BEGINNING RESEARCH

In summer of 2020 as the world came to a halt in the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, a small group of artists and a civil engineer decided to come together under their shared belief that the arts have an important role to play in restoring our relationship to water and in diversifying our conversations around water access and availability. Identifying the Rio Bosque Wetlands Park as a site where our shared concerns tangibly met, the first seeds for ETB were planted.

Getting to know the Rio Bosque Wetlands Park

For the first year of our collaboration, we each individually spent significant time at the park, developing our own relationships and research questions about this place and starting to conceive the idea of a long term project. Learning about the importance of the river and the wetlands to our valley has been incredibly important for the development of our programming. We invite you to learn more about the park below. 

About the Rio Bosque Wetlands Park

Historically, the wetlands and native forests of the river valley were the most productive wildlife habitats in the El Paso- Ciudad Juárez region. Today, they are virtually gone. The staff at Rio Bosque are working to restore examples of these rich habitats for the wildlife that depends on them and for public enjoyment. The main source of water for Rio Bosque is the adjacent Roberto Bustamante Wastewater Treatment Plant. Water from the plant flows through the 372-acre park in a winding channel that follows the route the Rio Grande once followed before it was straightened and confined within levees in the 1930s.  

Rio Bosque Wetlands Park is a long-term project, but it has come a long way since construction of the wetland complex in 1997. Today, visitors who walk the Park’s trail system see a landscape that has changed dramatically over the past 25 years. In many areas, you will be taking a walk back in time and experiencing the river valley as it once was.

You can learn more about the park HERE.

Establishing the Somos Agua/We Are Water collective.

Somos Agua is an interdisciplinary artist-led collective engaging with water scarcity in our binational Chihuahuan desert region. Co-founded by UTEP faculty Sandra Paola López Ramírez (interdisciplinary arts), Chris Reyman (music), and Melissa Melpignano (dance), the group brings together a group of scientists and artists that acknowledge the importance of artistic leadership in environmental issues.