Blasting operations for construction of President Trump’s border wall in Arizona have begun to disrupt a UNESCO ecological preserve that encompasses Native American ancestral lands and burial grounds. Construction crews have been blasting at Monument Hill, a resting place for primarily Apache warriors, and bulldozing at Quitobaquito Springs, a pilgrimage site, according to the office of Representative Raúl M. Grijalva, who recently toured the area in his southern Arizona district. In 1976, UNESCO made Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument an international biosphere reserve, the agency’s designation for areas protected to conserve biological and cultural diversity while allowing scientists to study the impact of development. After visiting several sites on Jan. 20 with members of the Tohono O’odham Nation, Mr. Grijalva, the Democratic chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, said that more were at risk. He plans to hold a committee hearing about the damage.

Source: International New York Times February 11, 2020 19:30 UTC