The Trump administration’s plans for an unprecedented expansion of border-policing infrastructure in Big Bend have triggered bipartisan opposition. Opponents argue that vehicle barriers, surveillance-technology towers and 200 miles of new patrol roads are the wrong way to secure this wildest, most scenic stretch of the Rio Grande.
Those plans have also triggered an ambitious scientific initiative. The Big Bend Borderlands BioBlitz aims to document the biodiversity here before it’s damaged or destroyed.
Jeff Renfrow and Dr. Amy Concilio are BioBlitz organizers.
“It gives people an opportunity to be a part of something,” Renfrow said, “and I think there is a real feeling of helplessness and inevitability.”
“I wanted to be involved immediately,” Concilio said, “because like a lot of other people that care about conservation, care about biodiversity, but don't really know what role we could play, it's like: Okay, I'm a scientist – this is something that I can do, and this is something that our community can do.”
Launched in 2018 by Arizona-based researchers, the Border BioBlitz is an annual effort to record as many species as possible along the U.S.-Mexico border. But Big Bend has been a gap. Renfrow, a biologist and river guide with four decades experience here, decided now was the time to fill it.
He reached out to Concilio, a colleague in ecological restoration and professor at St. Edward’s University. Within days, she recruited two dozen volunteers for the BioBlitz’s opening weekend.
“It's July 4th weekend,” Renfrow said. “They changed their plans and just came out here to go walk around in the desert in July. Big Bend has a big constituency of passionate people that really love this place, and it's tapped into that.”
The BioBlitz is community science – no expertise required. Participants use the iNaturalist app to upload photos of plants and animals they see; other users can identify the species. As of early August, there had been more than 2,000 observations, documenting nearly 500 species.
The effort stretches from Big Bend Ranch State Park though Big Bend National Park and Black Gap Wildlife Management Area. Rio Grande Village, in the national park, has been a focus; its springs make it a biodiversity hotspot.
“Smart wall” construction could pummel the habitat of the Chisos hedgehog cactus, which is found only in the national park. Observers have been attentive for these cacti, which could potentially be salvaged before any construction occurs.
Patrol roads along the river would destroy the wilderness character of this remote stretch of the Rio Grande. They would also destroy riverside vegetation critical for innumerable creatures, including the threatened yellow-billed cuckoo.
Concilio is hopeful more birders will join the BioBlitz.
“With iNaturalist, it's easiest to do plants, as you might guess,” she said. “But to get bird observations, you have to either get a recording or get a photo. We know there's tons of birds down there, and it'd be great to get those.”
The BioBlitz is intended to showcase what stands to be lost. By marshalling volunteers, it’s also advancing knowledge of this understudied region. But if construction occurs, the data will provide a baseline for scientists trying to repair the damage.
“If this does happen, it's going to happen fast,” Renfrow said. “They're going to be out here and they're going to be tearing things up faster than we can document, and we may not even have access. It's important that we know what's there, because we are going to do restoration work.”
The BioBlitz continues through September, and Concilio is organizing a student-focused trip Sept. 18-20. Renfrow can help individuals and groups plan BioBlitz outings. For more information, visit bigbendbioblitz.org.
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