The estate of Sulo and Aileen Maki has left in excess of $20 million to establish an endowment at DRI, which will be designated for water resources programs in southern Nevada.

This gift will propel one of the nation's largest academic research units, DRI's hydrologic sciences and water resources program, into a position of global leadership. Through the years, Sulo and Aileen have been DRI's most generous benefactors and I think it's fair to say, they were the leading advocates for establishing and supporting a DRI campus in Las Vegas.

The Sulo and Aileen Maki Endowment will be presented to the Board of Regents when it meets at College of Southern Nevada, Feb. 7-8.

DRI's southern Nevada origins began in facilities owned by Sulo and Aileen Maki, who have made substantial cash and property donations to the institute during the past four decades. In 2001, Aileen and her late husband were honored with the DRI President's Medal.

Water is such a precious resource in Nevada and this gift will allow DRI to greatly expand its programs and expertise. We are especially grateful to Sulo and Aileen for believing in DRI's mission and generously investing in its future.

Aileen Maki died in August 2007 and was preceded in death by her husband Sulo in 1985. After successfully building and managing apartment complexes in Seattle, Sulo and Aileen Maki moved to Las Vegas in 1951, where they became major residential developers near downtown. Sulo Maki, whose parents emigrated from Finland, served as the Finnish Consulate for Nevada.

"The Maki estate funds will be used to establish long-term programs that will create outstanding opportunities for DRI faculty to leverage into new external funding sources dealing with hydrologic sciences" said John Warwick, DRI's Director of Hydrologic Sciences. "I envision this gift immediately benefiting our existing Underground Weighing Lysimeter Lab in Boulder City, expanding our efforts regarding monitoring and modeling of Lower Colorado River water quantity and quality, and creating a network of high-altitude precipitation and recharge monitoring stations to better understand climate change impacts on Southern Nevada water resources."