Monarch butterflies flit high above the border every year, millions of migrating raptors soar across the United States into Mexico, while gray whales spout off the shores of both California, in the United States, and Baja California, in Mexico. The United States and Mexico share a deep concern for natural resources, a profound commitment to scientific cooperation, and a common interest in working together.

We monitor sewage that flows into our common waters, and we check for air pollution that shifts from one side of the border to the other. Complex water treaties require the constant attention of a binational organization that works along the border.

We help U.S. scientists get required Mexican permits so they can work with Mexican scientists and government authorities to develop capabilities directed to prevent extinction of the “vaquita” marine mammal, to recover the Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle (at one point the most endangered sea turtle) or to conduct research to study the impact of air pollution in border cities. In every case, the data and experience from these efforts, and many, many other research projects, are shared by both countries.