Tu Salud ¡Si Cuenta!: In the natural gym of Rio Bravo

The colorful “eco-bus” pulls up to the park — curious kids surround it. Families are digging together in a vegetable garden nearby while others clear a nature trail. Elderly folks do yoga in the fresh air. Children learn how to fix their bicycles from an enthusiastic college student. This is no traditional classroom. Neither is it an expensive commercial gym. Yet people are getting fit and healthy — kids are learning — perhaps more than they do on any given day of school. Generations are working together toward positive change and appreciation for the natural beauty of this community we call home.
Who is responsible for this healthy scene? The Rio Bravo Wildlife Institute — known simply as “Rio Bravo.” I caught up with Joe Boswell, outreach director for the group, and he filled me in on the growing momentum for building a sustainable community.
“Rio Bravo is all about supporting anything that empowers local communities and gets kids and families outside, living healthier lives, respecting and learning about nature.”
According to the organization’s website, www.rbwi.org, the mission is to “provide unique learning experiences focused on inspiring a healthy and sustainable balance that connects people to the natural world and empowers them to positively impact their local environment.”
Some of Rio Bravo’s initiatives include community gardens at Lincoln Park, nature trails and educational tours, the “eco bus,” and programs focused on kids and students yet incorporating and inviting an intergenerational approach.
Boswell continues, “Our non-profit organization has been in the Valley for three years. We initially received funding from the National Birding Association to start a conservation group in the Valley, focused more on ocelot habitat. But when we started working with folks here we realized there was a greater opportunity to focus more broadly on health, local foods, energy consumption and sustainability, so we transitioned to a grassroots organization and incorporated as a non-profit for this purpose.
“The potential in Brownsville and the Valley is so great. We have found wonderful partners like the City of Brownsville Parks and Recreation Department. Our Executive Director, Carol Sebastian, and the whole Rio Bravo team is committed to ‘outside the box’ thinking that will inspire and empower locally sustainable change.”
How did Boswell, an Atlanta native, end up in his current role with Rio Bravo? “I’ve been an outdoorsman since I was a boy, a baby really. I’ve always loved nature. After high school and some college, I realized I wanted to do something worthwhile for the community but be outside. I cycled around the country for awhile and then a friend called me about this opportunity. This job is a dream come true!”
When I asked Boswell to describe one of the most fulfilling moments of his work here, he promptly answered, “The Healthy Kids Cook-off we sponsored. Seeing little kid chefs in their hats preparing healthy meals, taking pride in it and talking about where the food came from (farmers market, their own garden, etc.) and then getting to show it to the prominent chefs and community leaders — it was inspiring to witness their knowledge and pride!”
What does Rio Bravo look forward to in the future? “We are so excited about partnering with Brownsville’s Biggest Loser Challenge this year. We feel like we have a unique angle on enjoying your food; knowing where it comes from; growing it; being outside in ‘nature’s gym’. We want to make that connection for folks. It’s not about dieting or ‘working out’, rather the key is living a balanced, sustainable lifestyle.”
Other initiatives include a new bicycle co-op, the first of its kind in Brownsville, spearheaded by the volunteer Brownsville Bike Brigade. This co-op will encourage community members to build, repair, and ride bicycles. Rio Bravo is also planning to get folks out on kayaks and support any creative, innovative, progressive opportunities to promote healthy living.
And that colorful eco bus, I learned, was a salvaged, retired “Katrina” bus from New Orleans, purchased for almost nothing. Local muralist Marcus Blackwell came to the organization and said, “I like what you’re doing, I want to paint the bus.” The interior features exhibits on alternative fuels, recycling, gardens and sustainability. Last summer they took the bus on the road to visit other communities in Texas and learn about their gardens, farmers markets, local food movements, outdoor education efforts, and the bus even made a stop to volunteer in Bastrop after the fires had ravaged the area. So while Rio Bravo is a local organization, they are connected with other similar movements and communities throughout the state and nation.
You can keep up with Rio Bravo on Facebook, at their website, or better yet, come out to Lincoln Park on a Saturday morning, bring your kids and learn about nature. Work out in the “nature’s gym” because Tu Salud ¡Si Cuenta! (Your Health Matters!)