Follow for the latest on border construction and the San Rafael Valley in the news!
photo courtesy of Krista Schlyer.
Breaking news
Trump Wants a New Border Wall. It Would Block a Key Wildlife Corridor (NYTimes)
A rare jaguar roams Arizona. Border wall expansion imperils its future. (WaPO)
Summer 2025
A jaguar, a wall, a sacred valley: What’s at stake in San Rafael (Arizona Luminaria)
Read the most recent scientific reports from Sky Island Alliance and the Center for Biological Diversity to understand the vital significance of this region for wildlife connectivity and biodiversity.
Also check out the Ecology page for more on the unique biodiversity and species that inhabit the San Rafael Valley.
Latest News Stories
These are some of the most recent news stories related to the San Rafael Valley + border wall construction in the area. To stay up-to-date, click here!
October 7th, 2025
A jaguar, a wall, a sacred valley: What’s at stake in San Rafael
Arizona Luminaria
By: John Washington
October 2nd, 2025
By: Rachel Louise Just
October 2nd, 2025
Border wall slicing through Arizona wildlife corridor begins construction: ‘A show of force for nothing’
The Guardian
By: Lourdes Medrano in the San Rafael Valley
September 19, 2025
Episode 155: Jaguars, Justice, and the Border Wall – Stories from the Frontlines With Russ McSpadden
Rewilding Institute
Podcast by Jack Humphrey, featuring Russ McSpadden of Center for Biological Diversity
September 16, 2025
By: Paul Ingram
August 26th, 2025
Activists decry new border wall’s impact on wildlife
National Catholic Reporter
By: Anita Snow
August 13th, 2025
By: Henry Brean
Five images of “Jaguar Number Four” were caught in three locations in June and July 2025 by wildlife trail cameras operated by the University of Arizona Wild Cat Research and Conservation Center. This is the same jaguar of late 2023 detections.
August 10th, 2025
A rare jaguar roams Arizona. Border wall expansion imperils its future.
The Washington Post
By: Angie Orellana Hernandez
In July 2025, a rare sighting of O:ṣhad Ñu:kudam (Jaguar Protector in the O’odham language) or “Jaguar Number Four” was captured on wildlife cameras placed in the San Rafael Valley wildlife corridor by researchers at the University of Arizona’s Wild Cat Research and Conservation Center. This highlights the importance of this space and place for wildlife on the move.
July 31st
By: Douglas Main
The San Rafael Valley is one of the last critical wildlife corridors that connects U.S. and Mexico ecosystems. It is vital for species such as jaguars, ocelots, and black bears. A 27-mile stretch of proposed border wall threatens the connectivity of this area.
June 18th, 2025
US CBP has awarded Fisher Sand & Gravel Co. a $309.46 million for roughly 27 miles of new border wall construction within the Tucson Sector. This project fills “critical openings” due to contract cancellations in the Biden administration (funding will come from FY 2021 CBP appropriations).
June 5th, 2025
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announced three new waivers Issued to expedite border wall construction over at least 36 miles across Arizona and New Mexico. These waivers are additions to waivers issued in California in April 2025.
Border Wall Resistance
Preventing Ecological Catastrophe at the Southern US Border
For the latest on border construction and the San Rafael Valley in the news, follow this page!
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