Episode Overview

Podcast: Rewilding Earth
Host: Jack Humphrey
Guest: Russ McSpadden (Center for Biological Diversity media specialist, SW conservation advocate)
Episode Title: Jaguars, Justice, and the Border Wall – Stories from the Frontlines With Russ McSpadden
Air Date: September 19, 2025

Main Theme:
This episode delves into the urgent fight to protect wildlife corridors and critical habitats along the US-Mexico border, focusing particularly on the impact of border wall construction on jaguars, the broader ecosystem of the American Southwest, and the complex intersection of environmental justice, law, and grassroots action.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

The Work and Mission at the Borderlands (02:50–07:41)

• Russ’s Role: Russ describes his dynamic work at the Center for Biological Diversity, blending community organizing, scientific research, legal action, and storytelling to protect a diverse array of species: “I monitor and work to protect habitat for a whole host of Southwest species, from jaguars, ocelots… to desert tortoises and… aquatic species like spring snails and tiger beetles.” (03:10)
• Landscape Connectivity: Core goal is maintaining and expanding landscape-level connectivity, connecting wilderness areas and wildlife corridors threatened by border walls, highways, mines, and other developments.
• On-the-Ground Realities: Russ highlights the fraught, militarized landscapes at the border, where beauty and devastation coexist:

  “My work generally leads me into politically complicated, sometimes potentially violent, even militarized landscapes where beauty and devastation keep very close company.” (05:33)

  • Example: Witnessing border wall construction in the critical San Pedro River, a wildlife refuge home to nearly half of the US’s bird species (05:58–06:34).

The Militarization and Political Complexity of the Border (07:41–11:00)

• “War on Nature”: Jack and Russ emphasize the borderlands as a de facto war zone, with media coverage by activists standing in for war correspondents. (08:18)
• Media Documentation: Russ and colleagues (notably Laiken Jordal) use video, photography, and drone footage to reveal the often unseen ravages of wall construction:

  “His videos... and my drone videos... have gotten pretty wide reach... helped us spread the story of how wild and amazing and under attack the borderlands really are.” (09:40)

• Lack of Major Media Attention: Jack thanks Russ for his frontline coverage, highlighting the absence of significant national media reporting.

Environmental Destruction from Border Wall Construction (11:15–18:53)

• Scope of Damage (Trump Era):
  • 225 miles of border wall built in Arizona—often through federally protected lands such as wildlife refuges and national parks.
  • Destruction included mountain blasting, desert scraping, toppling saguaros, dynamiting Native American sites, and draining aquifers for concrete, devastating spring-fed habitats (13:00).
• Biodiversity Loss:
  • San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge: 1,600 species, including “almost 500 species of solitary bees... more bee species than is found anywhere else on earth.” (16:00)
  • Ancient springs, crucial for fish, frogs, and more, may never recover due to water extraction.

The San Rafael Valley: Last Best Jaguar Corridor (11:15–18:53, 19:03–21:46)

• Current Threat: DHS issued a new contract and legal waivers for ~27 miles of new wall in San Rafael Valley, a globally significant corridor connecting four “sky island” ranges in the US and two in Mexico.
• Ecological Uniqueness: The San Rafael corridor is a “place of amazing continental convergence,” vital for pronghorn, javelina, bears, and (critically) jaguars, allowing movement between fragmented habitats.
• Jaguars’ Stories:
  • El Jefe (Santa Rita Mountains): “Was confirmed to have hunted and eaten a bear” – a unique, previously undocumented behavior for jaguars. (15:46)
  • Yoko (Huachucas): Also seen in the snow.
  • Oshad (2022/2023): Recently detected crossing into the mountains—an ongoing sign of natural recolonization after decades of advocacy (17:20, 33:16).

Construction Impacts and Legal Battles (19:03–26:02)

• Immediate Impacts:
  • Rapid, waiver-driven construction, with massive clearings, man-camp for up to 150 workers, bulldozers building access roads.
  • Water pumping for concrete, further endangering the scarce desert ecosystem.
• Futility of Wall for Migration:

  “Anyone who says that millions of people are going through the San Rafael [Valley] is lying for political reasons. I have never seen anyone crossing in that area.” (22:04)

• Roads Increase Trafficking:
  • Russ notes increased trafficking documented where new border roads were built, contradicting the supposed goals of the wall (24:14).

Legal Strategies and Constitutional Crisis (25:15–29:36)

• Waivers as Constitutional Violations:
  • The Real ID Act empowers the DHS Secretary to waive “any law that might slow border wall construction,” undermining both legal continuity and local protections.

  “Under the non-delegation clause… only Congress can make or suspend laws. But here… Congress handed one unelected cabinet secretary the power to set aside decades of legislation at the Secretary’s will.” (27:23)

• Current Litigation:
  • Center for Biological Diversity attorneys filed a constitutional challenge to the waivers. The case carries some hope but is complicated by politics and precedent.

Reflections on Hope, Persistence, and Small Victories (29:52–36:52)

• Redefining Hope:

  “Hope isn’t really the belief that everything is going to be fine, but rather it’s doing the right thing, even when the odds are absolutely against you… hope is this action that pushes back against destruction despite despair and despite the odds...” (30:45)

• The Shipping Container Win:
  • In early 2023, activists successfully blocked and removed a shipping container wall in the San Rafael Valley; two months later, jaguar Oshad crossed there—proving the corridor’s immediate value (32:33–34:40).

  “Less than two months after that last shipping container was removed, a wild jaguar crossed that area… That was for me, this incredible feeling of vindication that our efforts had really bore fruit.” (33:52)

• Community Power:
  • Russ expresses deep inspiration from colleagues and a network of tribal and conservation partners, fueling the ongoing fight (35:37).

Walls Fall—From Berlin to the Sonoran Border (36:52–39:17)

• Historical Perspective:

  • Russ draws hope from the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the possibility that today’s ideological and physical barriers may also dissolve:

  “I think that if we keep pushing forward and we keep elevating what is being harmed here, I think we can do it. I think we can get the walls out of here someday.” (38:20)

• Futility and Irony of Border Technologies:

  • Billions spent on surveillance—night vision, lights, fences—often undercut by subsequent projects. Stadium lighting undermines night vision tech; construction roadways often facilitate the very trafficking they’re supposed to prevent (40:07–43:34).

  “That lighting actually floods out the field of vision for a lot of [night vision] equipment and messes with certain sensors... they publicly announced they would not turn these lights across these... conservation lands.” (41:46)

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• “Every decision that we, meaning people, make here in these really vast landscapes seems to either knit life together or tear at it. And so I happen to work with the team and the community trying to do that knitting.” (06:49, Russ)
• “Anyone who says that millions of people are going through the San Rafael is lying for political reasons... I have never seen anyone crossing in that area.” (22:04, Russ)
• “Hope isn’t... the belief that everything is going to be fine, but rather it’s doing the right thing, even when the odds are absolutely against you.” (30:45, paraphrasing Randy Seraglio)
• “Less than two months after that last shipping container was removed, a wild jaguar crossed that area and entered the Huachuca Mountains… That was… an incredible feeling of vindication that our efforts had really bore fruit.” (33:52, Russ)
• “If we keep pushing forward and we keep elevating what is being harmed here, I think we can do it. I think we can get the walls out of here someday.” (38:20, Russ)
• “There have been so many different layers of border security... that our government has spent billions and billions and billions of dollars on... and then some guy comes decades later and says, let’s flood the whole place with light.” (39:17, Jack)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Russ’s work and dangers in the borderlands: 02:50–07:41
• Media coverage and role of activists: 07:41–09:40
• Environmental impacts of border wall (Trump era): 11:15–18:53
• San Rafael Valley, jaguars, and current wall threat: 11:15–18:53
• Construction, legal waivers, and the reality on the ground: 19:03–21:46
• The futility and irony of new border wall/road construction: 22:04–25:08
• Legal battles and constitutional issues: 25:15–29:36
• Reflections on hope, community, and a recent activist victory: 29:52–36:52
• Walls in history and border tech ironies: 36:52–43:34

Tone & Takeaways

• The tone is impassioned, urgent, and sometimes mournful—yet repeatedly returns to hope, action, and the affirmation of wild places.
• The episode showcases the complex realities of borderland conservation: legal frustrations, ecological marvels, and moments of heartbreak and victory.
• The stories of individual jaguars, especially Oshad’s triumphant crossing, act as both literal and symbolic reminders of the stakes of the battle and the possibilities for hope through collective action.
• Listeners are reminded of the crucial role of on-the-ground documentation and grassroots organizing in resisting ecological destruction, especially in places neglected by national media.

Essential Takeaways for New Listeners

• The US-Mexico borderlands are a globally significant biodiversity hotspot facing dire threats from border wall construction and policy that weakens fundamental environmental protections.
• Activists like Russ McSpadden, through documentation, legal challenges, and coalition building, keep hope alive, fight for justice, and sometimes achieve tangible victories that immediately benefit threatened wildlife.
• The work is difficult, emotional, and often feels like a battle against overwhelming odds—but community, solidarity, and persistence remain sources of strength and hope.