CUENCA LOS OJOS

Builds trincheras, gabions, and earthen berms to slow water runoff, capture sediment, and promote revegetation in degraded arid landscapes. These structures have been implemented across multiple ranches in Sonora and Chihuahua, contributing to long-term soil stabilization and increased water infiltration.

Conducts ecological restoration across degraded lands, focusing on watersheds, ciénegas, and grasslands, to address climate change, flooding, and declining ecosystem services. This includes total rewilding, reintroducing extirpated animals, and protecting endemic species to enhance food web complexity.

Conducts ecological restoration across degraded lands, focusing on watersheds, ciénegas, and grasslands, to address issues like climate change, flooding, and declining ecosystem services. This includes total rewilding, reintroducing extirpated animals, and enhancing food web complexity.

Conducts large-scale ecological restoration across northern Mexico and the U.S.-Mexico border region, focusing on repairing degraded watersheds, ciénegas (desert wetlands), and grasslands through erosion control, reseeding, tree planting, and water infiltration enhancement. Activities include restoring flowing streams and wetlands, increasing riparian vegetation, and improving soil health across over 120,000 acres.

Employs staff dedicated to environmental education and conservation communication to share knowledge and promote their restoration efforts.

Acquires and protects land in northern Mexico, managing a 121,000-acre preserve and transferring ownership to a Mexican non-profit for permanent conservation under Mexican law, similar to a conservation easement.

Manages and protects large tracts of land, including a 121,000-acre preserve in northern Mexico and Rancho El Uno within the Janos Biosphere Reserve. This involves acquiring and transferring land ownership to ensure permanent conservation, such as designating areas as voluntary conservation areas under Mexican law and conveying lands into trusts.

Secures permanent protection of ecologically significant lands in Mexico by transferring ownership to Cuenca Los Ojos A.C., designating areas as voluntary conservation areas (ADVC), and placing lands into fideicomisos (trusts) that function like conservation easements. This includes over 120,000 acres of protected land, including the 121,000-acre preserve along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Manages large protected areas in Mexico, including Rancho El Uno within the Janos Biosphere Reserve and the Ojos Calientes ranch in Sonora, through direct stewardship, staff deployment (e.g., restoration technicians, stewards, maintenance managers), and active restoration.

Manages Rancho El Uno within the Janos Biosphere Reserve in Chihuahua, Mexico, and the Ojos Calientes ranch in Sonora, Mexico, employing staff for restoration, maintenance, and restorative grazing programs.

Implements regenerative ranching practices, including removing traditionally managed cattle to reduce land stress and reintroducing large herbivores (using cattle as a substitute for bison) to aid in soil recovery and ecological processes.

Implements regenerative ranching practices, including the use of cattle as a substitute for bison, to reintroduce large herbivores and reduce land stress, enabling soil recovery.

Implements regenerative ranching practices by managing cattle as ecological proxies for bison to restore grassland function, while also removing cattle from overgrazed areas to allow ecosystem recovery. Employs dedicated staff for restorative grazing programs and manages grazing to support soil health and biodiversity.

Implements various techniques to improve soil health and water retention, including constructing trincheras and gabions to stop erosion, aerating and reseeding soils, planting trees, and using water-slowing techniques to increase soil infiltration. These efforts lead to slowed water runoff, stabilized soil, improved groundwater, and more consistent stream flow.

Repairs wells to provide essential water sources for Mexican wildlife, particularly in areas where access to natural wetlands has been impacted by border infrastructure.

Implements techniques to improve water infiltration and soil health, such as constructing trincheras and gabions to slow water runoff and reverse erosion, aerating and reseeding soils, and planting trees and grasses to stabilize topsoil and boost nutrient cycles.

Repairs and maintains water sources such as wells to ensure wildlife access to water, particularly in areas where the U.S.-Mexico border wall has disrupted natural movement to wetlands, including in the San Bernardino Valley.

Restores habitat to support the return of native wildlife, including large carnivores such as jaguars, ocelots, and black bears, and revives ecological predation processes. Reintroduces extirpated species like white-tailed deer and protects endemic species to enhance food web complexity and biodiversity.

Through leadership in the Arizona Land & Water Trust from 1984 to 2011, preserved approximately 35,000 acres of land in southern Arizona.

Engages in environmental advocacy, including preserving approximately 35,000 acres in Southern Arizona through leadership roles, and provides capacity building by advising philanthropies and nonprofits, and founding conservation organizations.

Advocated for land preservation, notably as President of Arizona Land & Water Trust, contributing to the preservation of approximately 35,000 acres in Southern Arizona.

Conducts research indicating that restored waterways and grasslands significantly sequester carbon compared to degraded areas.

Conducts research and implements restoration practices that enhance carbon sequestration in restored waterways and grasslands, which sequester significantly more carbon than degraded areas.

Employs dedicated staff and a communication coordinator to lead environmental education and conservation outreach efforts, supporting public understanding of ecological restoration and land stewardship.

Advises philanthropies, non-profits, and triple-bottom-line companies, and has founded and led multiple conservation and sustainability organizations, including the Fondo Mexicano para la Conservacion de la Naturaleza.

Transitioned Cuenca Los Ojos from a family foundation to a public nonprofit in 2018, formalizing its U.S. structure to support ongoing restoration and land protection efforts in coordination with its Mexican counterpart.