Niños del Rio Bravo (Children of the Rio Grande) is modeled after SHUMLA's highly successful Pecos River Kids programs. The curriculum focuses on addressing identified needs in the areas of environment, education, and community. Sessions in the pilot project extended from April through June 2008, and served approximately 1,300 of 3,000 fifth-grade students enrolled in Acuña primary schools. In groups of 100, students traveled to Parque Braulio Fernandez Aguirre in Acuña to participate in one of 15 day-long programs. Students rotated through a series of educational stations, each one consisting of a 30- to 45-minute demonstration and/or hands-on presentation. Each station presents curriculum with art, music, and science interwoven with cultural and natural history. Experienced SHUMLA educational specialists led training sessions for 12 university students from Instituto Technologico Superior de Acuña who then team-taught with SHUMLA's faculty.

The second component of Niños del Rio Bravo is the development of a community children's garden, Nativo Jardín de Niños. This garden is designed specifically for use by the children of Acuña. SHUMLA staff worked with park managers and the community to designate and prepare a section of the Park for development of the Nativo Jardín de Niños. To encourage community stewardship and a sense of ownership, children planted native seeds in the garden during the Niños del Rio Bravo program. In a closing ceremony at the end of the day students were presented with a Niños del Rio Bravo certificate and planted a native shrub that serves as part of the garden border. SHUMLA believes that this builds a sense of community pride not only for the children that participate in the creation of the garden but the community as a whole.

Future programs will be provided to remaining students as funding becomes available. If additional funding is obtained, over the course of three years SHUMLA will work with the community to forge lasting partnerships between civic groups, businesses, foundations and schools so that Niños del Rio Bravo becomes a sustainable, on-going educational program for the children of Acuña provided by the citizens of Acuña. The ultimate goal of this program is to change behavior, attitudes and actions. Affecting positive change in student learning, community involvement, environmental awareness, and personal commitment will require persistence and dedication by all those involved both for short- and long-term success.