By Gabriela Worrel
Ever since I was a child, I loved the outdoors and cared deeply about nature. Growing up in a
multi-cultural family with an anglo father and Latina mother (from Russian and Mexican
descent), identity has always been challenging to define. However, one thing I know for sure is
that Latino culture has been a big influence on my life. As a child, I enjoyed visiting Mexico with
my parents and particularly my mother, who ran a business with my grandparents in Baja
California – in the town where she grew up. Life was much different in Ensenada – a seaside
town across the border from San Diego. As a young child, I was fascinated with the goats and
chickens my grandmother kept for their milk and eggs, the stripped down style of architecture
and furnishings, and the way my grandmother did many things by hand (things that were often
done with machines or in factories in the US).
Later, I was trained as a biologist and urban planner. Now, I work as an outreach coordinator for
an environmental nonprofit organization in Orange County, California. In my position, I help
engage others in implementing a wildlife corridor – a strip of habitat that connects two major
ecosystems in the region, and which will allow animals to move back and forth between
habitats. Corridors are essential for ecosystem health and more are needed in southern
California.
When I became connected to Latino Outdoors, I began thinking about the question: What
influence did my Latina family have on my love of nature, and my choice in vocation? Here are
three major ways my particular experiences growing up Latina contributed to my love of the
outdoors, nature, and conservation.
Cultivating ‘Enough’
Spending time with my family in Mexico on an almost weekly-bases, I noticed two major
differences from the lifestyle I experienced in the States. First, the physical surroundings were
much more simple and less luxurious. More importantly, life was still good. This had nothing to
do with being poor. Simply put, there was little emphasis on consuming, having luxury items,
and buying ‘stuff’. Money was thought of as something to save and used to fulfill fundamental
needs like education, housing, health care, and was shared with others in need. Secondly, most
people I encountered were careful in everyday life not to waste resources. For example, my
grandparents had a water heater that was turned down very low (or off) most of the time until
someone needed to bathe, at which time the temperature of the water would be temporarily
turned up. As a child, I took for granted the ethic of simple living and frugality, but as an adult I
see how this ethic is vital to living in such a way to minimize our impact on nature.
Connection to Natural Processes
Exposure to agriculture, livestock and doing things by hand was important for helping me
understand how nature works and where basic things come from. At a young age, I saw in a
practical way the process of nature’s provision of all of our needs. I saw first had how much time
and effort it takes to grow food, care for chickens that produce eggs, and make yogurt from
fresh goat milk. Understanding these processes helped me later connect the dots that
conservation is important, because we are dependent on nature for clean air, water, food, and
beauty.
Community Care
A value I have learned from my Latino community is the centrality of relationships and the rich
life that comes from helping each other. In my family, great focus was placed on helping others
we encountered through church, family relationships, and friends. It is not such a stretch to say
that nature has become part of my ‘community’, and the value of our collective wellbeing
extends to caring for our local nature – the forests, waters, and animals with which we share our
lives.
Of course, I realize not all Latinos grew up like me; Latinos are diverse and have different
experiences that impact their relationship with nature. My hope is that regardless of our different
values and traditions, we can find common ground in preserving a healthy planet for future
generations.
Gabriel Worrel is an outreach coordinator at Laguna Greenbelt, Inc., an organization committed
to preserving open space and establishing the Coast to Cleveland Wildlife Corridor in Orange
County, California. www.wildlifecorridor.org
