Dia Del Rio Celebrates 15th Anniversary
Written by Post Public Information Representative, Oct 10, 2009, 0 Comments
Courtesy Xochitl Mora,
This year, Dia del Rio therefore celebrates it 15th anniversary in los dos Laredos. Monday will launch a full week of celebrating the Rio Grand-Rio Bravo. This year, a Rio Grande-Rio Bravo Watershed Alliance is being formed to preserve, protect and foster respect for the river we depend on for our existence.
The Río Grande International Study Center will be joined by the Cities of Laredo and Nuevo Laredo in celebrating the fifteenth anniversary of Día del Río with a bi-national ceremony at 9:30 AM Monday, October 12, at Los Dos Laredos Park on the banks of the river, 1300 Piedregal Street. Día del Río was established 15 years ago as a celebration of the environment and cultures of the Río Grande watershed, which stretches from the river’s mouth below Brownsville through New Mexico and north into Colorado, and includes portions of the five Mexican states of Tamaulipas, Nuevo León, Coahuila, Durango and Chihuahua. It has traditionally been observed by cleaning up and planting native vegetation in natural areas along the Río Grande, as well as regional cultural events.
Monday’s observance will be presided over by Tim Gutierrez of KGNS Pro 8 News as Master of Ceremonies. The two Mayors of Laredo and Nuevo Laredo, the Honorable Raúl Salinas and the Honorable Ing. Ramón Garza, will welcome participants to the ceremony and to the opening of the week of Día del Río events. Laredo Police Department Color Guard will present the colors. Tricia Cortez will sing the National Anthem. Joey Diaz de León, a Native American spiritual leader, and members of his group will give the invocation, a traditional shell ceremony.
Brief remarks will be delivered by the Honorable Richard Peña Raymond, Texas State Representative for the Laredo area; by Mr. Jay Johnson-Castro, Sr., Executive Director of the Rio Grande International Study Center; by Dr. Tom Vaughan, founding member and Board President of the Rio Grande International Study Center; Ing. David Negrete Arroyo, President of the Study Center’s Mexican counterpart, el Centro Internaciónal de Estudios del Rio Bravo; by Mr. Eric Ellman of Los Caminos del Rio; and by Mr. Bob Zachariah, organizer of Rio Fest.
The Honorable Mayors of the sister cities will read a joint proclamation and cut a ribbon to open the week-long celebration of the Rio Grande-Rio Bravo.
On Thursady, October 15, the 1st Rio Grande-Rio Bravo Watershed Alliance Conference will be held at the Martinez Fine Arts Center at Laredo Community College from noon to 5:00pm. Mater of Ceremonies will be Pastor Mike Barerra. A welcome will be extended to the conferences by Dr. Juan Maldonado, President of Laredo Community College as well as the Honorable Danny Valdez, Webb County Judge. Dr. Laurina Lyle, Executive Director of Project WET, will be the feature presenter, Discovering a Watershed. Another feature speaker will be Miguel Flores, District Director of the Environmental Protection Agency. Other presenters will be Ing. David Negrete, of IBWC, Eric Mendleman of River Systems Institute, Erasmo Yarrito, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s Rio Grande Watermaster, Jay J. Johnson-Castro, Sr., Executive Director of the Rio Grande International Study Center. Musica a la Charra will be preformed by Tricia Cortez. The conference will be followed by a reception hosted at the Lamar Bruni Vergara Environmental Science Center, Tom Miller, Director. At the reception the Laredo Art League will hold a fundraising “Hush” auction of artwork by local artists.
Saturday, October 17 will culminate with the 15th annual clean up and trail work at the Lamar Bruni Vergara Environmental Science Center starting at 8:30am and this year’s special feature, the Laredos Rio Fest kayak and canoe race.
