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Arizona Sierra Club Official Says Border Land Transfer is Harmful

KAWC File Photo
The Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge is part of U.S. Border Patrol's Yuma Sector.

An official with the Sierra Club in Arizona says a transfer of hundreds of acres of border land for border security purposes is harmful to the environment and military families. 

On Wednesday, the Department of the Interior transferred land to the Department of the Army for 70 miles of border security.

Much of the land includes the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge.

Dan Millis is the borderlands program manager for the Sierra Club’s Grand Canyon Chapter. Millis told KAWC the land transfer is bad for the environment.

“Why are we wasting money in this way?" he said. "Why are we damaging these public lands? We saw that in Organ Pipe there are a number of archeological sites that are in danger of being destroyed by these new walls and Cabeza Prieta is right next door so we know that they’re going to be in a similar situation.”

The transfer would make it possible for the continued use of money from deferred military projects to build border fencing.

Victor is originally from West Sacramento, California and has lived in Arizona for more than five years. He began his print journalism career in 2004 following his graduation from Georgetown University in Washington D.C. Victor has been a reporter for the following daily newspapers: The Monterey County Herald, The Salinas Californian and the Reno Gazette-Journal, where he covered stories including agriculture, education and Latino community news. Victor has also served as a local editor for Patch, a national news organization with hyperlocal websites, in Carmichael, California in the Sacramento area. He also served as the editor for The New Vision, the newspaper for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson, which includes Yuma and La Paz counties. Victor lives in Somerton. He enjoys spending time with his family and friends and following most sports.
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