Border wall to run through National Butterfly Center,

Time is running out. On May 11, 2026, we were contacted yet again by the federal government which is about to initiate eminent domain to take our land and build a pointless border wall through our property, which is the best place in the United States to see and learn about butterflies. The NBC also has become an important community center for natural history-oriented people in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. The wall, which will not help stop illegal immigrants, will destroy important habitat and, although most butterflies can fly over a wall, the wall will stop the movements of many species of animals and thus decrease their abundance. The National Butterfly Center has been thriving, but the noise, destruction and negative perceptions created by the wall construction will drive away many visitors and endanger the survival of the NBC itself. If you want to help butterflies, the National Butterfly Center, and the people of the Lower Rio Grande Valley, please donate now to strengthen the NBC for the battle to come.

All donations made here will go directly to the National Butterfly Center. Your support will help defray any legal costs, public relations expenses, planning for border wall related contingencies, strengthening public outreach, additional plantings to help butterflies and other wildlife counteract wall construction, and any other projects that will ensure the continued survival of the National Butterfly Center.

Many thousands of schoolchildren, from the most economically disadvantaged region of the United States, visit the National Butterfly Center each year, to learn about the importance of butterflies and of all of nature.

This place means so much to so many, and your support helps ensure it continues to exist, grow, and serve this community through this time and beyond.

Thank you!

*In it's 20 years of existence, 250 species of butterflies have been seen at the NBC. For comparison, 100 species have been seen at Everglades National Park and 119 species at Yellowstone National Park. On peak days at the NBC one can see more than 200,000 individual butterflies (these are wild, the NBC is not a zoo) of 100 species.

Thank you!

You can see some news stories about this here and here.