A U.S. conservation organization that works with communities to resolve natural resource issues is involved in a community-based project in Mexico to improve conditions along the Santa Cruz River.

In meetings conducted by the Sonoran Institute with citizens of the riverside towns of Santa Cruz and San Miguel Hidalgo, discussions have focused on how the river has changed during the last 30 or 40 years and how the changes have affected the lives of residents.

A range of problems were identified including picnickers coming from Nogales and overusing portions of the river, pesticide runoff from agricultural land, and livestock overgrazing the area damaging streambanks and affecting water quality, said Mark Briggs of the Sonoran Institute. Another concern is the railroad that runs along the Santa Cruz River on its route between Cananea and Nogales. Train accidents have occurred that spilled sulfuric acid into the river.

One of the project's strategy is to sponsor workshops to help deal with problems, said Briggs. For example, people were concerned about what to do in the event of a train wreck along the river. Whom do you call? What kind of help can you get? A workshop might be arranged to acquaint the communities with resources available in Mexico to handle chemical spills.

Other strategies also are planned. "I see us doing some hands-on, grass-roots efforts; from possibly a revegetation project along the river, to putting in fences to control cattle, to digging upland wells to keep cattle from riparian areas," said Briggs.

The emphasis of the project, which also involves agencies and organization from both sides of the border, is to tie the ecological health of the river to the economic vitality of the town. Whatever solutions are developed are to have economic benefits to the people or the town.

Along with community work, the project also is involved in long-term scientific monitoring of the Santa Cruz River and its riparian zone. This work is being done by the Departmento de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnologicas of the Universidad de Sonora. The information gathered will help measure the success of the project.

The work in Mexico is a logical extension of conservation work being done in southern Arizona's San Rafael Valley. This is the location of the headwaters of the Santa Cruz River. The river then dips into Mexico before turning north into Arizona.

This is the second year of a three-year project. "We hope to get more funding to continue the project and to include other towns," said Briggs. "Our long-term goal is to develop a river corridor protection team made up of people from towns all along the Santa Cruz River in Sonora."