Organ Pipe National Monument Border Patrol Station

---

About the Project: Located in South Central Arizona is Pima County, which houses Tucson, Ajo, Oro Valley, Green Valley, Three Points, and more. In this County sits the Organ Pipe National Monument, as well as the Tohono O’odham Nation, the San Xavier Indian Reservation, Ironwood Forest National Monument, and the Saguaro National Park. The Patrol Station sits in the Southwest corner of the Organ Pipe Monument and is unique in the fact that they use a Horse Patrol Unit (HPU) to reduce vehicle traffic in the area. As of 2011, the station houses over 500 Border Patrol Agents.

 This National Monument is both in America as well as Mexico, so you will find a 30-foot bollard wall at the border. This has raised concerns for the wildlife in the park, as different water sources and migration routes are across the borders on either side, as well as the concern of lights disrupting the nocturnal creatures and degrading the star-speckled night sky of the Sonoran Desert. It can destroy a vital water source less than half a mile from the border, as well as take out the already endangered species that exist there. The Tohono O’odham will also feel the affects, as they will not be able to reach a vital water source for the community. The construction goes directly over indigenous graves and is said to impact 22 archaeological sites. The controversy does not lie with the Border Patrol Agents or Station, as they have achieved safety and control of the area for decades, reducing traffic and keeping national security as the priority. The Agents have also worked to relocate the Saguaros, so as not be destroyed by the construction of the wall.