I met briefly with City Manager Larry Dovalina to ask him a few questions about the environment. He answered them thoughtfully
María Eugenia Guerra

How will you save this river?
Dovalina: In order to be able to be effective doing anything with the river, the community needs to be involved in the same process and going in the same direction, and that direction is trying to restore the ecological balance on the riverfront. It's a matter of all of us following the same course to push back development from the riverbanks and recognizing its value as a quality of life amenity for the whole community.
You've got to build support from within the community and all along the way engage everyone from school children to the development community. Everyone has to understand the value of protecting the river. From a developer's perspective, we are not trying to eliminate their use of their land, but you want them to buy into the idea that environmental land use can be an amenity for their development. Every bit of a tract doesn't have to be developed; part or parts can be left in a natural state to make it an attractive amenity for the whole development.
There's an excellent example in the small lake at Indian Sunset that was donated by the Muller Family. It's about a 25-acre lake. We are working to determine which portion is a wetland, which we want to protect, and which portion can be developed for recreational enhancement. Both of those things can be done.
When people think of what a city can do with a river resource, they speak of economic development along the waterway, such as the development of the San Antonio Riverwalk. I understand you have a broader, more environmentally friendly perspective.
Dovalina: Certain areas along the river are already highly developed, such as the sites of the international bridges. The undeveloped areas adjacent to them are the ones we want to protect. The real task is trying to acquire the land to make a contiguous tract of green space. Those areas will thrive or prosper by leaving the land largely intact and in ensuring that only recreational development occurs.
We've started out with hiking trails and certainly a logical extension of that would be biking trails. There are areas we intend to develop for birding. One is by the Dye property adjacent to Laredo Community College. Another is on Zacate Creek as it meets the riverbank. And another is a larger tract on the river immediately adjacent to Chacon Creek.
We are actively pursuing an additional tract immediately adjacent to Zacate Creek, property owned by the Texas Mexican Railroad interests. We know there is a great deal of trash that has been dumped in the area over decades and that part of the site will have to undergo remediation of some kind. What we have in mind is to include natural trails that will connect back to the original hiking trail we started at Las Palmas.
What was the significance of the Las Palmas clean-up on el Día del Río?
Dovalina: I think it was an eye-opener for the whole community as many Laredoans came to the initial realization that the riverbanks were beautiful and worth preserving. The number of volunteers was astounding. As the day went on, it became clear to so many that the area had enormous potential and should be cleaned of debris and saved as a recreational resource.
Where does the responsibility rest for the terrible mistake that was made clearing too much of the palm grove?
Dovalina: It rests with me. It always does. When you give an employee a task and the communication is not there to let him or her know that there is a re-direction for land clearing, the employee follows the trend of past practices -- you see brush, you clear cut. I take responsibility for that employee not knowing that on the riverbanks we will work another way.
Where do environmentalists fit into the work of the City of Laredo?
Dovalina: We are well aware that many of the local champions of the river and the environment are resources who can become part of City policy and practices. I've asked staff to bring those individuals and their input into our projects. They can provide invaluable information.
What took us this long as a city to move forward with environmental issues? What was our hesitation?
Dovalina: The environment was always on the agenda, but it just wasn't near the top of the list. Unpaved streets and other pressing issues have taken precedence over the years. Now that we are a little bit caught up, we can begin paying attention to the things that affect the quality of life in our city.