The newly annexed 250-mile stretch at the border spans two counties and runs alongside cities including Brownsville and McAllen.

Standing atop an earthen levee just north of the Rio Grande and near the famous Santa Ana National Wildlife Refugee, environmentalist Scott Nicol wondered Friday where signs indicating that this area is now part of a 250-mile long border lands military zone.

The new military zone is located in Cameron and Hidalgo Counties in Texas and will be transferred from land overseen by the International Boundary and Water Commission, an entity that settles treaty issues between the U.