As part of its 2009 “Big Event,” Student Government (SG) rallied students in an effort to make a change.
On Saturday, March 7, students brazed the heat with machetes in hand to cut down nearly a full acre of carrizo cane (arundo donax) on the bank of the Rio Grande next to Laredo Community College.
The reason? To mitigate the possible environmental damage that may be caused by impending efforts on the part of the Border Patrol.
The Laredo Border Patrol Sector wants to raze the cane, which it says obstructs their view of the river and provides possible cover for people attempting to enter the United States illegally. For nearly a year, the issue has played out in the Laredo community with the Border Patrol and city officials seemingly at odds with local environmentalists.
But that dichotomy does not exactly reflect the situation, according to Dr. Thomas C. Vaughan, TAMIU associate professor of biology, and an activist for the Rio Grande International Study Center.
“Our organization supports the Border Patrols effort to cut the cane,” said Vaughan. “We just disagree with their methodology.”
The Border Patrol decided last year to use helicopters to spray 16 miles of the riverbank with Imazapyr, an herbicide used on invasive grasses. Many environmentalists oppose using Imazapyr due to what they feel is a high probability the chemical will not only kill the cane but also harm wildlife.
It may also harm humans as there exists the potential for Imazapyr to run off into the water, said Rio Grande Study Center President Jay Johnson-Castro in the March 8 issue of the Laredo Morning Times.
Concerns over toxicity aside, the center actually wants the cane out as much as the Border Patrol but for different reasons.
“The cane is a non-native species,” said Vaughan, “and it soaks up a lot of water. We want the native vegetation in the area to get some of that water. As it is, water can be a scarcity here in South Texas.”When the decision to spray became official, Vaughan said the center decided it had to rely on local activists. If volunteers cut enough cane, it may send a message that people in the community are willing to do whatever it takes to avoid damaging the natural habitat.
That’s when SG got involved.
In the span of two weeks, the group spread the word, made posters, and recruited members of the university community for the effort.
“I was impressed with the amount of work they did,” Vaughan said, adding that prior to Saturday’s event, the effort relied on individuals. Up until now, this was the largest gathering of volunteers for this effort: nearly 80 workers overall, at least 50 of which were TAMIU students.
Several of Vaughan’s biology students also attended; although, they were conducting undergraduate research.
SG’s involvement came about when the organization mulled over what to do with The Big Event, according to Eliezar Castañeda, student body vice president. “We had been talking about “The Big Event” for a while, and then we heard about this,” he said.
“The Big Event” is the moniker used by universities in the A&M System to describe one day out of the year when students give back to the local community. The first “Big Event” was held at College Station in 1982, and the name has since become a rallying cry for service all over the system.
When TAMIU student Charlotte Jackson told SG about the issue concerning the cane, they decided this was just the project.
“We already knew we wanted to help the environment, so when we heard about this, it seemed like the perfect idea for our ‘Big Event,'” said Castañeda.
The effort marked the first “Big Event” in TAMIU history.
SG may need to pluralize the title, however, since they intend to do more to help Laredo’s environment. “We’re also organizing a cleanup of the pond by the University Village,” Castañeda said.
He added that they want to work on Zacate Creek, a stream of water which starts within Laredo’s city limits and runs 10 miles southwest until it empties into the Rio Grande.
The dates for both efforts are TBA. Vaughan, meanwhile, remains encouraged by the recent activism.
“This is a good start,” he said, adding that he hopes more students will get informed and get active in preserving their natural world.
If you’d like to volunteer in upcoming “Big Event” activities, contact volunteer coordinator Alfredo Jimenez by e-mail at ajimenez06@gmail.com. You can also call the office of Student Government: 326-2265. For anyone interesting in helping cut carrizo cane by the river, Dr. Vaughan can be reached at 326-2592 or by e-mail at tvaughan@tamiu.edu.