Rio Grande
This is the nation's second longest river and is rich in natural resources
and vestiges of a frontier past. It also provides a two-thousand-mile border
between Texas and the Mexican States of Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon, Coahuila and
Chihuahua, and a gateway for North American Free Trade Agreement commerce.
The Consortium of the Rio Grande (CoRio) was formed to secure an American
Heritage River designation for the Rio Grande, develop a plan of action for a new approach
to stewardship of the river and assist participating communities secure the
resources needed to achieve their objectives and form strategic alliances
for regional projects. The president's designation covers those jurisdictions
along the Texas Rio Grande whose governing bodies choose to join the
consortium, as well as federally owned and managed properties such as
Big Bend National Park.
CoRio is organized as a Texas not-for-profit corporation and local
jurisdictions along the Rio Grande may enter the consortium by signing
a cooperative interjurisdictional agreement. Participating
jurisdictions currently consist of:
| Amistad National Recreation Area |
Laredo |
| Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge |
McAllen |
| Big Bend National Park |
Palo Alto Battlefield Historic Site |
| Brownsville |
Presidio |
| Chamizal National Memorial |
Roma |
| El Paso |
Socorro |
| El Paso County |
Webb County |
| Lake Falcon |
Zapata County |
CoRio is governed by a three-member board of directors composed of
Mayor Betty Flores of Laredo, Mayor Carlos Ramirez of El Paso, and
Mayor Blanca Vela of Brownsville. A 250-member advisory committee
helped develop the nomination and secure the designation. It was
chaired by Congressman Silvestre Reyes, Judge Mercurio
Martinez of Webb County and Brownsville rancher and civic leader Mary Yturria. The
affairs of CoRio are managed by a secretariat located at the Rio Grande
Council of Governments in El Paso. The general secretary of CoRio is
Tyrus Fain. A "river navigator" is being recruited to provide liaison
with participating federal agencies. A Rio Grande Institute has begun
as a CoRio spinoff, providing technical assistance to local organizations
and agencies developing AHR projects.
On January 27, 1999, a Memorandum of Agreement was signed at a White
House ceremony setting terms of reference for cooperation between
CoRio and twelve federal agencies. The original draft action plan
CoRio submitted to secure the AHR designation is being enhanced and
expanded. New jurisdictions are entering the consortium and a
series of workshops and planning meetings are turning ideas for
projects into specific proposals. The planning process is being
facilitated with a grant to CoRio from the U.S. Department of
Commerce's Economic Development Administration. Local projects
include riverfront resource development in Laredo, downtown
revitalization in Brownsville, a riverwalk and mission trail in El
Paso, and wastewater services in Presidio. Funding is being sought
from EDA for the regionally focused Rio Grande Institute. The Bureau
of Reclamation is funding development of an information center.
Stewardship of the river and its resources presents special challenges
because it is an international boundary. Through diplomatic channels
and informal contacts local officials have with sister cities,
cooperation of the Mexican authorities is being secured on projects
with transboundary implications. In this regard, the U.S. International
Boundary and Water Commission has been designated as the principal point
of contact and coordination for CoRio.
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