Big boost for Big Bend

“We have our eye on Big Bend,” he said. “We want to make sure people understand the importance of this park.”

Dressed in a white cowboy hat and boots, the former Colorado senator invited half a dozen tourists standing in front of the visitor center at Panther Junction to listen to what he and other federal officials had to say about investing in Big Bend and its significance.

The money will be used mainly for repaving roads, building and repairing trails, cleaning up debris from the 2008 floods, construction of a birding platform and improving bathrooms in the park.

Park spokesman David Elkowitz said it’s the biggest federal cash grant the park had received in his eight years on the staff. Although $10 million was allocated, $7.5 million will be spent because the work will cost less than expected.

Salazar’s visit was the first by an interior secretary since 2003. Salazar was joined by Interior Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Tom Strickland, director of the National Park Service Jon Jarvis and Congressman Ciro Rodriguez, D-San Antonio, whose district includes Big Bend.

After the news conference, officials changed their cowboy hats for official park service sun hats and took a short afternoon canoe trip down the Rio Grande. They were there to get briefed on issues facing the park along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Big Bend Superintendent Bill Wellman and dozens of local park service and fish and wildlife employees led the way along with U.S Border Patrol officers. Two helicopters flew low overhead for security.

The park service employs 103 permanent workers and 58 seasonal workers, who along with volunteers maintain 304 miles of roads, of which 123 miles are paved. There are 201 miles of trails and 118 miles of Rio Grande border. Its 801,000 acres attract more than 364,000 visitors annually.