Los Caminos del Rio welcomes applications for board of directors

Los Caminos del Rio, a conservation organization long devoted to promoting the history and culture of the Rio Grande, is welcoming applications for its board of directors.

Candidates "need to be passionate about the history and environment of the region, and they should be willing to work to give or get resources that will help build our mission," said Eric Ellman, executive director of Los Caminos.

One of the group’s main goals is to have Congress recognize the river lands stretching from Laredo to Brownsville as a National Heritage Corridor, and since the organization’s creation in 1999, members have worked to spur outdoor activities on the 200-mile long river route.

Its latest canoe and kayaking festival in Laredo graced the pages of the Wall Street Journal and was featured on National Public Radio.

"The river has been painted in all these negative colors," said Eddie Trevino, a former Brownsville mayor who now serves as president of the Los Caminos board of directors. "But the more positive activity that you have on the river, the less negative you will have on it. It also makes people appreciative of the natural resources we have here in our backyard that a lot of people do not even realize we have."

Currently the board has seven board members, including four who serve in officer positions, Ellman said. The organization is looking for applicants with a broad range of skills, such as in accounting, legal, administrative and fundraising.

Los Caminos, which is based in McAllen, will have a special meeting on Friday in Brownsville to review the organization’s current board members. The meeting will take place at noon at the Trevino-Bodden law office at 805 Media Luna, Building 300.

Anyone interested in becoming more involved with the organization is invited to attend the meeting and should call Ellman to RSVP at (956) 227-2372.