Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • NPR

    Contractors Dynamite Mountains, Bulldoze Desert In Race To Build Trump's Border Wall

    They're destroying wilderness prized by biologists to construct as many miles of border wall as possible — even though the incoming Biden administration is expected to cancel the barrier.
    by John Burnett Dec 11, 2020 5 minutes
    Dynamite raises clouds of dust above Guadalupe Canyon, near the New Mexico-Arizona border. The Diamond A Ranch, which is located next to the construction site, has sued the government, claiming the blasting has sent "car-sized boulders tumbling down onto ranch property."

    In the Coronado National Memorial — where conquistador Francisco Vásquez de Coronado entered what is now modern-day Arizona — contractors are pulverizing the wilderness in a rush to put up as many miles of border wall as possible before the Trump administration vacates Washington.

    They're dynamiting mountainsides and bulldozing pristine desert for a barrier the incoming Biden administration is expected to cancel.

    "Wow! This is almost like busy work they're doing," exclaims biologist Myles Traphagen as he drives his truck up to the construction staging area and beholds the destruction for the first time. He specializes on the Arizona borderlands for the Wildlands Network.

    "They're cutting roads into a place where no vehicle could go, not a four-wheeler," he says. "But now they're cutting into the mountain to create access to build a wall."

    This is one of 29 construction projects being performed by 13 different contractors from San

    You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

    More from NPR

    NPR5 min readWorld
    When Rockets Fall, Some Israeli Citizens Have Nowhere To Hide
    While most buildings in Israel are required to have bomb shelters, a zoning catch-22 has left Bedouin villagers unprotected.
    NPR3 min read
    The Original 'Harry Potter' Book Cover Art Is Expected To Break Records At Auction
    Sotheby's June 26 auction of Thomas Taylor's watercolor illustration for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is estimated to sell for $400,000-$600,000.
    NPR2 min read
    Mystik Dan Wins The Kentucky Derby By A Nose
    In a close finish, Mystik Dan won the Kentucky Derby by a horse's nostril over Sierra Leone. Contenders waited with bated breath in the seconds before the official decision was made. The thoroughbred had entered the race with 18-1 odds — a longshot c

    Related Books & Audiobooks