Rgisc Inc.

“Rgisc solicits annually to the public to become members by contributing funds in different levels.”

“A draft of form 990 is presented to the board of directors for review prior to cpa's electronic submission of tax return.”

“Rgisc monitors and enforces compliance at least annually and when new officers, board members and key employees are added.”

“Compensation is reviewed by board of directors and any decision made is based on comparable pay in similar positions, demographics of region, and merit.”

“The executive director makes recommendations on compensation of other key employees. This is reviewed by board of directors and any decision made is based on comparable pay in similar positions, demographics of region, and merit.”

“Governing documents are available upon request.”

“The rgisc mission is to preserve and protect the rio grande-rio bravo, its watershed and environment, through awareness, advocacy, research, education, stewardship and bi-national collaboration for the benefit of present and future generations.”

“Teams by at least 20% based on previous year's participation; increase the number of middle and high schools from both laredo school districts by at least 30% based on last year's participation. Ddr 2014 - river cleanup and paso del indio nature trail work day: 1)goal - several hundred of volunteers are called by rgisc to clean up sections of the river and the paso del indio nature trail. The goal is to instill respect and "care" for our natural resources through hands-on activities in our community. 2)objective - recruit volunteers and promote the event; and measure the weight of garbage collected and disposed of as a baseline measure for future endeavors. 3)expected accomplishments - increase river sections cleaned by at least 20% compared with prior year; and have a baseline number on the weight of garbage/trash collected and disposed of during this event. Dia del rio - public kayak excursions & art exhibit at laredo center for the arts: 1)goal - reconnect laredoans with the river by providing kayak excursions in october. Also, many residents prefer to express their connection with the river via art, which is the reason behind organizing our annual river art exhibit. We partner with the laredo center for the arts for this dia del rio event. 2)objective - continue collaborating with the center for the arts and offering kayaking excursions on the river to promote river conservation programs and selected topics such as river's flora, fauna, endangered species, and other critical issues. 3)expected accomplishments - increase the level of public participation by at least 35% compared to prior year's level of participation in terms of river art submissions. Also get at least 20 people on the two public kayak excursions.”

“About local birds and how to use birding optics.”

“Advocated vigorously against aerial spraying of the herbicide imazapyr by the u.s. Border patrol on or near the river, where it represents a hazard to humans and river wildlife. Rgisc also brought attention to the near destruction of a critical inner city wetland at lake casa blanca by acquiring 13,000 signatures and holding countless meeting with city council members, and the u.s. Army corps of engineers. In january 2013, the city council eventually voted to sell all of this land for development with very little being preserved as a wetland feature.”

“General: river monitoring: measure and document water pressure of pollutants and pathogens in the rio grande river. For more than 20 years, rgisc has conducted monthly sampling of water at multiple points along the river and submitting the data to federal and state agencies. Plastic bag reduction campaign in june, rgisc successfully concluded a nearly 10 year campaign to get a plastic bag reduction ordinance passed in laredo. On june 2, 2014, the laredo city council voted 6-1 to pass the ordinance, set to take effect april 30, 2015. The goal is to reduce the use of nearly 120 million plastic bags each year in laredo. Rgisc continued its education awareness campaign by distributing thousands of loving laredo reusable bags at multiple events, and holding talks and discussions with multiple groups and at multiple schools. Nature education: in 2014, rgisc continued its regular loving laredo hikes, which are free saturday nature excursions for the public to explore nature trails and other green gems throughout laredo. Bioblitz in april, rgisc held the first ever bioblitz -- in which scientists and science hobbyists observed and counted species of flora and fauna in a 24- hour time period. We held bioblitz at the bend of the river known as lost lakes - located downstream of laredo community college before hitting the international bridges downtown. This area was home to former gravel pits, which have since become lovely lakes whose water table coincides with that of the nearby river. We hosted visitors (scientists, professors, undergraduate and graduate students) from central and south texas who studied the local fish population, as well as insects, birds, plants, trees, mammals and other animal species. Ecofest in april, we hosted the first ever ecofest, a festival aimed at drawing in a large segment of the laredo population to learn more about rgisc, and how to live a greener and more eco-friendly lifestyle. Nearly 1,200 people attended, many of whom were children. Workshops on plants, trees, composting, gardening, and water conservation were held. Also, festival goers were able to participate in kayaking, paddle boats, mini golf, and a variety of recycling and eco-friendly games. Adults could peruse eco- friendly products from vendors, and also learn how to live a more eco friendly lifestyle. Ecoambassadors launched in 2013, our eco ambassador youth outreach program is geared for high school students, and some college students. We train students about the river and pressing environmental issues affecting laredo. In summer 2014, we trained about 30 new eco ambassadors and focused on solar energy. The students helped us with a fundraiser that included a raffling of a photovoltaic solar system, valued at 20,000 with installation.”

“Unrealized gain on investments 34”