Limitrophe Binational Restoration on the Lower Colorado River

Fred Phillips Consulting worked alongside Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area, Pronatura Noroeste, and many other stakeholders to develop the Limitrophe Binational Restoration Project. This project included the restoration of 1,000 acres of riparian and upland habitat along the U.S.-Mexico border, from the town of Hunter’s Hole in the United States to Colonia Miguel Aleman in Mexico. Our firm worked diligently over six years to achieve international stakeholder consensus, secure funding, and complete restoration design and implementation.

We helped achieve consensus amongst an extremely diverse group of stakeholders with varying interests, including U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Arizona Game and Fish Department, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, Yuma County Sheriff Department, Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area, International Boundary and Water Commission, Pronatura Noroeste, CONAQUA, private landowners, and other agencies. We assisted the Bureau of Reclamation in preparing the Environmental Assessment and Biological Assessment, and we completed a wetland delineation and obtained a successful Section 404 Permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. In April 2012, the firm completed vegetation planting of the 35-acre Phase I – Hunter’s Hole restoration and initiated baseline vegetation monitoring. This project, remarkable for its bi-national coordination to tackle border issues, was featured in the article “Shared Border: Success Stories in U.S.-Mexico Collaboration.”

Project Slide Show

Our firm was instrumental in securing over $2 million dollars for the planning, permitting, and construction for the Hunter’s Hole restoration site, which involved the restoration of 95 acres over three phases. This funding amount, made possible through the Bureau of Reclamation’s Multi-Species Conservation Program, supports fifty years of maintenance for Hunter’s Hole. This project has been used as a model for successful binational restoration throughout the Colorado River Delta.

Before and After

Additional information