Signs of Renewal - Support Our Work Today

December 13, 2012

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Landmark US - Mexico Agreement Boosts
Colorado River Delta Restoration Efforts

Friends,

We are excited to share the news that the Sonoran Institute's conservation work in the Colorado River Delta received a huge boost as a result of a new landmark treaty signed by Mexico and the United States.

On November 20, 2012, the United States and Mexico -- for the first time in history -- have agreed to dedicate water flows to the Colorado River in Mexico for environmental purposes.

This means that our goal of reconnecting the Colorado River with the sea has moved closer to reality.

The agreement specifically recognizes the importance of the Sonoran Institute's on-the-ground conservation work in the Delta over the past 15 years. Our restoration efforts have demonstrated that the Delta is resilient and can be restored - if water is provided. The agreement builds on our bold plan to change the course of the Delta's future by protecting and restoring 160,000 acres of habitat; and by acquiring enough water to make reconnection possible.

This binational commitment to bring water to the Delta will also bring new life and economic opportunity to communities in the region. This fact inspires us to continue our hard work.

As we all think about the possibilities, we encourage you to read the story below about Pete Aguirre and how his vision has inspired a new generation to continue to support our work.

Successes like this can only happen with your help. Please make a gift today to support our work and the vital mission of the Sonoran Institute. You can also donate online.

Thank you very much for your contribution. We wish you and your family happy holidays.

Luther Propst Maria Baier
Founder Chief Executive Officer

A Father's Gift - Aguirre Donate Now 2012

Signs of Renewal Worthy of Your Support

Friends,

Tucson native Pete Aguirre recognized years ago the vital connection between caring for our land and water and nurturing the economic activity that sustains people and communities.

His life carried the spirit of the Sonoran Institute's work.

Pedro "Pete" Joab Aguirre's home was on both sides of the border, in the Mexicali Valley in Baja, California, Mexico and the Imperial Valley of California. His daughter, Rowene Aguirre-Medina, remembers her late father scooping up the valley soil in his hands, holding it, connecting with it. "You could just see his love of the land," she says. "It's the only place he really wanted to be."

Aguirre was a successful grower of asparagus, cantaloupe and onions in the Mexicali/Imperial Valley region during the early part of the last century. It was a time when the Colorado River Delta was still a lush and flourishing place, but finding enough work to support a family was a serious challenge. Like the mighty Colorado River that fed his crops, Pete and his business sustained life as well-by providing work to hundreds of area people.

When Rowene learned about the Sonoran Institute's efforts to restore the depleted Colorado River Delta, she decided to support the project with a generous gift in his name. While touring our Delta project areas, she saw her father's spirit exemplified everywhere-through the jobs and training the project is providing, through the cross-border cooperation of its partners, and through the enthusiasm and excitement of the people working on the restoration initiatives.

"My father had such respect and appreciation for the land," Rowene says. "To see that beautiful area coming back to life, and to see how the desert can flourish when treated properly - I just felt that this project was the right place to honor his life."

The signs of renewal that inspired Rowene are the result of momentum that donors like you have made possible. Our restoration successes in the Delta this year include:

*    Planting over 21,000 native trees on 20 acres, with a 95% survival rate;
*   Improving the Rio Hardy's water quality by establishing 120 acres of marsh wetland habitat at the Las Arenitas Wastewater Treatment Wetland;
*   Partnering with retailer Patagonia in a social media campaign resulting in 2,000 letters sent to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, urging the U.S. to dedicate more water to the Delta.
* Securing a new, binational treaty between Mexico and the United States to dedicate water for environmental purposes in the Colorado River Delta.

Healthy landscapes. Livable communities. Vibrant economies. This is the mission of the Sonoran Institute, and our progress in the Delta is just one example of how we are working to shape the future of communities from Mexico to Montana.

As we celebrate our 20th anniversary, we know our unique brand of collaborative conservation works. But to keep our staff and volunteers in the field, we need your help. Contributions - like Rowene's - play a critical role in our ability to provide the training, scientific analysis and expertise, and the local-level engagement needed to move our initiatives forward.

Your support will help us:

*    Continue to win approval of open space protection campaigns like we recently did in Montana (Bozeman Parks & Recreation Bond) and Arizona (Prop 119) - which help to conserve working ranches and farms, preserve water quality and river corridors, protect wildlife areas, and enhance recreational opportunities.
*   Inspire and enable decision makers Westwide to build livable communities-through efforts like "SCOTie," our award-winning on-line sustainable growth information exchange.
*   Pull together diverse voices to shape major conservation initiatives-like our recent work in California's Morongo Basin, where we led a group of citizens and organizations, including the National Park Service and U.S. Marine Corps, in identifying priority lands for conservation.

We see hope for a better future in the West. With even a little more water, the fishing and farming industries in the Colorado River Delta will be reborn. With open land resources intact, Colorado will keep its tourism dollars and its high quality of life. With its night skies kept dark and star-packed, the Morongo Basin will remain a highly desirable place to live, work and recreate.

Please make a gift today to support our work and the vital mission of the Sonoran Institute. You can also donate online.

Thank you very much for your contribution.

Luther Propst Maria Baier
Founder Chief Executive Officer

Support the work of the Institute.

Donor Stories That Inspire

Wyoming's Tom McMurray cares deeply about protecting critical marine, coastal and river habitats. He is a huge supporter of our efforts to protect the Colorado River Delta.

Read Tom's story

Francisco Zamora

"This agreement is validation of the importance of our on-the-ground restoration work in the Delta region. It represents a significant step towards achieving our conservation goals in the Delta."

Francisco Zamora, Director Colorado River Delta Program, Sonoran Institute