| Overall Rating | Bronze - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 32.74 |
| Liaison | William Hargrove |
| Submission Date | April 29, 2016 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of Texas at El Paso
EN-9: Community Partnerships
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 3.00 |
Stacey
Sowards Chair Communication |
Does the institution have at least one formal sustainability partnership with the local community that meets the criteria as “supportive”?:
A brief description of the institution’s supportive sustainability partnership(s) with the local community:
Does the institution have at least one formal sustainability partnership with the local community that meets the criteria as “collaborative”?:
A brief description of the institution's collaborative sustainability partnership(s):
From the website:
Rio Bosque Wetlands Park is a 372-acre City of El Paso park the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) manages through its Center for Environmental Resource Management (CERM). Wetlands and riverside forests once graced the banks of the Rio Grande in the Paso del Norte region. They were the most productive natural habitats in the region, but today they are virtually gone. At Rio Bosque, the environment is still changing, but in a new way. Here, a diverse partnership is working to bring back meaningful examples of the unique and valuable ecosystems once found in our river valley. Activities on lands adjacent to Rio Bosque Wetlands Park can have a significant influence on ecological conditions within the park. An important part of the management program for Rio Bosque is staying abreast of activities on adjacent lands and working to influence those activities so that they will have positive rather than negative impacts on the park.
In November 1996, the City of El Paso and UTEP signed a 30-year agreement for UTEP to manage the site. UTEP and its partners are working to guide and shape this recovery to promote native river-valley plant communities. Their goal: recreate an approximation of the wonderfully rich mosaic of habitats characteristic of the Rio Grande and its floodplain in pre-settlement days.
Rio Bosque is located along the US-Mexico border, in El Paso, Texas. Rio Bosque serves economically disadvantaged communities around the Rio Bosque area and the greater El Paso area.
Rio Bosque Project Partners
A diverse partnership makes the Rio Bosque project possible. The City of El Paso and UTEP have included the following partners:
Ducks Unlimited provided the design, the initial management plan, and the water-control structures for the wetland project at Rio Bosque.
The U.S. Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission built the wetland complex.
El Paso Water Utilities and El Paso County Water Improvement District #1 cooperate to provide water to the Park.
UTEP manages the Park under an agreement with the City of El Paso.
The Friends of the Rio Bosque provide vital help in all phases of operation and maintenance of the Park.
In addition, the Park has many other dedicated friends and supporters. Over the years, these groups have provided invaluable technical guidance, funding, logistical support, volunteer help, and more:
Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge
Boy Scouts of America, Yucca Council
Carolina Welding
Chihuahuan Desert Wildlife Rescue
City of Socorro, Texas
The Coca-Cola Company
Coca-Cola Enterprises
County of El Paso
El Paso Community Foundation
El Paso County Juvenile Probation Department
El Paso Electric Company
El Paso Inc.
El Paso/Trans-Pecos Audubon Society
El Paso Zoo
Environmental Advocates, UTEP
Epson El Paso
The Frontera Land Alliance
Girl Scouts of the Rio Grande
Hoblitzelle Foundation
Innovative Recycling
Keep El Paso Beautiful
The Meadows Foundation
Mission Trail Association
National Park Service Rivers & Trails Program
Texas Clean Rivers Program
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
Texas Forest Service
Texas Master Naturalists, Trans-Pecos Chapter
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
Paso del Norte Health Foundation
Rio Grande Compact Commission
Sierra Club, El Paso Regional Group
U.S. Border Patrol
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Wal-Mart Foundation
West Texas Community Supervision and Corrections Department
West Texas Urban Forestry Council
Western Dewatering
Western Refining
Woman's Department, Greater El Paso Chamber of Commerce
World Wildlife Fund, Chihuahuan Desert Program
Does the institution have at least one formal sustainability partnership with the local community that meets the criteria as “transformative”?:
A brief description of the institution's transformative sustainability partnership(s) with the local community:
A brief description of the institution’s sustainability partnerships with distant (i.e. non-local) communities:
The Rare partnership in the Department of Communication is a master's program for conservation campaign managers in subtropical and tropical regions of the world. Campaign managers are recruited from environmental non-governmental and governmental organizations in South America, South East Asia, China, Africa, and Micronesia. Campaign managers implement two year conservation campaigns in their rural communities as part of the master's program.
The website URL where information about sustainability partnerships is available:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.