CONSERVATION OF THE BIG BEND - RIO BRAVO

REGION OF THE CHIHUAHUAN DESERT
MAY 19, 2010

JOINT STATEMENT FROM PRESIDENTS BARACK OBAMA AND FELIPE CALDERÓN

“The Presidents noted the long history of bilateral cooperation in the 

conservation of natural and cultural resources. They recognized that 

Big Bend National Park and Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River in the 

United States and the Protected Areas of Maderas del Carmen, 

Cañon de Santa Elena, Ocampo, and Río Bravo del Norte in Mexico 

together comprise one of the largest and most significant ecological 

complexes in North America. In doing so, they recognized that 

increased cooperation in these protected areas would restrict 

development and enhance security in the region and within this 

fragile desert ecosystem. To preserve this region of extraordinary 

biological diversity, they expressed their support for the United States 

Department of Interior and the Secretariat of Environment and 

Natural Resources of the United Mexican States to work through 

appropriate national processes to recognize and designate Big Bend 

– Rio Bravo as a natural area of binational interest. The Presidents 

underscored their commitment to manage the region in a way that 

enhances security and protects these areas for wildlife preservation, 

ecosystem restoration, climate change adaptation, wildland fire 

management, and invasive species control.”
A strategic, trans-boundary approach to 

landscape conservation.

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Ecological / Biological

Planning

Delivery of

Conservation Actions

Big Bend-Rio Bravo Collaboration for

Trans-Boundary Landscape Conservation
BIG BEND CONSERVATION COOPERATIVE

 MOU signed in October 2010

 Accomplishments:

 Grassland, riparian, and wetland 

restoration on public and private lands 

 Support recovery of the endangered Rio 

Grande silvery minnow

 Ground water investigations to protect 

spring flow to the Rio Grande

 Relocation of Desert Bighorn sheep

 Additional funding secured for:

 LIDAR imagery of Rio Grande/Río Bravo

 Invasive riparian plant control 

 Watershed conservation in Alamito Creek

Selected as an America’s Great Outdoors project in 2011!
BIG BEND - RIO BRAVO INITIATIVE ACTION PLAN

12 specific goals related to:

Rio Grande-Río Bravo watershed conservation: river, riparian, spring, and 

grassland habitats

Conservation of native species and control of exotic, invasive species

Targeted monitoring and research for conservation decisions/actions

Assessing and managing the effects of climate change on natural resources

Re-opening a local border crossing to facilitate transboundary conservation

Bi-national cooperative fire management

Engaging local communities and protected area visitors in conservation
BIG BEND - RIO BRAVO INITIATIVE

 Accomplishments

 Included in the CEC operational plan

 IBWC/CILA established a bi-national 

environmental flows committee

 30 river miles of exotic, invasive 

riparian plants treated on each side 

of the river over 10 years

 Continued geomorphic studies 

 Significant progress toward opening 

Boquillas crossing U.S. Ambassador to Mexico 

Anthony Wayne, SEMARNAT 

Secretary Elvira, and DOI 

Secretary Salazar help release 

300,000 silvery minnows in 

October 2011.
COMMISSION FOR ENVIRONMENTAL COOPERATION

 Big Bend-Río Bravo Collaboration for Transboundary Landscape 

Conservation

 Two years funding: $755,000

 Bi-national Working Group (Chairs: CONANP and NPS)

 Scientific information: relationships between sediment dynamics, invasive 

riparian vegetation management and ecosystem health

 Focused coordination and facilitation of bi-national forums for strategic 

conservation planning and program management 

 Bi-national Conservation Strategy

 Development of eco-tourism options for the Boquillas community
RIO GRANDE SILVERY MINNOW RE-ESTABLISHMENT

 RGSM was last documented in the Big Bend 

reach of the Rio Grande in 1960

 BOR funding ($100-200K/year)

 Since 2008, nearly 2 million silvery minnows 

released

 Initial success! 

 Quarterly monitoring 

 2010: successful breeding including eggs, 

larval fish, and juvenile fish

 2011: Expanded distribution – from 15 miles 

upstream of Grassy Banks to 70 miles 

downstream of Adams Ranch 

 Habitat mapping (USGS)

 Habitat improvement still needed

 Exotic vegetation management

 Environmental flows?

 5-year review: Structured Decision Making
RIO GRANDE/RIO BRAVO

 Add slide from Jeff

Johnson Ranch

1945

 Channel spans entire width of 

bedrock walls

 Alternating sand bars

 Active eddy

2008

 Floodplain surface inset within 

bedrock walls

 Steep, high banks completely 

colonized by tamarisk

 Eddy has filled with sediment 

and is colonized by giant cane

From Dean and Schmidt 2011

Sand Bars

Eddy
SEEKING SOLUTIONS

Regulated flows and invasive 

vegetation have led to channel 

sedimentation, loss of channel 

capacity, decreased diversity of 

aquatic habitat, degraded water 

quality and increased flooding 

frequency...

Possible solutions include:

(1) Managing exotic riparian 

vegetation to reduce armoring of 

the banks of the river;

(2) Environmental flows;

(3) *Grassland restoration to reduce 

erosion and the sediment supply. 

Flooding of the Rio Grande 

September 2008
EXOTIC VEGETATION MANAGEMENT (2003 – 2012)

 Objectives:

 Reduce riparian vegetation density

 Evaluate ecological and 

morphological effects 

 Increase biodiversity/improve habitat

 Increase recreational access

 Implementation:

 Binational saltcedar treatment project 

developed by CONANP 

 Labor provided by citizens of Boquillas

 Saltcedar treatments in upland 

springs

 Large scale giant cane treatment

 Establish saltcedar biocontrol

 Quantitative monitoring of projects

JS1
Slide 11

JS1 Use "saltcedar" instead of Tamarix

 J Sirotnak, 4/2/2010
UNDERSTANDING THE RIO GRANDE

 Rio Grande/Rio Bravo Geomorphology/Channel Change Studies

 Utah State University – 35 cross sections in 3 study reaches 

 Dave Dean’s Thesis, and publications by Dean and Schmidt

 National Park Service – Photo Points 

 NPS/Sul Ross State University – 4 study sites in Boquillas Canyon

 Aquatic Habitat/Communities

 TCEQ-NPS Aquatic invertebrates – Identification of samples needs 

funding

 Texas State University - Algae

 Riparian Vegetation /BioControl and management of invasive species.

 Reservoir Operations/Basin-wide analysis

 University of Texas - Physical Assessment Project
UNDERSTANDING & PROTECTING WATER QUALITY AND QUANTITY

 Surface Water (NPS, IBWC, TCEQ, USGS)

 Monitoring of flows and water quality in the Rio Grande

 IBWC’s Texas Clean Rivers Program for the Rio Grande Basin

 Water quality monitoring, assessment, and public outreach 

 Reconnaissance of Water Chemistry and Spring Flow to the 

Rio Grande (NPS, SRSU, USGS, IBWC, TCEQ)

 Identify recharge areas and flow paths for springs on the lower Rio 

Grande, the lower Pecos, and the lower Devil’s River.

 Future work:

 Determine connection to regional groundwater flow paths

 Define transboundary aquifer?

 Determine water quality trends with respect to changing 

channel conditions
BIG BEND–RIO BRAVO CONSERVATION STRATEGY

 CEC Working Group met this week 

 Bi-national, participatory, consensus-driven process

 Developed conservation targets and priorities 

 Developed a draft 5-year exotic species work plan

 Planned September meetings to engage a diverse group of binational partners and validate the preliminary strategy

Bi-natioanl

vegetation 

management 

crew
COLLABORATIVE ACTIVITIES, 2012 - 2013

 Develop a bi-national landscape conservation strategy

 Conduct a bi-national stream restoration course 

 Complete trans-boundary GIS database

 Develop and publish website for the partnership

 Continue geomorphologic studies

 Continue to support recovery of endangered species

 Continue to control exotic, invasive species

 Continue to engage local communities in conservation and 

sustainable economic development
BIG BEND-RIO BRAVO PARTNERS

 U.S. Agencies

 Mexico Federal Agencies

 State Agencies 

 Private Conservation Areas

 Universities

 Non-Governmental 

Organizations

Over 30 partners in Mexico and the U.S.
• Aimee Roberson

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

 Aimee_Roberson@fws.gov

• Jeff Bennett

Big Bend National Park

 Jeffery_Bennett@nps.gov

• Carlos Sifuentes

CONANP

 casifuentes@conanp.gob.mx
2003 – Riparian Vegetation Management begins (CONANP, NPS, WWF & IBWC)

2004 – Establishment of spring monitoring program 

2005 – Geomorphic studies begin (Utah State University & NPS) 

2008 – WWF organized a binational river symposium

– Began releases of Rio Grande silvery minnow

2009 – NPS WRD hosts Science Team to discuss environmental flows

– WWF organizes Science Team/CONAGUA meeting and 

field trip to the Rio Conchos to discuss environmental flows

2009/10 – FWS and Big Bend NP facilitate conversations and site visits with 

conservation partners about grassland restoration techniques 

2010 – Presidents Calderon and Obama discuss the importance of 

cooperative conservation in the Big Bend-Rio Bravo area

– Establishment of sediment monitoring program for the Rio Grande 

– Big Bend Conservation Cooperative MOU 

COOPERATIVE PROJECTS COOPERATIVE PROGRAMS
COOPERATIVE PROJECTS COOPERATIVE PROGRAMS

2010/2011 – Minister Elivra and Secretary Salazar meet to discuss 

binational conservation opportunities in the Big Bend-Rio Bravo region

2011 – Big Bend-Rio Bravo Initiative Action Plan Developed

– IBWC & CILA Commissioners visit Big Bend

– IBWC hosts binational meetings on environmental flows

– Commission for Environmental Cooperation funding

– Binational Conservation Celebration in Big Bend 

– BBCC/BBRBI partnership meeting s continue

2012 – BBCC/BBRBI meetings in Mexico and the U. S. to create a 

transboundary landscape conservation strategy for the Big Bend-Rio 

Bravo region

– Continued cane and tamarisk control

– Review and refinement of silvery minnow re-establishment program