In face of City third-party funding cuts, RGISC, Laredo's premier environmental organization, actively seeks support

 

The Río Grande International Study (RGISC) has worked for the past decade to improve the environmental quality of life in Laredo . Now, more than ever, the organization needs your help.

RGISC has been able to accomplish its environmental work because of the tremendous effort of volunteers, the annual dues from its members, office space provided by Laredo Community College, and the annual third party funding from the City of Laredo. With this support RGISC has been able, on a very limited budget, to set and help achieve goals that are making Laredo and the Río Grande Watershed a better place in which to live.

Now, because of budgetary constraints, the City of Laredo will not be funding RGISC for the coming year. Although volunteers do the primary work in accomplishing the RGISC mission, funds are still required to maintain an office for efficient record keeping and coordination of volunteer activities. Therefore, it is necessary to replace what has been lost in city funding. If you are not a RGISC member we ask that you join the organization and help provide the financial support required for the continued improvement of our environment. A small annual individual membership fee, given by large numbers of members, will make it possible for RGISC to continue its service to our community.

Many of you are familiar with the work of RGISC in promoting the Green Space Preservation Ordinance passed by the Laredo City Council last May. RGISC has been involved in numerous other environmental activities that have not been as well publicized as the green space ordinance.

RGISC worked with Laredo Community College in obtaining funding for and in developing the Lamar Bruni Vergara Environmental Science Center . RGISC continues to work with the Science Center in providing environmental education for thousands of students from pre-kindergarten through graduate school. Citizens visit the Science Center to enjoy the serene beauty of a window to life along the Río Grande .

RGISC's cooperation with the Science Center includes work on Laredo 's first nature trail -- the Paso Del Indio. This trail was initiated by RGISC on the LCC Campus in 1995. In 1997 the South Texas Workforce Development Board provided a supervisor and workers to greatly expand the trail. The Paso Del Indio is the forerunner of a riverside trail system being developed by the City of Laredo . RGISC continues to work with the City in developing the Justo Penn/Las Palmas and Quest Trails.

RGISC maintains a website, www.rgisc.org, containing information about water quality, nature trails, RGISC board members, upcoming activities, and other useful information. River data obtained by the RGISC Volunteer Monitoring Team each month is published on the RGISC website. Two graduate students at the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth have used these data. Erin Tompkins has just completed a master's thesis and Ann Harris is currently using these data toward a master's thesis. Classes at LCC have also used these data.

Meg Guerra, past RGISC director, served as chair of the Citizens Advisory Committee for developing Laredo's Hazardous Materials Ordinance. From the deliberations of that committee came the idea for a city department to enforce environmental ordinances. Today the Environmental Services Department, through environmental enforcement, is making Laredo a better place to live.

RGISC works with the UTHSC-SA-South Texas Environmental Education Research (STEER) group in providing education on border environmental affairs to health professionals, including public health workers, physicians, and students working toward degrees in public health and medicine.

RGISC speakers provide environmental education to schools, churches, service clubs, and other organizations throughout the community.

These examples give you an idea of the work that RGISC has done and is currently doing. We hope that you will join with us in making Laredo a better place for our children and grandchildren.

A membership application is enclosed below for your convenience. Please join us today.

 

RGISC Board of Directors

Mr. Luis Zapata

Dr. Sonia Rodriguez

Mr. Rogelio Rodriguez

Dr. Rolando Guerra

Mr. Danny Gunn

Mrs. Pamela Vaughan

Dr. Thomas Vaughan

Dr. Jim Earhart

Dr. Jacinto Juarez

Mr. Gerry Pinzon