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River Rally 2026 has ended
Welcome to River Rally 2026
Thursday May 14, 2026 1:00pm - 4:00pm CDT
From Big Bend to Brownsville, communities along the Rio Grande in Texas are confronting a rapidly escalating crisis as the Department of Homeland Security accelerates its plans to construct border wall and buoy barrier infrastructure along the Rio Grande, placing riverfront neighborhoods, public lands, critical infrastructure, and the river’s ecological integrity at immediate risk. This session is designed for a broad audience - advocates, frontline leaders, and technical professionals - and will explore how environmental risks, such as flooding, erosion, and infrastructure threats, directly intersect with environmental justice concerns, including the use of sweeping federal waivers that bypass foundational environmental laws. Participants will hear perspectives from scientists, frontline advocates, and riverfront landowners, gaining both technical insight alongside personal lived experiences from across the Texas border region to illustrate the magnitude of what is at stake. Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of how this issue is reshaping water advocacy and with concrete strategies to engage, organize, and actively push back against similar threats in their own communities.
Speakers
avatar for Tricia Cortez

Tricia Cortez

Executive Director, Rio Grande International Study Center
Care deeply about environmental justice here in South Texas.
River restoration, Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, revamping our regulatory framework to hold industry and polluters accountable, financially and otherwise.
Border Wall fighter.
Fighting climate issues at a local level is... Read More →
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Jessie Fuentes

Activist, Eagle Pass Border Coalition
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Elsa Hull

Riverfront Landowner, Riverfront Landowner
DM

Dr. Mark Tompkins

Principal Engineering Geomorphologist, FlowWest
I’m the executive director of IEI, a new non-profit dedicated to bringing the best available data technology to water management and teaching the next generation to use it. I’m also the founder of FlowWest, a unique consulting firm delivering engineering, science, planning, and... Read More →
Thursday May 14, 2026 1:00pm - 4:00pm CDT
Villa Westin Riverwalk Wan Antonio: 420 W Market St, San Antonio, TX 78205

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