Along The Rio Grande Torrent
Libby Cowen
The Arroyo Grande Police Department's Ride-Along Program offers members of the community an opportunity to observe police work first hand by accompanying an officer as an observer during a regular patrol shift. The program affords the observer an opportunity to tour the Arroyo Grande Police facility and spend approximately four hours riding with an officer while he/she patrols the city. This experience leads to a better understanding of law enforcement in general and graphically demonstrates what it is like to work as a police officer in Arroyo Grande. The program also fosters better police / community relations by removing the barriers that sometimes exist between police officers and members of the community. The ride-along allows police officers and community members to exchange questions and ideas on an individual and more personal basis. The time they share in the patrol car can be a learning experience for both.
Before applying to take part in the Ride-Along Program there are some things you need to know. First, you must understand that police work is inherently dangerous and although we take every reasonable precaution to minimize the danger, there remains some risk to your personal safety. Prior to participating in the Ride-Along Program you must sign a Waiver releasing the City of Arroyo Grande, the Arroyo Grande Police Department, and employees of the Police Department from any liability should you be injured during the ride-along.
Applicants for the Ride-Along Program must also undergo a criminal history check. On occasion, persons with substantial criminal backgrounds have attempted to participate in the program. For obvious reasons, this is unacceptable. A criminal record is not automatically disqualifying. The ride-along coordinator will review each case individually.
All Ride-Along applicants shall complete and sign the Ride-Along Application Form. Ride-alongs will not be scheduled until the application form is submitted and the criminal record check completed. Applicants under the age of 18 years require written parental permission. The minimum age to participate in the Ride-Along Program is 16 years.
Completed forms undergo a review process, including a criminal history check of the applicant. A member of the Police Department will contact you to confirm your ride-along date and time. The Arroyo Grande Police Department reserves the right to refuse this opportunity to any individual.
Ride-alongs are expected to arrive at the Police Department at the scheduled time and will be returned to the station at the conclusion of the shift. Exceptions will be made if the ride-along desires to be returned to the station prior to the end of the shift. If you wish to start your ride-along at some time other than at the beginning of the shift, or are unable to arrive at your scheduled time, you must notify the watch commander at 805-473-5100 as soon as possible.
Aims: Cervical cancer incidence and mortality rates are approximately 55% higher in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) along the Texas-Mexico border compared with the average rates in the US. Our aim was to improve cervical cancer prevention efforts in the RGV through a comprehensive multilevel intervention initiative focused on community education, patient navigation, and training of local providers.
As one of nine Border Patrol Sectors located along the United States southwest border, the Rio Grande Valley Sector serves to protect its citizens from terrorists and terrorist weapons illegally entering the United States by securing our borders with the right mixture of proven technology, enhanced infrastructure, and personnel. The Sector has six stations located on the border, two stations that staff strategically placed traffic checkpoints and one coastal station responsible for backup of the checkpoints and marine operations in the Gulf of Mexico. The Rio Grande Valley Sector operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and is committed to protecting our Nation's borders.
The lighthouse pictured on the front is located in Port Isabel, Texas, along the Gulf Coast. This local landmark is featured on the coin as it highlights our responsibility to secure our coastal border. RGV Sector is unique in that it is responsible for 316 river miles along the Rio Grande and 317 miles of coast along the Gulf of Mexico. No other sector has a river as the international boundary and a coastal responsibility as well. The lighthouse is also symbolic of the vigilance with which RGV Sector agents watch over and protect this great Nation. As a lighthouse stands as a beacon to safely guide ships at night, RGV Sector agents stand as beacons of our Nation's security and freedom.
Jessie Fuentes, the owner of Epi's Canoe and Kayaking, worked with the local government to gain temporary access to the river for our four-hour excursion. A small group was allowed to tag along with the Eagle Pass native as he ventured to the infamous red-buoy barrier.
Fuentes has worked years to build up a business that focuses on showing the beauty of his community, which has come to a halt the last couple of months due to the increased law enforcement presence along the Rio Grande from Operation Lone Star.
The Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1979 with a management priority to protect biodiversity. As a wildlife corridor, the refuge follows the Rio Grande along the last 275 river miles. It connects isolated tracts of land managed by private landowners, non-profit organizations, the State of Texas, and two other National Wildlife Refuges: Laguna Atascosa and Santa Ana.
The Paseo del Bosque trail is approximately 16 miles in length from Alameda Blvd. to Rio Bravo Blvd. and runs along the east side of the river. Low-impact recreation such as hiking, bicycling, mountain biking, in-line skating, boating (see access points at the bottom of this page), and horseback riding are allowed on the Paseo del Bosque trail paved trail or the natural surface trail beneath the cottonwood trees.
A two-mile loop trail guides visitors under the cottonwood canopy to sandy point bars along the Rio Grande. To the north of the Nature Center visitors can observe wildlife enjoying the Candelaria Farm Wetland Preserve. The Wetland is part of an ongoing effort to restore lost habitat in the Rio Grande floodplain.
A fully accessible loop trail winds under a shady canopy of cottonwoods. There are a number of large picnic tables located along the trail and near the parking area. The trail provides excellent views of the river and migratory wildlife such as ducks, geese, and Sandhill cranes. The fully accessible trail connects to longer walking trails through the bosque.
Eight interpretive signs about the life of Aldo Leopold, who helped protect the Rio Grande Valley State Park are located along the trail. Bald Eagles frequent the area during their winter migratory season.
Migrants trying to enter the U.S. from Mexico approach the site where workers are assembling large buoys to be used as a border barrier along the banks of the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass, Texas, Tuesday, July 11, 2023. The floating barrier is being deployed in an effort to block migrants from entering Texas from Mexico. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
The TSSWCB must develop a program that establishes long-term management of invasive carrizo cane at a landscape scale along the entire Rio Grande, an international border with great ecological and cultural significance. Comprehensively addressing the impacts of arundo on border security are paramount to the program, while also accruing benefits to the ecosystem health of the Rio Grande and water user groups in south Texas.
Due to the diversity of biological, legal, and cultural issues associated with control of carrizo cane along the 1,255-mile Rio Grande international border, the TSSWCB envisions an ecosystem-based approach that integrates the use of biological, chemical, mechanical, and cultural controls, as appropriate, to manage carrizo cane along the Rio Grande. Such an approach should promote the re-establishment of beneficial native plants, and will necessitate a long-term maintenance program to ensure control is successful. Close coordination will be necessary with many local, state, and federal governmental agencies. Participation in the program will be voluntary for landowners.
In 2007, the TSSWCB worked with conservation partners to demonstrate the effectiveness of aerial herbicide application to control carrizo cane for border security purposes. Conducted just outside of Laredo, approximately 120 acres of cane was sprayed on private land along the Rio Grande. The Webb SWCD #337 was critical to the success of this demonstration project.
Because of the geological formations, groundwater along the Rio Grande tends toward saltiness. This presents a problem for both municipal and agricultural water users in the region. El Paso pulls 50% of its drinking water from groundwater, and pecan producers who can afford it drill wells hundreds of feet deep, but the aquifers get saltier as they get deeper.
If enough freshwater comes into the soil regularly, such as from rain, salt is leached out of the soil, said Genhua Niu, Ph.D., professor of urban agriculture at the Texas A&M AgriLife Center at Dallas. But along the Rio Grande, rain can be hard to come by.
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