Jun 17, 2010

U.S.: Media report of border refuge closure in Ariz. inaccurate

11:57 AM

Yesterday, we posted in On Deadline an item from the Fox News website that said the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was reporting that 3,500 acres in southern Arizona have been closed off to U.S. citizens because of increased violence along the U.S.-Mexican border.

The wildlife service says today that that report is inaccurate. They say that a small portion of the refuge was closed nearly 4 years ago due to public safety concerns, but that 97% of the 118,000 acres was not affected at that time and remains open.

Here is an excerpt from a statement today by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service:

Several media outlets have been inaccurately reporting that a massive stretch of the U.S. border at Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) was recently closed. Buenos Aires NWR in southern Arizona has not been closed to the public.

Nearly 5 years ago, a very small portion of the refuge closed to public access due to public safety concerns. However, the remainder (97%) of the refuge's 118,000 acres is open to the public for recreational activities such as hiking, camping, birdwatching and seasonal hunting.

Recent news items further falsely stated that the closure extends from the border 80 miles to the north. This distance is far from accurate. On October 6, 2006, roughly 3,500 acres, or 3%, of the refuge, was closed to public access due to human safety concerns. At that time there was a marked increase in violence along the border due to human and drug trafficking. The closed area extends north from the international border roughly ¾ of a mile. A notice of the closure, including a map has been on the refuge website since 2006.

At this time there are no plans to reopen this southernmost 3/4-mile-wide portion of the refuge. However, since 2006 the refuge has experienced a significant decline in violent activity in the area thanks to ongoing cooperation between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The refuge will reopen the area at such time that it is determined to be safe for visitors.
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