National Park Service: Southwest Border Resource Protection Program

Several National Parks located along the U.S. border with Mexico have recently experienced serious resource damage due to illegal cross border activities including drug traffickers and undocumented persons traversing the parks. Other national park units within the desert southwest have also experienced impacts to their natural and cultural resources. Thousands of miles of unauthorized roads and trails have been created, major ecological processes and the migration patterns of wildlife have been disrupted, important historic sites have been vandalized, and archaeological sites have been looted. Program funding is available for conducting scientific research and monitoring of species, as well as conservation, interpretation and preservation projects designed to help protect and preserve natural and cultural resources located near or along our international border.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to work closely with at least one of ten NPS units located near the international border in the formulation of the project. These parks include Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Big Bend National Park, Amistad National Recreation Area, Palo Alto National Historic Site, Padre Island National Seashore, Saguaro National Park, Tumacacori National Historical Park, Chamizal National Memorial, Coronado National Memorial, and Chiricahua National Monument.

The projects and activities will be individually authorized by separate awards, with each project or activity having a separate work plan and budget developed cooperatively between the NPS and the cooperator. Project categories include: Research. Documentation involving cultural resources such as: Identification, research, and evaluation of archeological and historic sites; National Register of Historic Places nominations; National Historic Landmark nominations. Research involving natural resource issues such as: Wildlife habitat management; Inventory and monitoring of invasive plants and animals; Impacts from climate change to endangered species; Assessments of the effects of border activities on threatened and endangered species. Protection. Preservation of cultural resources such as: Stabilization, rehabilitation, and restoration of historic structures, archeological sites, trails and landscapes; Conservation of collections. Conservation and preservation of natural resources such as: Reestablishment of natural processes and ecological systems; Monitoring of resource damage caused by human developments; Protection and conservation endangered and threatened species; integrated pest management planning; Restoration of native wildlife and vegetation, including removal of exotic species. Education/Interpretation/Information Sharing. Professional training and exchange such as: Student intern programs; Workshops, seminars, symposia, training programs; Binational conferences; Informational network gatherings; Development of interpretive materials, programs, workshops.