Let's restore the Colorado River Delta

In November, 27 young students from the 5th semester of the Bachelor's Degree in Nursing and their professors Marisol FC & Alfredo LH from the State University of Sonora, San Luis Rio Colorado Campus, visited the Miguel Aleman Forest.

It was foggy, so you could not see the forest from a distance that morning. The students arrived with an excellent attitude and were motivated to live a new experience.

The visit began at the nurseries, where the community involvement staff explained how important the Colorado River is, speaking in terms of a large watershed that supplies more than 40 million people in the seven states of the American Union (Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, and California) and two states in Mexico (Sonora and Baja California). They also learned about the different uses of water and how it supplies mainly the valley of Mexicali and San Luis Rio Colorado, the cities of Tijuana, Rosarito, Ensenada, Mexicali, and San Luis in our country, as well as the water used in the industry.

The young people learned about the binational agreements of the Colorado River and the history of the formation of the Miguel Aleman Forest, with 122,000 trees reforested in 175.5 hectares comprising the project, this is the closest forest to their local city and as generations of previous students of Sonora State University have been part of the Reforesta San Luis program since 2014, supporting reforestation activities in Phase I, in 2016 they participated in Phase II, in 2018 in Phase III and 2019 in Phase IV of the site. They have also participated in other activities and field trips supporting Pronatura Noroeste projects.

This generation could now enjoy a forest. Students toured the nursery and learned about the importance of reforesting with trees of the Sonoran desert for its easy maintenance and low water consumption.

Students identified a Mezquite Tornillo (Strombocarpa pubescens) by exploring the pod.

The tour inside the nurseries helped them to learn about the characteristics of each native plant and the differences in the leaves, thorns, pods, and stems of the palo verde amarillo, azul, brea, and Mexicano.

We taught Students to use the bird field guide to identify resident birds in the Miguel Alemán Forest. They preferred the songbirds because of their large shades of yellow feathers.

We took a 1-kilometer walk on the native plant trail where students can identify plants such as the cachanilla. Then
we had a refreshment break, and afterward, we enjoyed traditional Mexican games.

After visiting the Miguel Aleman forest, we continued our tour to the town of Los Algodones, Baja California, to see the Morelos Diversion Dam, which receives the Colorado River water supply that corresponds to Mexico to supply the needs of the population of the region and agriculture in the Mexicali valley (Baja California) and San Luis Río Colorado (Sonora)

Juan R.M., from the International Boundary and Water Commission, gave us a tour to explain the International Water Treaty between Mexico and the United States and how CILA monitors and enforces international agreements in coordination with its counterpart, the U.S. section, the International Boundary and Water Commission.

The objective of this tour was for the new generations to learn about the management and distribution of Colorado River water in Mexico and to understand the environmental problems we face through the large part of the ecosystem.

However, the restoration efforts of the Colorado River in Mexico seek to reverse these effects. Young people must take action against climate change by promoting the creation of more green areas in cities and supporting efforts to maintain the restored forest in Mexico.

Links:

• The diplomatic effort for the restoration of the Colorado River
• El Rio Nos Une Festival, a community celebration
• The bond between the community and the Colorado River

The Miguel Al

In April, we also had a visit from the Regálame tu planta and the Pahuja association. We had a workshop on the initiative to restore the Colorado River and develop a practice of urban gardens. Our Community Involvement Assistant Yamile directed it; she is a student of Horticulture at the State University of Sonora.

eman restoration site has become a space for diverse activities from its beginnings. To understand nature, we encourage locals to get involved in environmental education, ecological practices, and low-impact tourism activities. 

This restored forest has provided the opportunity for academic institutions, businesses, and social groups to increase their knowledge about the flora of the region and the wildlife that depend on the health of the Colorado River Delta.

In May, yogis from San Luis Río Colorado, participated in a yoga practice at the restoration site. Through contact with the forest, the sounds of the birds, and the wind by the leaves of the poplars, were transported to a pleasant practice full of vitality to perform Darma yoga, taught by Yogini Coyolicatzin. It started with a short morning walk; the birds singing at dawn were evident; then, Yogini guided the practice to revitalize the body, mind, and spirit in a natural environment.

Coyolicatzin: "Yoga in Nature provides us with several benefits related to mental health; it is a therapeutic time that helps reduce anxiety, worry, and stress. The contact with nature during a yoga practice helps to stimulate our senses, listening to the sounds of birds and the leaves of the trees that move with the wind and visualizing the sky and the trees' canopy. It helps relaxation and performs an internal work of concentration to focus on constantly improving your practice."

The practices with each group covered topics like How to start an urban garden? Types of gardens, suitable crops for each season, and crop associations. The visitors began with a design of how they visualize the garden, made their presentation, and received feedback from the workshop leader to improve their project.

Yamilet: "It is essential to promote Urban Gardens. People are interested in how we take the initiative when we encourage this. Then they develop an interest in this topic, which we promote dialogue about. People involved in the Urban Gardens workshops have told us that. It inspired me to share some of my knowledge and understanding of the people helping each other. They can learn and share their knowledge. It is not only for adults. Children at an early age can take an interest in developing their garden or know what they can do with their germinations, and over time they can leave their mark thanks to this culture."

By promoting the urban gardening workshop, we are creating a more connected community, encouraging social interaction and collaboration among participants, thus leaving an awareness. People can make their gardens at home by learning with us the know-how. It is also important because it relates to the environment, sustainability, education, and communities.

This summer, we have a recess season in the Miguel Aleman forest because of the high temperatures in the region. We will return in September, reopening doors with more activities for Mexicali and San Luis community.

The Community Involvement activities at the Miguel Aleman restoration site are possible through the dedication and passion of the team: Marylu, Yamilet, and Yuli in coordination with the Restoration staff area: Raquel, Moisés, Francisco, and the Restoration Brigade of Pronatura Noroeste.

Links:

• CSR at Miguel Aleman
• Visitors at Miguel Aleman share their experience
• New restoration site at the Colorado River Delta