U.S. Department of State Border Environmental Tour Invites U.S. – Mexico Binational Center and UA SBRP

Placido DosSantos of the Arizona Department of Enviormental Quality (ADEQ) and the U.S. and Mexico Consulates invited the Co-Director of our US - Mexico Binational Center, Dr. Jim Field, to provide information regarding the mission and objectives of the Binational Center at their “Border Environmental Tour” hosted by the U.S. Department of State in Nogales, Mexico on March 24, 2006.  The audience consisted of Mexican professors and/or researchers from various disciplines such as Economics, Social Anthropology, Sociology, Urban Planning and Political Science, who were touring various border regions like Nogales and other places along the Mexico – Texas border.  Dr. Field gave an overview of the recently funded Binational Center and its integration with UA’s Superfund Basic Research Program.  The meeting focused on Arizona – Sonora border environmental Issues and existing collaborations between ADEQ and the Sonora's Commission for Ecology and Sustainable Development (CEDES). Mónica Ramírez, US SBRP Research Translation Coordinator and Denise Moreno, Binational Center Program Coordinator also attended the meeting and participated in a field tour of Nogales, Sonora with the Border Environmental Tour participants.

(from left to right) Angel Lopez Guzman, Director of Sonora Commission for Ecology and Sustainable Development, U.S. Consulate member and Placido DosSantos, Border Environmental Manager at the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality.