The Río Grande International Study Center’s (RGISC) 23rd Annual Dia del Río (DDR) events kick off with a proclamation on the banks of the Río Grande on Tuesday, October 3.
The bi-national ceremony, which begins at 9 a.m. at Tres Laredos Park, is the first of RGISC’s October activities that focus on the stewardship of the Río Grande and its watershed.
Laredo Mayor Pete Saenz and Nuevo Laredo Mayor Enrique Rivas Cuellar will both speak at the event. Honor guards from both nations will present colors, and Cristina García will sing the anthems of both countries. Promesa al Sol will make a Native American Indian offering, and Pastor Paul Frey will offer the invocation.
ART4ENVIRONMENT
An October 7 River Painting Workshop, which will be conducted by Paty Orduña and other Laredo artists, is scheduled at Falcon International Bank (7718 McPherson). The morning workshop begins at 9 a.m. and ends at 1 p.m.
RIO RESEARCH ROUNDUP
The annual Río Research Roundup, the organization’s eighth, is RGISC’s most far-reaching and successful DDR program. The award-winning, field-based bi-national event draws 100 teams from U.S. and Mexican schools to test the waters of the Río Grande on Wednesday, October 11. Teams will test from the upper reaches of the river in Colorado and New Mexico to the Gulf of Mexico, using a La Motte Water Monitoring kit to measure eight water quality parameters.
RGISC collects the testing data that provides a snapshot of water quality all along the river’s 1,990 mile course on the same day.
The many-purposed Roundup, which gives students an up close experience on the river and its ecosystem, also engages them in video, art, and essay writing that allow them to express themselves as advocates and stewards for the river’s health.
Student research teams will prepare a 30-second PSA about the river or the watershed, a 500-word essay based on the Roundup experience, a 1.5 minute video, and original visual (paintings, drawings, sculpture) or literary art (song, short play, short fiction, poetry) that is focused on the river.
Funding for the Río Research Roundup comes through the generosity of the Trull Foundation of Palacios, Texas; the BBVA Foundation; Wells Fargo Bank; and International Bank of Commerce.
The handbook for the Río Research Roundup is available at rgisc.org
LAREDO PADDLING TRAIL
The DDR Laredo Paddling Trail will be showcased Saturday, October 14, on a three-mile upriver excursion sponsored by the Outlet Shoppes Mall. A limited number of kayaks and canoes will be available on a first-come basis. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. at the corner of Santa María and Pedregal.
PASO DEL INDIO TRAIL WORKDAY
Laredoans of all ages are invited to participate in the maintenance and cleanup of Laredo’s oldest nature trail on October 21. The trail is located at LCC behind the Lamar Bruni Vergara Environmental Science Center and drops to the river. The event begins at 7:30 a.m.
LOVING LAREDO HIKE
Enjoy a Halloween-inspired, bat-watching walk along the Chacon Creek Hike and Bike Trail near sundown on Saturday, October 21. Hikers should meet at 5:30 p.m. at 600 Bartlett at the Benavides Sports Complex. Monte Mucho Audubon birder Danny Perales will lead the walk.
Educators who need further information about the Río Research Roundup, can call Lucia Juarez, the Roundup coordinator, at (956) 718-1063. For all other DDR activities, contact project coordinator Erika Saenz at the same number.
The Río Grande International Study Center, which was founded in January of 1994, is a 501©3 non-profit foundation. In its 23-year history, the organization has established itself as an environmental advocate for the Río Grande and its tributaries and watershed through education, science, research, and civic action
Laredoans who wish to support RGISC through membership or who wish to make a donation can do so at the organization’s website.
