Latest Posts

Rio Grande: Big Bend’s lifeline

1 month ago By News Staff

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The Rio Grande rolls through the canyons along Hwy 170 in Presidio County alongside Big Bend Ranch State Park, as seen from Terlingua Ghostown owner Bill Ivey’s multi-generational family property. Photo by Kara Gerbert

County announces dump days, approves architect recommendation

1 month ago By Kara Gerbert Managing Editor

The Brewster County Commissioners held their regular meeting on Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. All commissioners were present, and the meeting was presided over by Brewster County Judge Greg Henington.

Update puts physical wall back in national park

1 month ago By Kara Gerbert Managing Editor

Once again, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has updated its “Smart Wall Map.” While land and business owners upstream from Big Bend National Park and Big Bend Ranch State Park have continued to push to have the planned border wall removed and pivoted to technology-only, many whose primary concern was physical structures in the national and state parks believed they were able to breathe a sigh of relief, until last week.

This screenshot of the “Smart Wall Map” shows green lines representing a new “vehicle barrier system,” while the orange represents “technology and road patrol” within Big Bend National Park. The purple lines indicate the primary border wall where federal contracts have already been awarded according to the map legend. Screenshot/U.S Customs and Border Protection

Measuring river flow

1 month ago By News Staff

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Students in Dr. Kevin Urbanczyk’s Hydrology class spent time recently measuring streamflow at three sites on the Rio Grande through Black Gap Wildlife Management Area. This data will contribute to a multidecade data set Dr. Urbanczyk has been accumulating to observe groundwater input into the Rio Grande flow. Photo courtesy of SRSU Geology

Master’s candidate focuses on grasslands

1 month ago By News Staff

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BRI master’s candidate SJ Gilbert is studying the long-term vegetation changes under rotational and continuous grazing in the Marfa grasslands. Thanks to decades of heavy grazing, the increase in bare soil with the addition of shrub encroachment has reduced perennial grass cover, making these desert ecosystems especially vulnerable to drought and land use pressures. Photo courtesy of BRI

Frank named Educator of the Year

1 month ago By News Staff

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Dr. Maureen Frank, the James A. “Buddy” Davidson Charitable Foundation Endowed professor and associate professor of conservation biology at the Borderlands Research Institute, has been named the 2026 Educator of the Year by the Texas Chapter of The Wildlife Society. Frank was nominated by her students for the award. Photo courtesy of BRI

A group easily distracted by rocks

1 month ago By News Staff

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These Sul Ross Structural Geology students in Dr. Kelsch’s class recently took a field trip to Black Gap Wildlife Management Area to experience what a geologic fault looks like in person. Photo courtesy of SRSU Geology

BBRHD hits snag in hopes for federal funding

1 month ago By Kara Gerbert Managing Editor

The past four months have seen the Big Bend Regional Hospital District hard at work, dotting all the i’s and crossing all the t’s, as they’ve planned and prepared to apply for the Initiative Part I funding from the Rural Texas Strong (Big Beautiful Bill).