Both starting and ending in the United States, the Arroyo Alamar (Alamar River) is an example of a U.S-Mexico shared ecosystem. The river is born east of San Diego in Campo, as a network of creeks and springs that join the Tecate Creek south of the border, and travels west through Tijuana and the community of Chilpancingo, it crosses back north and makes its way to the Tijuana River Estuary in Imperial Beach, and into the ocean.

Most of the river in Tijuana has been destroyed and covered by concrete. The Arroyo Alamar is the only stretch of the river where the natural habitat remains and where ducks, owls, raccoons, cranes, woodpeckers and crawfish can be found. The Arroyo Alamar helps clean the air and is one of the few open green spaces left in Tijuana where residents can enjoy nature and wildlife.

EHC is working to preserve this threatened pocket of natural habitat by hosting tours into the river to educate youth, through the recently launched “Cuaderno de Actividades del Guardián del Alamar” (Guardian of the Alamar Activities Booklet), and by working with Mexican authorities to have the Arroyo Alamar be declared a natural protected area.

To learn more about the Arroyo Alamar, please click here, and to learn more about EHC’s binational work, please click here, or contact Anibal Mendez at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..