Presidio Mayor John Ferguson traveled to Austin this week to urge the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission to protect two Far West Texas state properties from the effects of proposed border wall construction, warning that barriers could harm wildlife, diminish iconic views and threaten tourism in the Big Bend region.
Ferguson addressed commissioners Thursday on behalf of Presidio and the surrounding region, focusing his remarks on Big Bend Ranch State Park and the developing Chinati Mountains State Natural Area.
“We are fortunate to call our town home to the west entrance of Big Bend Ranch State Park,” Ferguson told commissioners. “And just 20 miles up the Rio Grande from Presidio is Chinati Mountains State Natural Area, which is expected to open in 2032.”
Ferguson warned that plans for additional border barriers in Presidio County could fundamentally change both properties.
“With the planned construction of a border wall in much of the Big Bend country, and specifically in Presidio County, I caution you that Big Bend Ranch and Chinati Mountains are at risk,” he said.
Ferguson said the Chinati Mountains property is expected to offer visitors sweeping mountain and valley views that frequently extend into Mexico. A wall along the international boundary, he said, would diminish those vistas while potentially separating wildlife from the Rio Grande.
“There is no way that a border wall will do anything but diminish those breathtaking vistas,” Ferguson said.
He argued the ecological consequences could be even greater, warning that wildlife could be cut off from a principal water source.
Ferguson made a similar case for Big Bend Ranch State Park, Texas’ largest state park, where much of the visitor experience is closely tied to the Rio Grande and the international landscape.
“Because the majority of Big Bend Ranch visitors mainly enjoy the park along the Rio Grande, a border wall will spoil that experience,” Ferguson said.
He also pointed to El Camino del Rio, the scenic stretch of highway along the river between Presidio and the Lajitas area, saying tourism generated by the route and state park is economically important to Texas Parks and Wildlife and the broader region.
“You have the ability to keep this all in place,” Ferguson told commissioners. “Please preserve Big Bend Ranch and Chinati Mountains just as they are for all generations that will follow.”
Ferguson’s trip to Austin was also personal.
In a post following the meeting, the longtime Presidio resident recalled first seeing the Big Bend region when his father, John Weldon Ferguson Jr., brought him there at age 14. Ferguson said the experience transformed his outlook on life. Ten years later, he moved to Presidio after college to begin his teaching career.
He has now called the Big Bend region home for 39 years.
Ferguson said many of the arguments he planned to make had already been raised by other speakers before his turn to address commissioners. Ultimately, he said, his opposition comes down to preserving the sense of wonder that first drew him to Far West Texas as a teenager.
“I want other first-time visitors to be able to have that same chance to fall in love with the land and all its creatures,” Ferguson wrote. “There is no doubt it’s worth standing up for.”
