Border Institute VIII

May 22-24, 2006

[ Conference Registration Form :: Hotel Reservation Form :: Additional Information :: Papers :: Agenda :: Presenters :: Participants ]

What: Border Institute VIII (BI-VIII) “Cooperative Planning and Operation of Transboundary Watersheds,” presented by the Southwest Consortium for Environmental Research and Policy (SCERP), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, la Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales de México (SEMARNAT), the Border Trade Alliance, and the U.S.-Mexico Chamber of Commerce.

When: 12:00 PM Monday, May 22, 2006 through 1:30 PM Wednesday, May 24, 2006.

Where: The Esplendor Resort at Rio Rico, Arizona [map] is the meeting venue. A special conference room rate of $91 (plus tax) per night will also be available for the three days before and after the conference. Spouses and/or partners are welcome. Although participants will be busy with the work of the Institute, there will be evening social functions to which guests are invited. The Esplendor Resort at Rio Rico also has many excellent activities and facilities.

Why: The immediate objectives of BI-VIII are to:

  • Understand regional needs for transborder watershed management
  • Address some of the current and emerging point and non-point water pollution sources and effects
  • Derive mechanisms and incentives to implement a set of lessons-learned, policy recommendations, and best management practices based on U.S., Mexican, and other international examples
  • Reconcile differences across borders and jurisdictions so collaboration and cooperation can occur effectively and efficiently
  • Determine optimal, long-term, regional, transboundary, and collaborative solutions

How: BI-VIII will convene a diverse group of stakeholders from the border region, including: members and staff from federal, tribal, state, and local governments; border subject experts and business representatives; decision-makers, leaders, and planners from border communities; and others. Border Institute VIII will be limited to 120 participants to facilitate the active participation by all those present. Simultaneous interpretation services will be provided.  A tour of binational watersheds is planned.

History: The meeting is the eighth in an ongoing popular and successful series of think tank-style policy conferences:

  • BI-I identified economic and demographic trends and addressed the impacts of these trends on sustainability
  • BI-II integrated natural capitalism and green accounting in determining new financing mechanisms for environmental infrastructure for the border region
  • BI-III sparked an informed discussion about binational cooperation for secure and sustainable energy
  • BI-IV explored the steps necessary for development of an integrated binational water planning effort
  • BI-V developed binational indicators of environmental quality, human health, and program success
  • BI-VI highlighted the complexity and importance of preserving ecosystem services across the border
  • BI-VII identified optimal returns on investments from various air quality management strategies.

Abstracts of papers and executive summaries from these past Institutes, as well as a list of published Institute proceedings, are available on the SCERP website, www.scerp.org.  Additionally agendas and papers for this year’s Institute will be posted there for your edification prior to the meeting.

Additional Information: We request that all participants commit to attending the entire workshop. The outcome and success of the meetings will depend on the active participation and ideas of the attendees. To that end, several weeks before the meeting, participants will also be provided with a CD and/or website address that will offer background briefing materials. At BI-VIII, not only will each panel have adequate time allotted for discussion, but the final portion of the program will divide the participants into small working groups to develop specific ideas and recommendations.

The workshop registration fee, which includes meals and an afternoon tour of relevant border areas in southwestern Arizona, is only $175 per person.

Please let us know as soon as possible if you will attend BI-VIII. RSVPs and questions about meeting arrangements should be addressed to Ms. Gabriela Carrillo at telephone (619) 594–0856, fax (619) 594–0752, or e-mail gcarrillo@projects.sdsu.edu.  Questions about the content of the conference program should be addressed to Rick Van Schoik at telephone (619) 594–0568, fax (619) 594–0752, or e-mail scerp@mail.sdsu.edu.

Some travel and lodging support is available for Institute participants who do not have institutional support. Please contact me regarding this assistance.

We look forward to seeing you in Rio Rico.

Sincerely yours,

Rick Van Schoik

Managing Director, SCERP