West Texas Archeologists Rush to Record 425 Sites Threatened by 30-Foot Border Barrier
Updated
Updated · marfapublicradio.org · Aug 20
West Texas Archeologists Rush to Record 425 Sites Threatened by 30-Foot Border Barrier
1 articles · Updated · marfapublicradio.org · Aug 20
Summary
Shumla archeologists are accelerating documentation in Val Verde County, where 425 known sites—and potentially thousands more—could be damaged or cut off by planned border-barrier construction.
Current Smart Wall maps show 84 rock-art sites south of the proposed vehicle barrier; Shumla has recorded 50 and is racing to capture the rest with high-resolution and 3D imaging.
A new 30-foot wall segment was already going up near Amistad Reservoir in mid-August, where researchers warned dust, vibration and future canyon-bridge blasting could fracture murals or collapse painted cave walls.
Seminole Canyon State Park also lies in the barrier's path, and without a gate the project could block public access to the Panther Cave Overlook, a key viewing point for one of the region's best-known pictograph sites.
The Lower Pecos Canyonlands preserve evidence of Native American life back to the Ice Age, making the threatened sites both scientifically irreplaceable and central to broader advocacy against the project.