Border Patrol Agent Eric Anderson maneuvers through an area referred to as "Hunter's Hole" on the Colorado River near San Luis, Ariz. The area is notorious for being dangerous and difficult to patrol because of the thick-growth vegetation, making it difficult for agents to see what's coming across the border.

James Gregg / arizona daily star

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The 23 miles of Colorado River bed that straddles the U.S.-Mexican border near Yuma has eroded over the years into a virtual wasteland.

Thick, invasive vegetation has overtaken the riverbed, robbing Border Patrol agents of visibility and creating ideal cover for smugglers and bandits. The only water comes from leaks in an upstream dam or from rainfall, eliminating crucial habitat for endangered birds and other wildlife.

There is new hope, though, that a small stretch of this grim wetlands will be transformed into a mini-oasis thanks to a restoration plan that has earned approval from both environmentalists and the U.S. Border Patrol.

The project — estimated to cost $7 million to $9 million — would clear harmful non-native vegetation and bring back water and native plants to an approximately 2.2-mile stretch of river covering 435 acres of wetlands, said Charles Flynn, Yuma's riverfront development director.

Border Patrol officials say increased visibility would help squelch some of the illegal activities that occur in the dangerous area, and environmentalists say the restoration will allow native habitat and wildlife to return to the area.

"It sounds like quite a model project benefiting not only Border Patrol efforts and environmental interests but specifically critical habitat and the native wildlife it supports," said Trica Oshant Hawkins, education director at the Tucson-based Environmental Education Exchange.

It's not the first time environmentalists and Border Patrol officials have reached consensus on a border security project but it's not that common either. Environmental and conservation groups across the Southwest have been critical of the Department of Homeland Security's construction of large swaths of primary fencing and plans for as much as 700 total miles.

They prefer the use of more ecologically-friendly options such as low-slung, steel vehicle barriers and virtual fences made up of cameras, sensors and radars that still allow free flow of wildlife.

Vehicle barriers cover about 70 miles of border in the Border Patrol's Tucson Sector and there are plans for virtual fencing at different spots along the border between Sasabe and Yuma. So far, nine high-tech towers have been erected in a 28-mile area flanking Sasabe as part of SBInet's test project, Project 28. A software glitch has delayed their activation for three months.

Environmentalists are hopeful the cooperative spirit of the Yuma restoration spills over to future Department of Homeland Security plans, particularly since the entire stretch of river is identified in the Secure Fence Act of 2006 for a part of the 700 miles of primary fencing approved.

The project demonstrates that border security and environmental responsibility aren't an either-or proposition, said Emily Brott, project manager with the Sonoran Institute, a Tucson-based nonprofit, conservation-oriented organization.

"You listen to the different opinions and needs and try to find a way to address those issues simultaneously in a way that is beneficial to both sides," said Brott, who supports the plan.

The idea for the restoration project was conceived after seeing the transformation of two wetland areas on the Colorado River north of Yuma that were restored, Flynn said.

The National Wildlife Federation recently certified the first area, where it began work in 2000, as a wildlife habitat. All agreed that it would be ideal to restore the entire 23-mile limitrophe, but they decided to start with 435 acres at Hunter Hole's, about 1 1/2 miles north of San Luis, Ariz., Flynn said.

Promoting the project as a "security channel," and an "innovation in homeland security," representatives from the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area gained support for the environmental restoration/border protection plan from more than 20 agencies and organizations including the Border Patrol, the Bureau of Land Management, the Department of Homeland Security, Environmental Defense, the Cocopah Indian Tribe and the Sonoran Institute.

They hope to find funding within six months to one year and launch the project within two years, Flynn said. They are targeting private foundations and grants and hoping to get some money from the Department of Homeland Security, he said.

"We want to be ready when money comes in," Flynn said.

The project would convert a dangerous area where smuggling, banditry and sexual assault have been prevalent into a safe spot where residents could once again hunt and fish, said Yuma County Sheriff Ralph Ogden.

"It's not been a good area by any means," Ogden said. "It's really kind of win all the way around."

Getting rid of the thick, non-native vegetation and replacing it with native mesquites and willows will improve the Border Patrol's ability to see what's coming across the border, said Eric Anderson, Border Patrol Yuma Sector spokesman.

"The brush is so covered up there they just hide in the weeds," Anderson said.

The restoration could be beneficial for three endangered species: the Yuma clapper rail , the California black rail and the bald eagle, according to the Sonoran Institute. It would also provide a chance for the cottonwood willow to return, said Oshant Hawkins of the Environmental Education Exchange.

"With wildlife, it's kind of if like 'if you build it they will come,' " Oshant Hawkins said. "They've been there in the past. That's wildlife corridor."

Across the river, a Mexican conservation organization called Pronatura is working on a similar restoration project that has support of local communities, said Osvel Hinojosa, director of water and wetlands program for the organization.

"They see the potential of recovering the natural space and to reduce illegal activities," Hinojosa said.

Despite the consensus that the wetlands plan is a good one, there is still a concern that Homeland Security could decide to build a primary fence along the entire riverbed despite their unique solution, said Oshant Hawkins.

"It's almost expected," she said. "Homeland Security has so much power behind it, at least in our current regime, they'll do whatever they want. And they won't seek consensus."

For now, there are no plans to erect primary fencing along the limitrophe, said Anderson. If the brush is cleared from the riverbed, it would become an area the agency can control using technology — such as SBInet camera towers — and agents on patrol, he said.

"We are not going to put a fence where we don't need it," Anderson said. "That would be a place where after they clean that area out, technology would be the biggest advantage there."

On StarNet: Find more coverage of border issues in the blog "Working the Line" at go.azstarnet.com/borderblog.