"This is life. The river is life. But not the wall; the wall is death." - Judy Ackerman

Judy Ackerman was arrested yesterday for blocking the construction of the border wall behind the Rio Bosque Wetlands Park in El Paso, Texas. She was charged with misdemeanor trespassing. Her attorneys alerted by Sierra Club official, Bill Addington, acted quickly and she was released last evening.

The story quickly hit the news wires via the AP. The Newspaper Tree also caught wind of it. Unfortunately live television media was not quick enough to respond. By the time of Ackerman's arrest, the Border Patrol had set up a block at the levee gate leading to the Bosque Visitor's Center. Another gate at the trailhead was locked. The El Paso Times buried the story on the back of Section B below the fold and below the weather charts.

This may seem like a strange first entry for a blog dedicated to sustainability, native food and environmentalism. However, the will do damage to the ecosystem of the Rio Bosque Wetlands Park. The work done by Park Manager and Program Coordinator, John Sproul, and hundreds of volunteers over the years will be put at jeopardy. Native plants are being re-established and bird, animal and insect species have returned to the park. (See pictures on Flickr.) In a recent Newspaper Tree editorial, Sproul lays out the negative impact that the wall will have on the park.

There is good reason to stop the building of the fence or hope that an Obama administration will tear it down if it is successfully completed by December 31 as reported by El Paso Times.

Sproul is now on vacation until December 30th. Speculation has already begun that construction on the wall behind the park had been scheduled to correspond with his absence. That construction is currently beginning behind the park on the downstream side of the Rio Grande. The rest of the wall (completed and under construction) is upstream from the park beyond the Zaragosa bridge and behind the Rogers and Bustamante Water Treatment plants.

Late afternoon yesterday Kiewit trucks sped down the levee as they called it a day. Sub-contractors ceased pouring cement poured by Jobe - a company that is showing total lack of environmental concern in the Hueco Mountains. (Cemex wanted nothing to do with the border wall.)

After Ackerman's arrest a small group of people were detained for questioning by Texas Ranger, Aaron Grigsby, and Texas DPS Officer Brandon "Bo" Speed. The group included John Sproul, Bill Addington, Maria Trunk and even City Councilman Eddie Holguin and his mother who had brought water to the site for the protesters. The law enforcement officers were particularly grilling Maria Saldana - possibly looking to arrest her as well. In the end, they did not.

About her protest, Judy reportedly said about the park, the river and the wall: "This is life. The river is life. But not the wall; the wall is death."