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August 26, 2013WWW.SONORANINSTITUTE.ORG
 
US - Mexico Agreement
First Step to Restoring the Delta
 
Maria Baier Opinion - Courtesy of the Arizona Republic

The U.S. and Mexico signed a historic five-year agreement in November that improves management of the Colorado River, providing both countries with greater flexibility in responding to the growing challenges of drought and water scarcity. 

It also represents a first step toward large-scale restoration of the Colorado River Delta, including a precedent-setting and long-sought agreement to provide water to support restoration of this important environmental resource.

The Colorado River Delta was once a lush region of 3,000 square miles teeming with plant, bird and marine life. However, more than 100 dams on the river and its tributaries divert water to cities and farms, reducing the delta to a tiny remnant of its former self.

The Sonoran Institute and our partners see a day when the Colorado River once again flows into the Gulf of California and the delta is brought back to life.

This agreement is a welcome advance in re-establishing good relations between Arizona and Mexico.

Our relationship with Mexico is substantial and vitally important. In addition to a border, we share a common history, landscape, and rich social and economic ties - including our dependence on critical natural resources like the Colorado River.

We have a powerful mutual interest in ensuring that we manage those resources cooperatively and effectively.

Arizona and the Central Arizona Project were closely involved in the negotiation of this agreement, and the CAP is providing funds that will go toward lining irrigation canals and other efficiency improvements in Mexico.

In return, the CAP will receive a portion of the water that will be saved by these improvements, at a lower cost to CAP users than water purchased in the U.S.

Three environmental groups operating in Arizona - the Sonoran Institute, Nature Conservancy and Environmental Defense Fund - were also instrumental in forging this agreement and will play a key role in its successful implementation. To that end, they have agreed to meet specific water-delivery and restoration goals over the next five years. This takes money.

On Sept. 7, these groups and others will launch the Raise the River campaign, which has set a goal of raising more than $10 million to acquire water and to restore key segments of the Colorado River Delta.

Robert Redford, noted actor and conservationist, and dignitaries from both countries will attend the kickoff event in Phoenix.

Meeting the fundraising and restoration goals are critical to the success of this historic agreement.

Based on the lessons learned over the next five years, the U.S. and Mexico may negotiate a new, longer-term agreement to extend the benefits of the current pact.

This agreement could, in turn, be an important factor in determining how Arizona, our sister states in the basin and the federal government will be able to manage the resources of the Colorado River to meet the challenges of drought and growing water demand while also restoring the delta.

Click here for more information about the kickoff event in Phoenix. I hope you can join us.

 

Maria Baier photo 2012

 

 

Maria's Signature

Maria Baier

Chief Executive Officer

 

 

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This guest opinion piece was published in the August 11, 2013 edition of the Arizona Republic

 

 

An Extraordinary Man - An Extraordinary Life
Fred Bosselman - In Memoriam
 
Fred BosselmanTogether with the Chicago-Kent community, the Sonoran Institute was deeply saddened by the recent death of Professor Emeritus Fred Bosselman, a long-serving member of our Board and an extraordinary teacher, colleague and friend. Fred passed away August 4.


"Fred was a long-standing champion of the Sonoran Institute. He was a founding board member, counseled us on a wide range of issues, and guided us as we grew into a West-wide, bi-national organization," said John Shepard, senior adviser for the Institute. "Fred was a leading thinker and doer in land-use law, which was not always apparent when I spoke to him about a particular issue. He was so self-effacing. It was only later when I would research the topic that I frequently found that Fred had written the definitive article on that topic."

 

A scholar and practitioner of energy and environmental law, Fred joined the faculty of Chicago - Kent College of Law in 1991. Earlier, he was a partner in the Chicago law firm of Ross & Hardies and later practiced in Florida with the firm of Burke, Bosselman & Weaver. Fred was a graduate of the University of Colorado and Harvard Law School.

Fred was a giant in the area of land use and energy law scholarship. He was co-author of the casebook Energy, Economics and the Environment (Foundation Press 2006) and the books The Role of Customary Law in Sustainable Development (Cambridge University Press 2005) and Managing Tourism Growth (Island Press 1999).  

 

There is a celebration and memorial planned for Fred on August 25, 2013 in Chicago.  Read more about the work and legacy of Fred Bosselman.

 

Community Design & Development Academies to be held in Colorado
Sign Up Today
 
Rifle, Colorado - On September 26, 2013, we will kickoff the Rifle Downtown Development and Design Academy (3DA), a 6-session program sponsored by the City of Rifle, the Sonoran Institute, and The Colorado Department of Local Affairs. The 3DA is designed for aspiring community leaders who want to help create a lively downtown, expand housing and mobility choices and encourage economic development in Rifle.
 
 
Glenwood Springs, Colorado - On September 16, 2013, The Sonoran Institute and the Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association will start the Glenwood Springs Community Development Academy (CDA), an engaging and interactive 8-week course that brings together local officials, civic and business leaders, and active citizens interested in learning about the key planning and development issues facing our community.
 

  

Both sessions are open to community members. Interested? Please contact Jillian Sutherland, economic and community development manager for the Sonoran Institute. You can also call her at: 970.384.4364, x. 4002.

 

 


2012 Annual Report Cover - Crossroads

  

 

 

 

  

Other Stories and Links
Fred Bosselman - Extraordinary Man
Colorado Community Design & Development Academies to start in Sept. 2013.
Meet Wendi Lucas - New Chief Development Officer
Meet Robert Redford - Register Today for the Raise the River Campaign
New Video - Moving Forward to Restore the Delta
Community Builder Webinar Series
NEW - Community Builders Website

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Meet Wendi Lucas


Wendi 
Lucas

New Chief Development Officer 

 

Wendi Lucas headshot 2013Wendi Lucas of Tucson, Arizona is now leading the Development Team at the Sonoran Institute.  

 

"Wendi is the perfect fit for our organization's ascending trajectory," says Sonoran Institute CEO Maria Baier.

 

Find out more about Wendi 

Raise the River - REGISTER

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  Meet Robert Redford

 

Join us for the September 7, 2013 kickoff of the Raise the River campaign in Phoenix, Arizona.

 

Cost is $500 per person contribution. $400 is tax deductible.

 

Register today. Click here.

Find our more information. Click here.

New Video - Moving Forward

Moving Forward - Delta Restoration
Moving Forward - Delta Restoration

 

Francisco Zamora, the Colorado River Delta program director for the Sonoran Institute, discusses the importance of a new amendment to the main water treaty between Mexico and the U.S. For the first time, water is allowed  to be used and dedicated for environmental purposes in the Delta -- a big step forward for restoration efforts in the region. 

 

Find out more about our efforts to restore the Delta.

 

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Check out our new Community Builders website today. We provide information, research, insight and analysis for engaged citizens who are actively building stronger economies in the towns and cities of the American West.

 

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