The Tijuana River Watershed straddles the U.S.-Mexico border and houses more than 1.5 million people as well as many animal and plant species valued for their ecological characteristics and endemic to the sensitive habitats found in the immediate surrounding areas. At the northwestern end lies the Tijuana River Estuarine Reserve in Imperial Beach, CA, the last functioning estuary in southern California, and whose increasing number of endangered plants and animals are constantly threatened by the quality of the effluent and discharge of runoff and waste water flowing in from upstream. Only 8 miles off the Pacific Ocean shore portion of the watershed, stand the Coronados Islands, which despite being considered part of the Pacific Isles and listed as a conservation area, lack a conservation declaration and management plan of their own.
Margarita Díaz leads Tijuana Waterkeeper and its parent organization Proyecto Fronterizo de Educación Ambiental (PFEA, it Spanish acronym; Cross-Border Environmental Education Project in English). When she started working for PFEA in 1993, Margarita –an architect by training-- helped design, plan, and manage PFEA’s projects. In 2007 she was appointed to serve as Executive Director. Her lifelong love of the ocean and beach continually inspire her along her chosen path - promoting actions that decrease the human footprint in and around Tijuana’s coastal environment. For her work recognizing the indivisibleness of the U.S. and Mexico’s natural ecosystems and educating –along with partners—1,500 students, she has received various awards. She attributes her success to knowledge and skills she picked up along the way while developed cross-issue projects addressing sustainable housing, renewable energy, and pollution prevention.
Volcan #632 Secc. Monumental Playas de Tijuana
Tijuana, Baja California C.P. 22504