Journey For Justice Dec 15th, Day 15: Quitobaquito

We drive the 45 miles or such from Ajo thru the Organ Pipe Cactus National park to end up at the Quitobaquito Oasis.

This land is the homeland of the O'odham people since ancient times and now reeling from the devastation that the construction of our 'wall' has perpetrated upon their piece of paradise.

There were massive protests beginning around 2016 as the wall advanced and threatened this sacred land.

Even though the O'odham Nation is a federally recognized tribe, they were stripped of any little sovereignty or autonomy they might have had when this wall was barreling thru their land.

Lorraine, our guide, described how her people began noticing the Oasis water receding so quickly & severely, a huge lump of mud appeared to take over most of the center. They found out that every 5 miles, the 'wall' construction crew were drilling wells and sucking up water, causing the Oasis to almost dry up.

The parks with financial support from an anonymous donor swiftly built holding tanks on the banks of the Oasis in order to move as many pup fish & mud turtles they could find, to save them, at the very least, from extinction. They were able to move into holding tanks some of the native grasses & plants that grew along the outer banks of the oasis.

All of the cottonwood trees that also grew naturally along the far edges of the Oasis rapidly died. There's one cottonwood skeleton left today that might have a little life remaining in her - although doubtful but this spring will tell.

The 'solution' someone came up was not to cease building the 'wall' and ending the drilling of wells. But it was to put cover the entire bottom of the Oasis ith a rubber liner in an attempt to keep the water from draining out.

Out where you might ask? Well how about into the multitude of wells dug every 5 miles that are still sucking water into giant trucks so they can wet down the roads several times a day along the 'wall' so border patrol vehicles won't get so dusty plus footprints of fleeing humans can be seen & tracked down - if anyone has so tricked the 'wall', barbed wire, drones, helicopters, blimps let alone heat & vibration recording technology...

So now you'll see in the pics of an oasis with a fake bottom lining & hardened edges surrounding the water instead of shores of lush vegetation & flowering medicinal plants.

Another consequence of our fabulous 'wall' - this oasis used to be fed by 7 springs. Now there is one and only one.