From July 16-24 this year, Latino Conservation Week celebrates its ninth anniversary. The 2022 slogan, “Disfrutando y Conservando Nuestra Tierra” (“Enjoying and Conserving Our Land”), encapsulates the program’s message. An initiative of the Hispanic Access Foundation (HAF), the week-long event supports the Latino community’s engagement with outdoor activity and conservation projects.
“Latino communities continue to prove they are passionate about the outdoors and hold a strong belief that we have a moral obligation to be good stewards,” Maite Arce, HAF president and CEO, said. “Latino Conservation Week helps break down barriers for Latino communities to access public lands and waters, encourages new opportunities for engagement and inspires the next generation of environmental stewards.”
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Throughout the week, non-profit, faith-based, community, and government organizations work together to host events throughout the country. Since Latino Conservation Week’s inception, the initiative has grown from hosting nine events in 2014 to over 160 events in 2019. These events range from community roundtables and hikes to film-screenings and outdoor dance classes.
“A lot of the Latino community do live in nature-deprived areas,” Juan Rosas, a conservation program associate with the HAF, said. “So, to be able to take them hiking and fishing, camping – have virtual events, webinars, educational resources that they can firsthand experience – is the goal of Latino Conservation Week.”
Additionally, Latino Conservation Week aims to influence public policy in support of local and national conservation issues. The initiative supports various Hispanic community leaders and organizations as they partner to protect the land, air, and water.
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“It’s so important for our young people to have outdoor experiences and education that really resonate with them. To understand the way our ecosystems work, you have to love being outdoors,” Gabe Vasquez, a conservationist and candidate for New Mexico’s southernmost congressional seat, told the El Paso Times. “The next leaders in making climate change decisions should be as diverse as the people in our country.”
Follow the conversation about Latino Conservation Week via the hashtag “LCW2022” on Twitter, and explore the roster here to find an event near you.