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ACT Radio
ACT Radio

Elise Bennett on enviornmental concerns with Alligator Alcatraz.

By Dr. Elizabeth Walsh,
Tom Linney, Ava Elder
Published February 10, 2026 at 9:00 AM MST

The controversial immigrant detention center referred to as Alligator Alcatraz was hastily built in the middle of our country’s oldest national preserve with no environmental analysis, no public input, and no regard for the billions of dollars invested to date in Everglades restoration. On Animal Concerns of Texas, Liz and Tom talk with Elise Bennett, the Florida and Caribbean director and a senior attorney for the public-interest nonprofit Center for Biological Diversity, about how the detention center threatens endangered species, water quality, dark skies, and the integrity of a sensitive ecosystem.

Additional Information:

This program originally aired on February 8, 2026

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Dr. Elizabeth Walsh
Liz Walsh is a Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Texas at El Paso. She is also a member of the national Sierra Club Wildlife & Endangered Species Activist Team. Dr. Walsh also serves on the Executive Committee of the El Paso Regional Sierra Club Group, and as a board member of the Vegetarian Society of El Paso. Liz is also interim president of the Vegetarian Society of El Paso.
See stories by Dr. Elizabeth Walsh
Tom Linney
Tom Linney works with the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) Animal Law Program and is on the board of Pets Alive-El Paso. Among other duties, Tom is responsible for developing and marketing ALDF’s Animal Law Pro Bono Program to interested firms and attorneys and for helping students transition from law student to legal professional. He also provides support to professionals interested in teaching animal law and collaborates with ALDF’s Litigation and Criminal Justice Program to assign appropriate pro bono counsel to ALDF projects and cases.
See stories by Tom Linney
Ava Elder
Ava Elder is in charge of being an on air board operator and producing shows like Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me, Travel With Rick Steves, and others. Ava provides detailed weather and traffic updates, and makes sure each broadcast she is in charge of goes smoothly so that listeners can enjoy what they are hearing.
See stories by Ava Elder