Don't Leave Home Without It...

[SHANEA]

News Release from NPS Big Bend.

http://www.nps.gov/bibe/parknews/western-hemisphere-travel-initiative.htm

Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative
Date: July 28, 2009

The National Park Service is providing this information as a courtesy to visitors. The following is from the Department of Homeland Security.

U.S. Customs and Border Patrol is committed to working with travelers to ensure they have access to and can obtain appropriate travel documents. U.S. and Canadian citizens who lack WHTI-compliant documents are encouraged to continue with their travel plans and to obtain WHTI travel documents as soon as possible to further expedite future border crossings. more...

The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative became effective June 1, 2009. This law affects all recreational boaters floating the Rio Grande. Boaters should be aware that float trips may be considered as trips that have left and re-entered the country. This is due to the fact that the international border is the middle of the deepest part of the river channel and as such varies from location to location. Boaters may be asked by representatives of the Department of Homeland Security to provide proper identification as required by law. The required identification types needed to be presented when landing on the US side of the Rio Grande and include the acceptable forms of identification as follows:

U.S. Passport:
This is an internationally recognized travel document that verifies a person’s identity and nationality. It is accepted for travel by air, land and sea.

U.S. Passport Card:This is a new, limited-use travel document that fits in your wallet and costs less than a U.S. Passport. It is only valid for travel by land and sea.

Enhanced Driver's License (EDL):
Several states and Canadian provinces are issuing this driver’s license or identification document that denotes identity and citizenship. It is specifically designed for cross-border travel into the U.S. by land or sea.

Trusted Traveler Program Cards:
NEXUS, SENTRI or FAST enrollment cards can speed your entry into the U.S. and are issued only to pre-approved, low-risk travelers. The cards are valid for use at land or sea; the NEXUS card can be used in airports with a NEXUS kiosk.

Special Groups:
Information for Children, Groups of Children, Native Americans, "Closed Loop" Cruises, U.S. Lawful Permanent Residents, U.S. Military, Merchant Mariners, Ferries and Small Boats, and Boaters.

For more information, please see the following DHS website.

http://www.getyouhome.gov/html/lang_eng/index.html

however, if you are fishing on the Mexican side Amistad, this doesn't apply.   

http://www.nps.gov/amis

Fishing and boating waters on the Mexico side of Amistad...

Recent laws and regulations regarding travel to Mexico from the US has brought many questions about fishing and boating across the International Boundary of Amistad. The change requires those who travel to and from Mexico to have a passport effective June 1, 2009, however this is not a requirement for fishing and boating on Amistad. If you fish the Mexico side of Amistad, you are required to have a Mexico Fishing License. However, if you beach your boat on the Mexico side and step foot on land in Mexico, the law requires that you re-enter the US through customs with a passport. For additional information please visit www.cbp.gov.

and, as best as I can tell, it does NOT pose any restrictions on the neighbors to the north up in "Oh Canada" when canoing/boating around the boundary waters, etc.   

Confused? 

What if I'm just swimming in the Rio Grande or fishing?  Then do I need to have approved documentation with me?  Where does the Rio Grande end and Amistad begin? 

[Hoodoo]

Where does the Rio Grande end and Amistad begin?

According to the viewable map athttp://www.nps.gov/amis/ the park boundary appears to go all the way to Lozier Canyon in Terrell County.

I always thought the Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River ends, and Amistad begins, at the weir dam located on the Terrell/Val Verde county line.