Question Earthority!

“The ocelot is not the only rare creature carrying on a precarious existence in this unique corner of Texas. Although not as well known as Yosemite or Yellowstone, the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge offers a variety of species unmatched in the United States — 500 bird species, 300 butterflies, 700 vertebrates. ‘This is one of the crown jewels of the national wildlife refuge system,’ says Carter Smith, Texas state director of the Nature Conservancy. Saving and restoring this area took $70 million in federal land acquisitions and three decades of work by the Nature Conservancy, Audubon Society and local communities. But now the victories could go for naught. At issue is the Bush administration mandate to build 700 miles of fence along parts of the U.S. border with Mexico. It’s part of the Secure Border Initiative, a Department of Homeland Security program first funded by Congress in 2005 to address border security. While the fence has stirred a bonfire of debate over terrorism and illegal immigration, the fate of the area’s unique wildlife has been lost in the uproar.” (09/13/07)