LUKE TURF

Tucsonan Chet Hedden wanted to show his grandchildren what pioneers went through when they headed out west on the Devil's Highway, or El Camino del Diablo.
Hedden expected four nights of wildlife, tranquility and solitude at Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge, a remote expanse of federal land that stretches along the Mexican border starting about 120 miles west of Tucson.

Instead, he found construction, maintenance, Border Patrol trucks and communication equipment, much of it associated with the Arizona Border Control initiative, the boldest attempt yet to seal the Mexican border from drug and human smugglers.

Stuck in the middle is the endangered Sonoran pronghorn, which is down to a population of about 30 in the United States, according to refuge manager Roger DiRosa. In Mexico, the population is about 300.

Border Patrol Tucson Sector Chief David Aguilar and DiRosa said the agencies are working to minimize the impact on the pronghorn while maximizing national security.

But to Jenny Neeley, Southwest associate for Defenders of Wildlife, increased Border Patrol activity will only contribute to the pronghorn's extinction.

The plans began as back-country camps, Neeley said.

"What they've turned into is 4,000-square-foot buildings complete with helicopter landing pads, septic systems, roads and parking areas all within designated wilderness areas," she said. "What is disturbing the pronghorn the most is the U.S. border policy and the United States putting more agents out there."

Reforming border policy would do more to stop the illegal traffic than militarizing the border, Neeley said.

"We submitted comment on that, and we don't believe these camps are necessary out there," she said. "It's very possible this could wipe the pronghorn out."

Border Patrol and Arizona Game & Fish officials say the Border Patrol's work could help protect the pronghorn from illegal immigrant and drug traffic.

"The question isn't only what is the effect of Border Patrol operations on pronghorn, but what is the effect undocumented immigrants are having on pronghorn?" Humphrey said. "When nightfall hits and people are streaming across the border, it's probably affecting the pronghorn."

Projects in pronghorn habitat include the upgrading of a border road, maintenance of trails and roads, vehicle barriers in mountain passes, increased horse and motorcycle patrol access and one or more new Border Patrol camps composed of several trailers, DiRosa said.