November 30, 2007, Cont. from front page

On Friday, November 23, the Ecology Department presented the program in the esplanade of the former Presidencia building.

Mayor Jesús Correa, the Ecology State Attorney Miguel Ángel Torrijos, Francisco Javier Camarena, the state delegate of SEMARNAT (Secretary of the Environment and Natural Resources and representatives of the organizations involved were in attendance. The six-foot high folding screens with aerial photographs and detailed artists renderings of the elements of the project remained outside just that day. They can be viewed at the Municipal Tourism office.

Torrijos said that San Miguel de Allende is “green and sustainable” and that its work to preserve its natural resources is as evident as its cultural heritage. He invited sanmiguelenses to join in the effort to avoid overexploitation of natural resources.

Javier Camarena, the SEMARNAT (Federal Department of Environment and Natural Resources) delegate in Guanajuato, recognized the work of the municipality, and especially of Don Patterson.

Mayor Correa announced that 2.1 million pesos have been invested in research for these ecological projects. He thanked all the institutions that have collaborated with the government to set up the projects. “We have the obligation to take care of our home, San Miguel de Allende,” he said. “As we do in our own homes, we have to put garbage in its place and use water responsibly. The growth and development of San Miguel must be totally ordered, totally sustainable and totally green.”

Arturo Morales, from Fluviales de Vida, a civic association whose mission is to raise awareness of and care for the natural and cultural environment, said that the idea, besides creating a bio-hydrological project, is to create a tourist and cultural corridor, since the Laja basin is a culturally rich area, home to more than 90 percent of the Otomí communities in the state, many of them in San Miguel.

“This project is already a reality,” said Patterson. “The different organizations and groups involved have signed a letter of agreement and will implement their projects in the different ecological areas in the municipality during the next year.”

The Cachinches Brook is the main water source traversing the city, originating at Presa del Obraje. If it were well managed, it would improve the urban environment, rather than serving as a garbage dump.

Although it has already been cleaned up once, the pollution persists, and infection from the polluted water is a problem in neighborhoods along its banks. Under the management of Biopolis, the brook will be rejuvenated and a recreational green area will be created.

Bordo San Carlos at Parque Clouthier

Bordo San Carlos is located on the outskirts of San Miguel along the road to Querétaro, near the road to Rodríguez. It is a small pond fed by streams that flow down from Los Picachos during the rainy season. Its water level depends on the amount of rain; sometimes it is completely dry, but in heavy rains it floods the Palmita de Landeta neighborhood.

The water in the pond is polluted with garbage and sewage from the neighborhood; it smells foul and is a source of disease. Parque Clouthier, where the pond is located, has very poor vegetation, mostly composed of introduced species. It lacks shady areas and does not attract many people.

The project proposed by Biopolis includes cleaning the pond and creating green spaces and recreational areas for sports and other activities. Native plant species will be introduced and an art center will be built.

The nearby Parque Landeta, also on the outskirts along the road to Querétaro, suffers from problems similar to those of Parque Clouthier. Stripped of native flora and overrun by foreign species, the landscape of the park has also been damaged by heavy car and motorcycle traffic.

Biopolis’s proposal includes restructuring Parque Landeta to convert it into an ecological preserve and public recreation area.

Los Picachos

Another important ecological area outside the city is Los Picachos, a series of hills along the road to Querétaro. “There is a great variety of flora and fauna species in the Picachos, many of them under danger of extinction, and others need appropriate management,” said Dr. Enrique A. Cantoral of UNAM. Species such as oaks are a potential wood source, but only if their harvest is strictly managed.

UNAM and UAQ staff have been working on sustainable development projects for the Picachos microbasin, including programs to collect rainwater and preserve flora and fauna. Organic farming and raising rabbits for food are programs that will be introduced to help local residents, especially women whose husbands have gone to the US. Cantoral plans to implement these projects during 2008.

San Marcos and Laja Rivers

The San Marcos River, a tributary of the Laja, runs through the municipality of San Miguel de Allende. From the rural community of San Damián to its outlet in the Laja, the river has an area of 3,700 square kilometers.

There are 19 rural communities along the river, and their inhabitants depend in large part on the river’s resources: water, gravel, sand and stone. Population growth and poverty have led to overexploitation of these resources. This, along with deforestation and inappropriate agricultural and livestock practices, have led to erosion and the accumulation of mud in Presa Allende, decreasing water quantity and quality.

Organizations such as Cuerpos de Conservación de Guanajuato, Save the Laja, and Fluviales de Vida, along with the Ecology Department, have worked together on a project to save the Laja and San Marcos rivers.

Other municipalities, such as San Felipe, San Diego de la Unión and Dolores Hidalgo, through which the Laja runs, have also participated in this project, which includes programs for natural resource management, rural community development, environmental education, cultural and historical preservation, fire prevention, sound use of resources and forest management (see Atención, October 12).

Rainwater collection

In the rural community of Agustín González the water contains high levels of fluoride, which discolors children’s teeth. The Ecology Department has installed a rainwater collection and water purification system in the community school that allows children to have purified drinking water most of the year (see Atención, July 6).

Payment for hydrological services

The soil and vegetation in the river basins favor water collection and purification and determine the quality and quantity of San Miguel’s water supply. Following on research conducted by Ciencias del Ecosistema and Save the Laja, the Ecology Department has proposed a plan whereby consumers of water would pay a fee to cover management of the river basins and offset the loss of revenue by farmers along the waterways.