"Imagine a Colorado River, that again reaches the Sea and the People. A movement led by the People, to celebrate and restore our Rivers from their source to the sea, that reclaims our humanity by reconnecting ourselves with the wonder and promise of water and life."

El Laboratorio

 

The River Sisters Partnership is a proof of concept of El Laboratorio, the research and innovation arm of Americas for Conservation + the Arts (AFC+A). The partnership is a bold, new framework for freshwater restoration based on intercultural collaboration between cities and towns that share the same rivers. After four years of concerted efforts, on March 22, 2018, the mayors of San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora (Mexico) and Denver, Colorado (U.S.A), together with the governor of the Cocopah Tribe-Mexico and others signed a binational memorandum of understanding (MOU) to create the first River Sisters Partnership.

 

 

- Keynote speakers and leaders from the San Luis Rio Colorado and Denver delegations will provide an overview and updates on the River Sisters Partnership and its different projects.

 

- The Denver Sister Park project will be presented and discussed with community leaders and other stakeholders from the Elyria-Swansea and Globeville neighborhoods.

 

Masters of Ceremony:

Tariana Navas-Nieves, City of Denver

Blessing:

Robert Cross

 

City of Denver Welcome Remarks:

Councilman Albus Brooks

 

Opening Remarks:

Jorge Figueroa, AFC+A Chief of Innovation Officer, El Laboratorio Principal

Hermanas del Río/ River Sisters Overview

 

RIVER SISTERS/ HERMANAS DEL RÍO PANEL

 

Moderator:

Nita Gonzales, River Sisters Coordinator

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Panel Delegates and Council Members:

• Nancy Saldaña, Former President of the College of Sonoran Architects, Sonoran Urbanists Society, and River Sisters Council Member

• Yuliana Dimas, Program Manager Pro-Natura Noroeste, Mexican Coordinator of River Sisters Partnership

• Paul Cawood Hellmund, Instructor, CSU School of Global Environmental Sustainability; River Sisters Council Member and Principal of El Laboratorio

• Rick Sargent, Denver Artist, and Rives Sisters Council Member

• Jennifer Riley-Chetwynd, Denver Botanic Gardens Director of Social Responsibility and River Sisters Council Member

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THE DENVER RIVER SISTERS PARK VISIONING WORKSHOP DISCUSSION

Moderators:

Paul Cawood Hellmund, Instructor, CSU School of Global Environmental Sustainability; River Sisters Council Member and El Laboratorio Principal

Jorge Figueroa, AFC+A Chief Innovation Officer, El Laboratorio Principal

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CLOSING REMARKS & INVITATION TO ALEF VI SUMMIT “COMMUNITY RESILIENCE, FOOD SOVEREIGNTY & PUBLIC SPACES”

Irene Vilar, AFC+A Founder & Director

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