Opponents expressed concerns about the wall's impact on preserving wildlife and serene views.
The Jacumba Wilderness federal nature preserve, located in Southern California, is home to wild horses, rocky hills dotted with cacti — and soon, a new nine-mile steel bollard border fence.
Amidst criticism for ballooning border wall contracts, the Trump Administration hired Fisher Sand & Gravel Co. — who have collected more than two dozen environmental and workplace safety violations — to fill in a gap in the border wall located in the federal nature preserve. The government awarded the firm $574 million for the project in September 2025. In March, the cost rose to $1.2 billion and the government added 30 miles of an additional layer of fencing to the project, Sofía Mejías-Pascoe writes for inewsource.
Wildlife advocates are pushing the government to consider including crossing corridors to help endangered species such as bighorn sheep survive in the area. Avid hiker Laura Kilcoyne also expressed concern that the border construction will disrupt the serene views and quiet solitude the region offers.
Read the full story: A billion-dollar border wall could cut through a popular Southern California hiking area
Texas town says border wall could compromise flood prevention infrastructure
Presidio is suing the Trump administration, saying its plan to replace a levee with a concrete wall could put the town at risk of catastrophic floods.
DHS Waived 28 Environmental and Historic Protection Laws to Expedite Building of South Texas Border Wall
The barrier would run through Big Bend National Park, raising alarms among environmentalists who say it will harm wildlife in the region.
Wildlife Bill Aims To Protect All Vulnerable Species
A bill set to pass in the U.S. Senate would inject billions into wildlife conservation and species restoration efforts.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
‘Going backwards:’ Baltimore mayor, students rally against state's transit funding plan
Maryland's proposed six-year plan provides no funding for Baltimore’s BMORE bus program and reduces its road maintenance funding.
Detroit to transform waterfront with $2.2 billion investment
Developers will convert about 18 acres of unused parking lot space into civic spaces.
Guerilla urbanists’ DIY benches joined by sanctioned seats in Chicago
The group behind the original homemade benches said they will continue installing them across bench-less bus stops in Chicago.
Boston spent $765 million to lease battery-powered trains
The trains will serve Boston’s Fairmount Line for fifteen years.
NYC may expand key reservoir after devastating drought
The aqueduct that carries water from the reservoir to New York City has been leaking 35 million gallons of water per day since the 1990s.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
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