New images captured by river guide and outfitter Charles Angell appear to show a major construction staging area supporting the federal government’s border wall project in the Big Bend region.
The photographs, taken on the Moody Bennett Ranch near Chispa Road, show rows of shipping containers, heavy equipment, trailers, fenced work areas and what appears to be ongoing assembly of temporary structures. In one image, a crane is erecting a large arched-frame building while construction materials are visible throughout the site.
The ranch has been at the center of attention since reports emerged last month that Ryan Seiders, co-founder of Austin-based outdoor brand YETI, is among the owners connected to the property through business entities. Public officials previously told reporters that contractors involved in the border wall project were using the ranch for staging operations, worker support, equipment storage and construction-related activities.
The newly released images provide some of the clearest visual evidence yet of the scale of those operations.
According to previous reporting, contractor Barnard Construction has moved equipment onto the property and has been preparing material staging areas as federal border infrastructure projects advance in the region. Presidio County officials have also said the ranch is cooperating with construction activities connected to the project.
While the photographs do not show wall panels being installed, they depict the type of large-scale support infrastructure typically required before major construction begins. The site includes extensive container storage, equipment yards and temporary facilities spread across a broad section of desert terrain.
Federal border construction plans remain active across portions of the Big Bend sector, although officials have modified some earlier proposals following public opposition. The Department of Homeland Security recently said only two miles of physical barrier are now planned within Big Bend National Park itself, while other portions of the region continue to see construction preparation and related infrastructure development.
Angell, who shared the images publicly, described the site as part of the future footprint of the border wall project along the Rio Grande.
The photographs offer a rare on-the-ground look at a project that has largely unfolded out of public view in one of the most remote stretches of the Texas-Mexico border.
Photo caption: Images provided by Charles Angell show a construction staging area on the Moody Bennett Ranch, including shipping containers, heavy equipment, temporary structures and support facilities associated with ongoing border wall construction preparations in the Big Bend region.
