Co-founder of Rio Grande International Study Center passes away at 87

LAREDO, TX. (KGNS) - The Laredo community is mourning the loss of an environmental pillar who helped preserve the eco-system and inspired others to do the same.

The co-found of the Rio Grande International Study Center Dr. James Jim Earhart passed away at the age of 87 at his home in Hillsboro, Texas.

From the 90s to the early 2000s Dr. Earhart helped form some of the first major ordinances in Laredo aimed at protecting the wetlands, the river, and creating new trails in the city.

Tricia Cortez with Rio Grande International Study Center believes Laredo would be a different city without the work of Dr. Earhart.

“He was relentless in his work, he always thought very deeply about what needed to get done and the plan and he’s, he’s somebody that we must always remember, and it is our hope that the city will memorialize him and the tremendous work that he did in Laredo,” said Cortez.

The study center posted online that they are working closely with his family in planning a special tribute to Dr. Earhart by the river in the coming weeks.

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