Did you see the Arroyo Colorado on the news recently? KGBT covered the recent Texas Stream Team event at Estero Llano Grande reviewing water quality data. The video and news release are posted on the project website.

Speaking of news items, have you received your latest issue of the Arroyo Colorado Watershed Partnership Newsletter? If you don’t receive this free newsletter and would like to, sign up for it online.

I have received quite a few comments regarding the possible shrimp farm project that was discussed in the previous bimonthly update.  The LLMF is on board if anything should develop and the Arroyo Colorado Habitat Workgroup expressed their support and would appreciate any feedback that you can provide regarding this project. This is obviously a very complicated project, but worth it. I will keep you posted as things develop and if you have information or would like to be more closely involved, please contact me.

During June, three meetings have been held to discuss the sustainability of the Arroyo Colorado Watershed Partnership. We appreciate the time and effort put forth by this small, but active committee. We are working with the Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council to form a cohesive group to address water quality and related environmental issues in the valley. The meetings have been very productive and we will present our recommendations at the next steering committee meeting as well as send out a more detailed summary soon.

The Habitat workgroup also met this month and received updates on the La Feria and San Juan wetland projects. La Feria is almost finished with construction and was conducting a final walk through last Friday. Despite encountering some unexpected setbacks, (buried trash, needed more clay), San Juan was able to proceed and began construction March 25 and estimates that the wetland will be completed by the end of August. Both cities expressed the need for a wetland maintenance workshop or training to educate the City employees that will be responsible for the wetlands. If this is a training need held by others, please let me know and we’ll try to host something locally.

At the request of Alan Johnson, a watershed stakeholder, the habitat workgroup also revised the Harlingen Aeration Project. In support of the project, the workgroup is looking into applying for the necessary permits to proceed with the project.

Please mark your calendar for these upcoming workgroup and steering committee meetings:

• The Wastewater Infrastructure Workgroup meeting tentatively scheduled for July 17 in conjunction with     the TCEQ Biosolids Management workshop.
• The Agriculture Issues Workgroup meeting: July 27 from 9 am to 12 pm at the Citrus Center.
• The Steering Committee meeting: July 27 from 4:30 pm to 7 pm at the Citrus Center.

Also, here are a couple of events you might be interested in:

• TCEQ is hosting a workshop titled, “The Future of Biosolids Management in the Lower Rio Grande Valley,” on Friday, July 17 in McAllen. For more information, contact Claudia Lozano at clozano@tceq.state.tx.us
• The 2009 Texas Stream Team Statewide Meeting of the Monitors will be held July 17-19 in New Braunfels, TX. For more information, a detailed agenda, and/or to register, visit the meeting website or call toll free 877.506.1401.
• The Arroyo Colorado Grant Opportunity Workshop date has been changed to August 11-12. The change in date was made to ensure we would have as many speakers as possible. It has also grown into a two day workshop. The workshop will be from 9 am to 2 pm on both days at the City of Pharr International Convention Center. The focus of the workshop is to seek funding opportunities that would help us implement the watershed protection plan. The Arroyo Colorado Watershed Partnership, Rural Economic Development Group of the Texas Department of Agriculture, the LRGV TPDES Stormwater Task Force, TAMUK and the City of Pharr are hosting the event. The workshop is available to all Arroyo Colorado stakeholders, local governments and schools that are interested in helping clean up the Arroyo Colorado. Lunch will be provided, several outreach booths from invited agencies will be on location, and the seminar is free. I want to encourage everyone to attend this workshop.

I slipped away to the Arroyo to get some more fishing in.  I did not do as well as the last time.  In fact, I got skunked.  The tides are changing and the heat is pushing the fish into deeper water so if you do go, fish the channels.

Looking ahead,

Jaime Flores

I recently found out that the Bing Hung/Southern Star shrimp farm had been shut down and foreclosed upon by the bank that held the loan. Dr. Robert Collier and Paul Bergh have been trying to contact local and state conservation groups about the shrimp farm with the idea to try and acquire the property through a large partnered effort for development of a treatment wetland/birding center.  A concerted effort by the ACWP, TCEQ, USFWS, TPWD, Ducks Unlimited, Valley Land Fund, LLMF, TXCCA and others could turn this idea into a reality.  Only time will tell, but it does appear to be an excellent opportunity. Dr. Collier mentioned a smaller project 5 miles upstream from Hung’s shrimp farm where TAMUK did a demonstration project that consisted of constructing 5 treatment ponds and diverting water from the Arroyo into the ponds for treatment. The project proved to be very successful, but unfortunately, funding ended and so did the demonstration. I will keep you posted as things develop and if you have information or would like to be more closely involved, please contact me.

Please mark your calendar for these upcoming meetings:

• The ACWP sustainability committee will meet June 25 at the Extension Center’s Conference Room from 8:30 am to 10:00 am.
• The Habitat workgroup will meet on June 25 from 10 am -12 pm at the Extension Center’s Conference room.
• The Ag workgroup meeting will be held July 27 from 9:30 am to 12 pm at the Citrus Center.
• The Steering Committee meeting is scheduled for July 27 From 4:30 pm to 7 pm at the Citrus Center.

Also, here are a couple of events you might be interested in:

• Texas Stream Team is sponsoring a review of water quality data in the Arroyo Colorado at Estero Llano Grande State Park on June 20th. from 10:00 am-12:30 pm. This presentation will include analysis of volunteer and professionally collected water quality data in the Arroyo Colorado and a tour of the State Park. For more information , contact Josh Oyer at jo27@txstate.edu or 512.245.7591.
• The 2009 Texas Stream Team Statewide Meeting of the Monitors will be held July 17-19 in New Braunfels, TX at T Bar M Resort and Conference Center.  The theme of this year’s event is “protecting and improving water quality.” For more information, a detailed agenda, and/or to register, visit the meeting website or call toll free 877.506.1401.
• TWRI will host three “Getting in Step” workshops this fall for free. Getting In Step is a guide for conducting watershed outreach campaigns developed by Tetra Tech and funded by EPA. Trainings will be on Sept 22 in Houston; Sept 23 in Austin; or Sept 24 in Dallas. Visit the website for more information.
• The Arroyo Colorado Grant Opportunity Workshop date has been changed to August 11th-12th. The change in date was made to ensure we would have as many speakers as possible. It has also grown into a two day workshop. The workshop will be from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm on both days at the City of Pharr International Convention Center.  The focus of the workshop is to seek funding opportunities that would help us implement the watershed protection plan. The Arroyo Colorado Watershed Partnership, Rural Economic Development Group of the Texas Department of Agriculture, the LRGV TPDES Stormwater Task Force, TAMUK and the City of Pharr are hosting the event.  The workshop is available to all Arroyo Colorado stakeholders, local governments and schools that are interested in helping clean up the Arroyo Colorado. Lunch will be provided, several outreach booths from invited agencies will be on location, and the seminar is free. I want to encourage everyone to attend this workshop.

Recently, I made it down the Arroyo for a little fishing.  We fished just north of the Y and around Green Island.  The natural beauty of the area never ceases to amaze me. It helps when you catch a 28 inch redfish on the first cast.

Looking ahead,

Jaime Flores

The Rio Grande Valley finally got some much needed rain.  It seemed like nature exploded with colors overnight.  How great is rain?  It is almost beyond words, the effect of a good rain.  I hope we get a little more.

I would like to thank everyone that responded to our request for a boat to help Dr. Deyoe and Paul Duke conduct a study on the Arroyo Colorado. Paul sent me this message “Thanks to the ACWP, I have acquired a canoe for the sampling trips thanks to Mr. & Mrs. Bergh who responded to the message we sent out to the Arroyo partners. I really appreciate their help and extend my thanks to all those who also responded to our plea!!”

I was notified that the grant to conduct monitoring at permitted waste water treatment plants in the watershed will likely receive funding. I would like to congratulate TAMUK, UTB and the LRGVDC for the hard work that went into putting together that proposal. TCEQ is negotiating the contract and work will probably begin October 1 of this year. We have a couple more proposals that are currently being developed. I will keep you informed once they become more concrete.

Here are a couple of events you might be interested in:

• EPA Watershed Academy Webcast: Wetlands: Reconnecting Youth with Nature – May 28, 12 to 2 PM. The Webcast will explore how we as a society, and especially our children, have become increasingly disconnected from the natural world. Richard Louv, chairman of the /Children and Nature Network and renowned author; Suzanne Pittenger-Slear with Environmental Concern, Inc.; and Davon Kenneth Johnson with the Earth Conservation Corps will talk about efforts to change this trend and discuss the unique role that wetlands can play in reconnecting young people with nature.
• Texas Seagrass Conservation Plan Review Workshop- June 11-12, 2009, Corpus Christi. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, in partnership with the Coastal Bend Bays and Estuaries Program and the Port of Corpus Christi, will host the 2009 Seagrass Conservation Workshop..  This workshop will provide a comprehensive look at the accomplishments of the original Seagrass Conservation Plan, identify unfulfilled and new objectives, and explore future actions and partnerships to further the protection and conservation of seagrass communities along the Texas coast. A goal of the workshop is to seek partnerships and cooperation from organizations who share in the mission of the Seagrass Conservation Plan. Join us in guiding the future of Texas seagrasses. For further details visit: or call Annette Paulin, logistics coordinator, at 512-754-9179. Registration deadline: June 5, 2009
• Texas Stream Team  is sponsoring a review of water quality data in the Arroyo Colorado at Estero Llano Grande State Park on June 20. This presentation will include analysis of volunteer and professionally collected water quality data in the Arroyo Colorado and a tour of the State Park. The specific time is to be determined and I will forward a flyer once details are finalized. For more information, contact Josh Oyer at hm1079@txstate.edu or 512.618.1051 (toll free 877.506.1401).
• 1st Annual Arroyo Colorado Grant Opportunity Workshop: City of Pharr International Convention Center, July 31st., 8:30 am to 4 pm:  The Arroyo Colorado Watershed Partnership, Rural Economic Development Group of the Texas Department of Agriculture, the LRGV TPDES Stormwater Task Force, TAMUK and the City of Pharr will host a grant opportunity workshop that will feature speakers and presenters from over a dozen state, federal, local and private agencies. These speakers will promote available grant funding from their respective agencies, provide guidance, identify other workshops, and distribute grant solicitations and applications. The workshop is available to all Arroyo Colorado stakeholders, local governments and any interested entity. Lunch will be provided, several outreach booths from invited agencies will be on location, and the seminar is free. I want to encourage everyone to attend this workshop.

We can use a little more rain. It worked the last time, so I will ask again.

Looking ahead,

Jaime Flores

The Earth Day events and activities were informative, fun and a success! I was especially excited to see how many involved raising awareness regarding storm water pollution prevention.  Despite the economic crisis, the Lower Rio Grande is still experiencing rapid growth and area cities are dealing with these issues on a daily basis. Outreach and education efforts that address all sources of pollution that enter the Arroyo Colorado play a big role in ensuring our work is successful. I want to congratulate and thank everyone that helped make these events possible. To read up on the events go to: Ag News and TAMUK News.

We just held a Steering Committee meeting on April 28th. Thank you to all who attended. Attendees watched a presentation about Solar Bees, which are solar powered, long distance water circulators that are installed in water bodies to improve dissolved oxygen and the overall habitat. Solar Bee representatives, who toured the Port of Harlingen area while they were here, acknowledged the complex water quality issues we face in the Arroyo Colorado and stated it was unlike any water body that they had dealt with. While they can not guarantee total success, the company feels they have a lot to offer the watershed and would like to install some Solar Bees in the tidal portion of the Arroyo. I encourage everyone to look at their website. This type of green engineering may be a way to help restore DO levels during these upcoming critical months.

Steering Committee members were also given an update on agricultural activities in the Arroyo Colorado. Specifically, maps detailing installed best management practices in the watershed are now complete and acreage for each BMP will be added next. In addition to completing the maps, Dr. Narayanan Kannan with AgriLife Research has also been busy updating and validating the SWAT model. His data taken in the field held up to the calculated amounts derived with the model program and his next step will be to begin running specific scenarios to determine loadings.

We are in the process of looking for external funds to support the installation of Solar Bees; we would need to include in-stream water quality monitoring to assess its effectiveness. Anybody interested in collaborating with us? Two grant programs we are currently looking at for Solar Bee and for other aspects of implementing the WPP include the US EPA Source Reduction Assistance Grant Program and the WERF Paul L. Busch Award. The latter program is an award for a researcher who is in the early to mid point of their career and is doing innovative “out-of-the-box” research in stormwater, watersheds, wastewater, etc. Please email me if you have interest in working with us – we’ll gladly help you put together the proposal to seek these funds.

Two proposals were submitted recently and hopefully, have a good chance of receiving funds. TAMUK and UTB collaborated with the LRGVDC to develop a proposal to conduct monitoring at permitted waste water treatment plants in the watershed. Also, the partnerships proposed to develop two public service announcements (in English and Spanish) to enhance outreach. Speaking of outreach efforts, unfortunately, the three Environmental Education grants we submitted to US EPA were not funded. We’ll try again next year.

Here are a couple of events you might be interested in:

Municipal Pollution Prevention/Good Housekeeping Webcast, May 14, 11 am to 2 pm : On May 14 at the Citrus Center auditorium, TAMUK and the Arroyo Colorado Watershed Partnership will host a webcast that focuses on Municipal Pollution Prevention/Good Housekeeping, which is one of the minimum management measures associated with Phase II of the NPDES MS4 permit program. This webcast will feature practical guidance on developing and implementing an effective municipal pollution prevention/good housekeeping program. One will hear about simple methods that can be used to assess and improve your municipal operations and about how to make the most of your pollution prevention/good housekeeping efforts.  Please contact Javier Guerrero if you are interested in attending this webcast.

Grant Opportunity Workshop: City of Pharr Convention Center, July 24, 8:30 am to 4 pm:  The Arroyo Colorado Watershed Partnership, Rural Economic Development Group of the Texas Department of Agriculture, the LRGV TPDES Stormwater Task Force, TAMUK and the City of Pharr will host a grant opportunity workshop that will feature speakers and presenters from over a dozen state, federal, local and private agencies. These speakers will promote available grant funding from their respective agencies, provide guidance, identify other workshops, and distribute grant solicitations and applications. The workshop is available to all Arroyo Colorado stakeholders, local governments and any interested entity. Lunch will be provided, several outreach booths from invited agencies will be on location, and the seminar is free. I want to encourage everyone to attend this workshop.

We can all use some rain.  I hope we get some soon.  But make it rain…not a hurricane!

Looking ahead,

Jaime Flores

There quite a few Earth Day events that will be taking place over the next week.  Hopefully you will find an event close to you.  It is really exciting to see so many cities and organizations hosting so many different events.

Scheduled activities include:

April 17:

• City of Pharr Public Works Department and Fire Department and the Pharr Elementary School students will install markers near the school. Other festivities include planting grass, flowers and trees.

April 18:

• City of San Benito and Girl Scout Troops will install markers at 10 a.m. at the San Benito Municipal Building, 401 N. Sam Houston
• City of La Joya and La Joya High School science class will install markers at 10 a.m. at the La Joya Municipal Park on Coyote Boulevard.
• City of Weslaco is sponsoring “Green Family Festival” 8 a.m. to noon at the City Hall, 255 South Kansas Ave. Volunteers will be installing storm water markers and planting flowers. There will be live entertainment, food and refreshments.
• City of San Juan and Pharr-San Juan-Alamo High School National Honor Society students will meet at 8 a.m. at City Hall to begin installing markers. The targeted area will be between Business 83 and Hall Acres Road and between Wyoming Street and San Antonio Street.
• City of Harlingen and Harlingen Independent School District students will meet at 10 a.m. at the city’s new Centennial Park to kick-off the marker installation. The city will also have vehicles on display from Public Works, Harlingen Water Works, the Fire Department, and Police Department.  Information on recycling, water conservation, native plants, composting, and other green living ideas will be provided by Harlingen Proud, Valley Proud Environmental Council, Texas Water Development Board, and Harlingen Park and Recreation. Texas A&M University-Kingsville’s Javelina Express Mobile Go Center, a 42-foot trailer that provides outreach to prospective students, will be staffed by the A&M-Kingsville College of Engineering faculty, students and staff.
• The City of McAllen would like to invite everyone to their 2nd Annual Green Family Festival “Vida Verde” on April 18th from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm at the Quinta Mazatlan McAllen wing of the World Birding Center.
• STC will be holding an Environmental Education Fair at their Mid Valley Campus on April 18th from 10 am-2 pm.  They will have several guest speakers and numerous activities.

April 22:

• City of Alton and Alton Junior High School students will install markers at 9:30 a.m. on the Alton Junior High campus, 521 S. Los Ebanos Blvd.

In a precursor to Earth Day, the city of Mission and volunteers installed storm drain markers and picked up trash April 4 as part of its 2009 Mission Trash Bash.

More than 1,000 markers will be installed throughout the Lower Rio Grande Valley during these events with 20,000 markers eventually installed over the next several years.

I would also like to remind everyone that a Habitat Workgroup meeting and Steering Committee meeting will be held on April 27th.  I will send out reminder e-mails with more information next week.

Looking ahead,

Jaime J Flores

Spring is officially here.  Most of the trees have sprouted new leaves and there are flowers and citrus blossoms blooming everywhere.  Spring break is over, college students are back in school and we should be seeing migrating hummingbirds very soon.

Over the last few weeks, the Arroyo Colorado watershed model was busy making the rounds at the Fiesta De La Feria, the Rio Grande Livestock Show and the International Museum of Arts & Science.

Here are some events that you might be interested in attending:

The Valley Land Fund would like to invite everyone to the Concert for Conservation to be held March 26th at El Rancho Charco on Walker Lake. This event is this week so don’t forget.  The music will be provided by Texas Heat and special guests, Boneyard, from 7:00-10:00 pm.  I saw members of Texas Heat performing at the Stockshow and they are really good.  For more information call the VLF at 686-6429.

The Estero Llano Grande World Birding Center will be having a Full Moon Party on April 9th from 8-10 pm.  You will look for owls, bats, frogs and any other type of critter that comes out at night.  They plan on having these Full Moon Parties once a month every time there is a full moon.

The City of McAllen would like to invite everyone to their 2nd Annual Green Family Festival “Vida Verde” on April 18th from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm at the Quinta Mazatlan McAllen wing of the World Birding Center.

The Arroyo Colorado Partnership and the LRGV-TPDES Task Force will be having several storm drain marker installation activities on April 18th, throughout the Valley to celebrate Earth Day.  The time and place for these events will be announced in the next Bimonthly update and in the local papers very soon.

There will be two webcasts coming up that some of you might be interested in:

Stormwater Permitting – Current Developments and Future Outlook WEF® Distance Learning Webcast Series (register).

On April 15, 2009, EPA’s Watershed Academy will present a Webcast entitled, “Watershed Central: A New Gateway to Watershed Information.” I have included an attachment on for this webcast and how to register.

Now that Spring is here, be sure to take a little time each day to enjoy nature.

Looking ahead,
Jaime Flores

Spring is in the air and the weather has been great.  There are quite a few events that are coming up that you might be interested in.

The City of La Feria would like to invite everyone to attend their Fiesta De La Feria.  The Fiesta will be this Saturday, February 28th from 9:00 am to 10:00pm.  There will be a children’s area with the Arroyo Colorado Watershed model on display, an arts and crafts area, a car show and two live bands on two different stages.  The Fiesta De La Feria is free and open to the public.

The Rio Grande Livestock Show and Rodeo will be held at the Mercedes Livestock Show grounds from March 14th-22nd.  The Texas Department of Agriculture will have a “Planet Agriculture” Exhibit in one of the exhibit halls.  There will be a number of exhibits and presentations promoting agricultural literacy and conservation.  The Arroyo Colorado Watershed model will be on display March 14th-17th.

Jerry Durham, the Education & Public Programs Director for the International Museum of Arts & Science, would like to invite everyone to the museum for World Water Day on March 21st.  IMAS will have several presentations and activities related to water and water conservation.

The Valley Land Fund in conjunction with the Payne Auto Group would like to invite everyone to the Concert for Conservation to be held March 26th at El Rancho Charco on Walker Lake.  There will be a silent auction at 6:00 pm and live musical entertainment provided by Texas Heat and special guests, Boneyard, from 7:00-10:00 pm.  For more information call the VLF at 686-6429.

The City of McAllen would like to invite everyone to their 2nd Annual Green Family Festival “Vida Verde” on April 18th from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm at the Quinta Mazatlan McAllen wing of the World Birding Center. The mission of the festival is to educate, engage, encourage and empower families and businesses to lead a more sustainable existence. There will live entertainment for children and families, creative culture, Earth art, speakers’ series, educational booths and exhibits, and into the woods trail walks.

The Arroyo Colorado Partnership and the LRGV-TPDES Task Force will be having several storm drain marker installation activities on April 18th, throughout the Valley to celebrate Earth Day.  I will provide more specific details as they become available.

I hope to see many of you at these great events.

Looking ahead,
Jaime Flores

The Agricultural Issues Workgroup, Habitat Workgroup and Steering Committee held their meetings on January 26th, and were quite productive.  Everyone that attended was updated on the ongoing efforts of each workgroup as well as informed about the many challenges that the ACWP still faces.  I would like to thank the LRGV-TPDES Storm Water Task Force for sponsoring the food and drinks at the Steering Committee meeting. We will be posting the summaries of the meetings on the Web site soon.

One of the topics that was revisited was the sustainability of our Partnership. We have a lot of options and are interested in hearing from you as to the best way for us to succeed beyond federal support. If you have experience with leading a local supported organization, please contact me as we would like your input. One of our options includes applying for 501c3 status, which involves identifying three potential board members to direct the Arroyo Colorado Partnership. If you have someone in mind or you would like to nominate yourself, please feel free to contact me. We encourage and need your involvement as we begin this new phase of our partnership.

The LRGV-TPDES Storm Water Task Force and the ACWP are still conducting local school classroom presentations throughout the Valley.  Since the Workgroup and SC meetings we have presented to another eight schools.  We have had great feedback from the principals, curriculum directors, teachers and the students.  The Task Force is developing curriculum for the teachers so they can continue engaging the students after the presentation.  These kids are going to have an uphill battle to save the Arroyo.  They need to know about the problems that our water bodies are facing.

Ouina Rutledge, the Renewable Resources Manager for the City of McAllen, is pleased to announce that The Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council awarded the City a grant for the construction of a Compost Demonstration and Education Garden.  The ribbon cutting/reception ceremony will be February 12th at 10:00am. We hope everyone that is interested can attend.  For more information please call or email Ouina at 956-681-4050, orutledge@mcallen.net.

The Friends of South Texas Refuges have announced that the 10th Annual Ocelot Festival will be held this Saturday, Feb. 14th. from 10am to 5pm.  It is being held at the Marine Military Academy in Harlingen.  For more information contact Stacy Sanchez at (956)748-3607 x115 or at stacy_sanchez@fws.gov or visit www.friendsofsouthtexasrefuges.org.

Jerry Durham, the Education & Public Programs Director for the International Museum of Arts & Science, would like to invite everyone to the museum for World Water Day on March 21st.  IMAS will have several presentations and activities related to water and water conservation.

The Arroyo Colorado Partnership and the LRGV-TPDES Task Force are planning several storm drain marker installation activities in conjunction with civic groups throughout the Valley.  I will make sure to keep everyone informed as the information becomes available.

The entire Rio Grande Valley could really use some rain.  It is amazing that just six months ago, we were overwhelmed with the amount of rain that Dolly dropped on us.  Now we are looking to the sky, hoping for more.

Looking ahead,

Jaime Flores

I am sure that everyone is back up to speed now that the new year festivities are just a memory.  I want to remind everyone that you are welcome to attend any or all of the upcoming workgroup and steering committee meetings on January 26 in the Rio Red classroom at the Citrus Center.  Agendas for all 3 meetings are available on the home page.

The Ag issues workgroup meeting will be from 9:00-am-12:00 noon.  Around 1:00 pm, Andy Garza, Tom McLemore (Project Manager for the ADI project) and Dr. Enciso would like to invite everyone to a short tour (approximately 2 hours) to visit several relevant sites related to our project.

Preliminary Agenda for the tour is as follows:

1. Visit the pumping station at the Delta Lake Irrigation District.
2. Visit a field demonstration project (Wyatt-Hidalgo Farms) and talk with manager Benny Silva.  This site is located close to the Estero Llano state park.

The Habitat workgroup will have their meeting from 2:00pm-4:00pm.  Those interested in attending both the site tour above and the Habitat meeting might need to leave the tour a few minutes little early to make it back to the Citrus Center by 2:00pm.

The Steering Committee meeting will be held from 4:30pm-7:00pm.

I am hoping that all of these meetings prove to be very productive.  It is always good to be updated on how much hard work is being done by so many different people. Hope to see many of you there.

Ouina Rutledge, the Renewable Resources Manager for the City of McAllen, is pleased to announce that The Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council awarded the City a grant for the construction of a Compost Demonstration and Education Garden.  It has been completed and they will be hosting a ribbon cutting/reception ceremony. We hope everyone that is interested can attend.  For more information please call or email Ouina at 956-681-4050, orutledge@mcallen.net.

There are quite a few events coming up in March and April associated with World Water Day and Earth Day.  The Arroyo Colorado Partnership and the LRGV-TPDES Task Force will be hosting several storm drain marker installation activities in conjunction with civic groups throughout the Valley.  I will make sure to keep everyone informed as the information becomes available.

The weather is still great.  I am so glad we live in such a beautiful and comfortable region.  I will take the heat of summer to be able to enjoy the weather we are experiencing right now.

Looking ahead,
Jaime Flores

I want to wish everyone a Happy New year.  I hope everyone is rested after the holiday break.  Let’s get those new year resolutions going; lose weight, exercise and clean up the Arroyo Colorado!  If I eat one more tamale, I think I will explode.  I cannot believe that we are in the year 2009!  It has been nine years since the Y2K scare and computers are still running the world.

The second annual McCANALenBurg Classic was held on December 27, 2008. They had a very nice turnout.  There were at least 100 cyclists that participated in the event.  A good time was had by all that attended.  The Arroyo Colorado Watershed model was on display spreading the word about our watershed.

The Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV) Texas Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (TPDES) Storm Water Task Force and the Arroyo Colorado Partnership will be busy conducting local school classroom presentations throughout the Valley.  We are still working out the schedule but we will be visiting at least three different school districts this month.  The kids really enjoy these classroom presentations.  They are very interested in what is happening to their environment and want to protect it.  These presentations cover a lot of information including civil engineering; streets, storm drains and how they work, wastewater treatment plants and how they work and how they affect our environment.  We then explain what a watershed is and that they live in one and give an overview of the water cycle and why it is so important.  From there we discuss pollution, the different types of pollution and how it is harmful to the environment.  It is a lot of material and they seem to just soak it up.

The Arroyo Colorado website has been updated under the “How you can help” page including online subscription to the newsletter or bimonthly update, checking out the model, supporting the partnership thru monetary and other means and becoming a volunteer monitor. If you are interested in any of these and other activities, please visit the website.

I want to remind everyone that our Workgroup meetings are just around the corner.  The Education and Outreach Workgroup Meeting will be held on January 13th.   The Ag Issues Workgroup Meeting, the Habitat Workgroup Meeting and the Steering Committee Meeting will be held on the January 26th.  I encourage everyone to attend these meetings.  For times and locations for these meetings, please visit the Arroyo Colorado website.

The Holiday weather was great and a lot warmer than I expected.  It still has not gotten really cold and wet for an extended period of time.  I hope that we do not get a late cold front in February like we did several years back.  That was a late freeze that damaged a lot of citrus trees and killed a lot of fish in the bay.  I will keep my fingers crossed.

Looking ahead,
Jaime Flores