Subject: RE: Arde on TX refuges Date: Friday, May 12,2007 8:46:32 AM Good morning Rowdy. | am available to attend and provide material. Please let me know anything else | can do to assist U.S, Customs and Border Protection From: ADAMS, ROWDY D Sent: Friday, May 11, 2007 8:25 AM le on TX refuges Greg, See below, DO! sent this article yesterday. My response is below. Short version — we are trying to set up a meeting this afternoon to brief DO! on plans and continue to press for the detailer for coordination. BTW | have been asking for a DO! detailer since March to prevent this kind of press, etc. Both Jeff and | agree that this is just aditional chum from last week, conoem is that this doesn't continue ta gain momentum, fl if | can get the brief set up, please plan on attending. We will probably want to provide DO! with py of talking points ete for their down the chain education process. Thanks Rowdy ‘Subject: RE: Article on TX refuges Sorry for not getting back to you. These issues were the reason why we need to get a DO! person on board as a detailer, sooner rather than later, The coordination effort must be solid and we have to be in lock step. We certainly Understand the issues and pushback from FYWS and | think an education for what the issues are coming from DO! will help the understanding, | talked with Jeff this morning and we agree thet this is @ critical issue for us to avercome. Inthe meantime, | can provide some preliminary info on where we have planned to put fence ete, Thefield contact with FWS happened this week and was the frst ‘head ups’ for the local folks, It might be a good idea to brief you up and provide info so DOI could pass down the chain. Are you available this afternoon? | know itis short notice but itis eriical that DO! get the info ASAP. Thanks Rowdy me Ry, - 7 ” 7 7 7 To: Seff, Jeffrey D Ce: Rovidy Adams Subject: Fw: Article on TX refuges Hi Jeff, ‘Thanks forthe response, tached is my orignal note to Rowdy, yo, and Ron. Lnged to get ny info you can wovide, If youcan send my an update of exstly wit is plamed? Ta the atlecoreat? Til send you te two Pe ress ely oe Fm tr SW tak cost MI ter VS ew toforcement ff Tarpreciate you Keng me in the loop on anne comes wp. The K Original Message « ann OP 08:45 AMEDT. To: Rowdy Adam isu] subject: Fw: Article on TX refuges Rowdy Need your elp tis morning, IIIc cur Deputy Secretary and er sro tosey. need to get a complete picture of whet TS proposed end where Also, who sheet follow up with on this? Is it you or someone in the Sector? Would appreciate your assistance as soon s possible, | need to get back to our Dep Sec today am on my way out the door to ONDGP for a short meeting, | will give you a call upon my return, Thess a Any info you can gather from the refuges would be helpful also. What have they heard? Who has talked to them, etc. Tol = Department of the InteriorLaw Enforcement, Seourity, and Emergency Mgmt Forwards: I 051502007 0899 AN srr0ran07 08:26 AM |‘ Subjct Fv: Article on TX ratugas Lets try to track this down ASAP. Thanks ~~ Forwarded >) on 05/10/2007 09°27 AM —— ceaate 0780 Subject! Fw: Ati on TX refuges Do you know anything about this proposed wall? Gan you find out? Om 0 2: 0007 0-0 0- cesveevanar 03:18 Pkt | ‘Subjet Arie on TX retuges De ll Thank you for your continuing interest in the border issue. Once you have a breather and have a chance, here is the article I mentioned this morning on DHS telling FWS officials in TX that they are going to start building walls on the refuges down there. We have spoken to some FWS people out on the ground out there. Everyone is in the dark -even some of FWS's good high level Border Patrol contacts down there are in the dark. They did say BP was first looking into siting on private lands and ran into opposition, so decided to go to federal lands because they thought that would be casier. But the refuge is so fragmented, the fence would be too, so it makes no sense. Looking forward to our border mtg next week. Best, Making way for @ border fence: By AARON NELSEN. The Brownsville Herald May 6, 2007 - 11:57AM National wildlife sanctuaries along the Rio Grande Valley are on the fast track to receive the first ‘sections of the border fence to be constructed along the Mexican border, according ta an e-mail shown to The Brownsville Herald. Border agents informed U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officials on Friday that wildife refuges in Starr, Hidalgo and Cameron Counties would be the first areas tapped for construction since they are federally-owned lands, according the e-mail from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to local conservationists, The Texas Parks and Wildife official who wrote the e-mail confirmed its validity but would not comment on it. hile it remains uncertain when construction would begin or how much of each refuge would have to be destroyed to make way for the security barrier, details of the project in the e-mail include 82 miles of fencing at least 150 feet wide with a road suitable for agents to travel up to 50 miles per hour. The FWS was given @ matter of days to respond to the announcement, after which they will not be consulted further. So far, there haven't been any studies to determine the impact a fence could have on wildlife, but environmental groups are bracing for the worst Calls to the Department of Homeland Security were not returned “This is bad with a capital B," said Karen Chapman, a wildife analyst with Environmental Defense “There is no place you could put @ fence down here and not have a significant impact on the environment. We should all be opposed to this, whether you're an environmentalist or not Earlier this year Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff angered environmentalists when he waived environmental rules to allow for the border fence to be constructed. The move circumvented laws, such as the Endangered Species Act, the Federal Water Pollution Control Act and the National Environmental Policy Act. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department lists dozens of rare and endangered species found in the Rio Grande Valley corridor. Plans for other wildife sanctuaries in the area are stil unknown, but conservationists, such as Jimmy Paz, director of Sabal Palms Audubon Center and Sanctuary, have been anxiously awaiting word "I have contacted the local DHS office several times but have not been able to get any official information on the fence in the sanctuary area,” Paz wrote, “(On Friday), | was told that a representative is supposed to contact me to get our input and give us information, but (I) could not find ‘out when.” ‘After months on the backbumer, the proposed border fence was thrust into the spotlight a few weeks‘ago when Border Patrol agents gathered landowners near Roma for a meeting about how the fence might impact their property. ‘The issue gathered steam last week when the Associated Press released a map revealing government plans to build 370 miles of fence along the border, inoluding 153 miles in Texas. ‘The news shocked and angered many Rio Grande Valley residents who had previously received assurances that the river would remain accessible to wildlife and farmers. Deborah and Leonard Loop own property along the river east of Brownsville. Border Patrol agents Visited their home two weeks ago to gather their input about the fence. “told them not only no, but heck no,” Leonard Lopp said. “Something needs to be done (about immigration), but you have to live here to understand what (a fence) will do to the people. Right now, ‘we don't know what they're going to do. (The agents) didn't even know." Additional information Saba Palm Audubon Center The 567-2cre wildlife sanctuary hugs the southernmost tip of the Rio Grande in Brownsville and is home to many netive species of plants and animals that reach the northernmost limit of their Mexican range here and do not occur elsewhere in the U.S, ‘The center harbors one of the most beautiful and critical ecosystems of South Texas and Northern Mexico, Sabal Palms once grew profusely along the edge of the Rio Grande in small stands or groves: ‘extending about 80 miles upstream from the Gulf of Mexico. Today, only a small portion of that forest remains protected in this Audubon sanctuary. ‘Source: httpi/t.audubon org/Sabal html Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge This 2,088-acre refuge between Brownsville and McAllen was established in 1943 for the protection of migratory birds, Considered the jewel of the federal refuge system, this isolated thom forest habitat is home to nearly 400 cifferent types of birds and a myriad of other species, including the indigo snake, malachite butterfly and the endangered ocelot At an ecological crossroad, Senta Ana is strategically located where subtropical climate, gulf coast, ‘great plains and Chinuahuan desert meet. Thousands of birds from the Central and Mississippi fyways funnel through the area on their way to and fram Central and South America. This small patch of riparian woodland is also habitat for about one half (300) of all butterfly species found in the United States. With more 95 percent of the original habitat in the Lower Rio Grande delta cleared or altered, Santa ‘Ana is @ reminder of the semitropical thorn forest that once dominated the area. ‘Source: www. ,iws.gov/southwest/refugesitexas/santana, htmlDirector of Legislative Affairs Defenders of Wildlife 1130 Seventeenth St. NW Washington, D.C. 20036-4604