Treehugger: Environmentalism meets immigration!!1

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http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/06/immigration_meets_environmentalism.php

Treehugger: Environmentalism meets Immigration

.... "From the environmental standpoint, the fence is a very, very disturbing thing," said Karen Chapman, water and wildlife analyst for Environmental Defense in Brownsville. "You are taking the entire ecosystem and you are drawing a line through it, making it impossible to function as a whole."

The Rio Grande Valley is one of the most biologically rich regions in the U.S. according to the Fish and Wildlife Survey. The 90,000 acres of native mesquite, sabal palm, Texas ebony and prickly pear provide a refuge for endangered species like the ocelot and jaguarondi, which would be especially hard-hit by the construction of the fence. "It is not just that they can't get to the water or to the food," said Martin Hagne, executive director of the Valley Nature Center in Weslaco. "If you have two populations that are cut off from each other, their genetic pool will shrink and eventually they will disappear."

One of the main issues at the heart of this imbroglio is the potential loss in eco-tourism money that the fence would engender. Estimating that it contributes close to $125 million to the local economy, officials warn that the fence would drive away enthusiasts interested in hiking, wildlife watching and canoeing along the river.

An alliance of 14 environmental groups and several business groups have appealed to Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff to urge his department to consider alternatives to the border fence, including a more eco-friendly "virtual fence" that would rely on cameras, sensors and other low-impact technologies. Their appeal may not go very far: President Bush recently threatened to veto a House bill that would've required the federal government to seek community feedback on the fence , alleging that doing so would "serve as an impediment of gaining control of the border."

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http://notexasborderwall.com/