan coalition opposing the wall while supporting less intrusive, cooperative technology. Bob also outlines advocacy steps and links the fight to long-stalled wilderness designation efforts.
Thousands in Texas protest against border wall through national park: ‘big love for Big Bend’
Sign the Change Dot Org Petition
Five Call - Stop Construction of a Border Wall in the Big Bend Region
Capitol Switchboard Number - (202) 224-3121
00:56 Episode Preview
02:12 Support the Podcast
03:03 Meet Bob Krumenaker
03:26 Career Path to Superintendent
04:56 Advocacy Inside NPS
06:48 Park Service Mission and Management
11:43 Pivot to Big Bend Tenure
13:57 Big Bend Ecosystems Overview
16:30 Sky Islands and Rare Species
17:41 Wildlife Comebacks and Connectivity
19:49 Crossings Data and Border Patrol Role
21:58 Wall Impacts in Other Parks
26:00 MOU and Working with Border Patrol
27:53 Wall Proposal Timeline and Map Changes
33:00 What a Wall Would Build
35:20 River Access At Risk
36:21 What Smart Wall Means
38:57 Surveillance Tradeoffs
42:15 How Crossings Really Work
45:46 Coalition Against The Wall
54:01 Wilderness History And Future
01:00:18 How You Can Help
01:03:05 Why Public Lands Matter
