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Author: Ruby Rodríguez

Recreation.gov and Latino Outdoors Announce Partnership During National Hispanic Heritage Month

September 15, 2015 – Recreation.gov and Latino Outdoors will celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 – October 15) by kicking off a partnership to highlight the great work by many within the Latino(a) community who dedicate themselves to connecting Latino culture, or “cultura” and community to the outdoors.

“Recreation.gov, the flagship of the Recreation One Stop program, represents the desire of all of its partner agencies to help people connect to public lands and waters throughout the country,” said Rick DeLappe, Recreation One Stop program manager. “By working with Latino Outdoors, we can bring more attention to a network of conservation-­‐
minded explorers who share their passion for the outdoors. Their stories are contagious – inspiring stewardship and exploration of our federal lands and
waterways.”

“Our goal is to encourage members of our community, especially any who have experienced the Great Outdoors for the first time, to share their stories of a particularly challenging hike, seeing wildlife at a refuge, or maybe what it felt like to sleep in a tent for the first time,” said Jose Gonzalez, Founder of Latino Outdoors. “By telling our stories, the community helps define what it means to have a Latino(a) identity in relation to the outdoors. Stories have power and they say many things about the cultural traditions and values we hold—especially our love and connections with our open spaces. We are excited about this campaign with Recreation.Gov, stemming from a partnership with Active Network earlier this year, and part of a larger strategic alliance, to work together to identify and increase Latino engagement in the outdoors. Both partnerships allow us to amplify our storytelling and demonstrate the diversity of engagement in our public lands and outdoor recreation.”

Beginning September 15, Recreation.gov will feature experiences from volunteer Latino Outdoor Ambassadors from across the country. Visitors will also be encouraged to join Recreation.gov through Facebook and Instagram and share stories, photos or videos of their outdoor experiences using #LatinoOutdoors.

“Launching this partnership for National Hispanic Heritage Month provides a platform to reflect upon and inspire us to discover and enjoy the cultural influences from long ago to the present—and recognize this multi-­‐ cultural heritage as the unifying fabric of this country,” said DeLappe.

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Recreation One-­‐Stop is a recreation trip-­‐planning, reservation and information sharing platform for the nation’s federal lands. Visitors to Recreation.gov can reserve campgrounds, apply for river permits, schedule a tour, discover points-­‐of-­‐ interest near major cities, learn about destinations, and so much more. The Recreation One-­‐Stop program is a joint initiative among federal agency partners including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, National Archives and Records Administration, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

With roots in the past, a presence in the present and vision for the future, Latino Outdoors is a network of leaders committed to engaging Latinos/as in the outdoors, connecting familias and youth with nature, and empowering our community of storytellers to explore and share their personal experiences. Our growing online platform allows participants to creatively document their cultural connections to conservation, the environment, and the Great American Outdoors with the world.

Exploring Europe and the Outdoors – By Zoraida Martínez

This past Summer I had the opportunity to study abroad in Spain to finish my undergraduate classes. I had never experienced living in another country for a month and it was such a thrill to be able to do this. I have traveled to Mexico to visit family and once to England when I was 12 on a trip with my teachers and peers. When I learned about this opportunity I jumped aboard without hesitation. I had a plan of what other countries and cities to visit; summer could not come soon enough.

On arrival to Madrid it was night thus nothing was very visible but the excitement and jitters were completely present. With a quick glance of the building around, I was able to tell that things were going to be very different. For example, the dormitories in Madrid had one thing that I had never seen in the United States, different trash bins to separate and organize the trash. One trash bin was used for cardboard and other recyclables (bottles, paper, plastic), one for compost (fruit peels, left over food and such), and the other for non-recyclable trash. I really love this concept because it trains students to recycle properly even if they were not really trying. I feel that in the United States people only pretend to recycle in order to stay in the “hip and now” of generational trends with things, but that is not how it should be.

20150705_125754One thing that was very noticeable and I completely loved was that there were so many parks within walking distance from wherever you are in the city. Even the smallest monument has a park around it and it is completely open to the public. During some of the trips we took as a class we would walk and explore the parks. Even traveling to nearby cities would be an exploration day rich in culture and history. On some weekends we would walk through parks in the city and enjoy an afternoon listening to live musical bands performing in these local parks. Maybe our lives in the United States are always so busy and non-stop that we do not get to enjoy the freshness of nature or the sound of music in our local parks, but once in a while we should just take a break to take all that in. I feel that the more we spend the day in the outdoors, the more we will feel connected to what makes us happy.

Our stay in Spain, while it was a whole month, felt completely short. I was fortunate enough to travel on weekends to outside cities. One weekend, about half of the group decided to go to Barcelona and I was amongst them. The city was incredible and not to mention how gorgeous La Sagrada Familia is inside and out! Park Güell is incredible as well and the views it provides for our enjoyment are magnificent! The fountains, architecture and everything that the local encompasses was just an experience that I will never forget. On a different weekend I had the opportunity to travel to San Sebastian, in Northern Spain. The view of the Atlantic Ocean is amazingly breathtaking! Not to mention their food and the wine Txakoli, only produced in the grandeur of the Basque Country. Everything I saw and experienced is something that I will never forget since the Spanish country has taught me a lot of who I am.

IMG_2212After my program ended, I traveled with six others to other countries to enjoy and learn more about what Europe has been through for centuries. The first country on the list was Italy where we visited Rome and Venice.  The sites are incredible in both cities! I had never imagined being able to see old architecture first hand like I did there and making these amazing monuments available to the public is great. Getting around the cities was very efficient due to the well thought-out transportation system. Even when there was heavy traffic in public transportation it was not a problem to get around by foot because most of the tourist attractions were within walking distance. Seeing ancient ruins has always fascinated me and learning about cultures and how they made their civilizations grow has made me fall in love with archeology over and over again. Why I never pursued this degree is beyond me, but my love for it is always there. One thing I completely loved is that the airport in Venice is powered by solar energy! More than half of the power comes from the sun and it is amazing to see how much other countries are moving forward with green energy.

The next country was France where we only visited Paris! As a girl coming from a big city and never really using public transportation, I thought that the transportation system was great. We used the trains all the time to get everywhere and when we felt even more adventurous, we would walk to sights that we wanted to see, even when they were miles away. I feel that walking to places gets people to see the city on a more personal level as apposed to zooming by on a train. The Eiffel Tower was everything and more! We even had the chance to visit the Palace of Versailles on the outskirts of Paris. The gardens are astonishing! We walked all day and ended up rowing a boat in the small lake at Versailles. I am excited to see what the UN conference will bring here next year! With the amount activities and locals in this amazing city, we did not want to leave, but the United Kingdom was calling our names.

IMG_3323The United Kingdom is a country that has always interested me. Since the first time I visited this country as a little girl, I fell in love with it! London was our landing port and we immediately got to exploring the vast city. The weather was beautiful refreshing compared to the heat of the previous cities. A light sweater was enough for us to keep of comfortable in the cool breeze of this cloudy city. The second day in the country we decided do a trip to Windsor Castle, Roman Bath, and Stonehenge. Although I have been to Bath and Stonehenge before, it never ceases to amaze me how beautiful it is. Walking around the castle in Windsor we saw peaceful gardens that were perfect to walk in and have a picnic at any time of the day. What can I say about Stonehenge? Nothing I can say will ever do its beauty justice. It is one of my favorite places in the world and I know that I would go back in an instant if I had the chance. It has a serene feeling to it that I can relax and just think and reflect with nothing but an majestic view in front of me.

Our last country was Ireland and I knew from the moment we landed that I was going to return one day to this country. The people were friendly and very welcoming to us everywhere we went. It was not difficult to get around the city and here we decided to walk everywhere since we wanted to take in the entire city of Dublin. The history of the sites we saw was amazing to me and the history of how many people had to leave their country because of a famine, broke my heart. We went to the west coast to see the Cliffs of Moher and let me say that I was completely mesmerized by the beauty nature has created. I was amazed by how much people in this country love tourists and to me this is what gets people to return. There is one thing that was unnatural to me because our appliances are different and their dryers had something unusual. The house in which we stayed had a dryer that would collect the moisture from the wet clothes in a container and one would have to physically empty out the container. I loved this idea because the water that collects can be used to water the garden, whereas in the United States the dryers evaporate the water or shoot it down the drain. I am completely in love with this country and I know I will return one day.

My trip was short but it is one that I will stay with me forever. The entire month and a half that I was abroad was an experience that I will forever cherish because of everything that I learned and saw. I loved all the sites and locations. I loved every country, every culture, and all the new things that I learned about all the places. I know that I will return to all the countries one day and I will travel vastly to explore all the beautiful places this planet has to offer. The outdoors, open spaces, parks, and land as it relates to cultural heritage is something I will always cherish every place I go.

 

Zoraida Martínez ~ Ambassador

zoraida@latinooutdoors.org

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Science as a Tool for Connecting Latino Youth to Nature ~Andres Esparza~

As I sit here at my desk in Colorado, back from a Summer spent teaching in Yosemite, I’m left staring at a map on the wall in front of me. It is a topographic map of Yosemite Valley, a place that I called home for the past 7 years. While this map is only a 2 dimensional representation of a Valley full of waterfalls, wildlife, meadows, soaring Granite cliffs and the Merced River; it is still a reminder of why I love this place and others like and how much they mean to all of us. It also serves a reminder that this place, like so many others like it, exists for ALL of us. The lessons learned and memories forged in these natural wonders transcend any ethnic boundaries and instead unite us in our love and appreciation of our public lands.

I have been fortunate to have worked in Yosemite National Park since Fall 2008. During that time, I worked for NatureBridge (then Yosemite Institute) as an environmental educator connecting students to their public lands. I was able to teach them ecology through hands on experiences in the river, forests and meadows, teach them about leadership and self-reliance, bolster their self-confidence and create meaningful and long lasting connection to their public lands in an effort to create a sense of stewardship and appreciation of the natural world.

One special program I was able to take part in this past Summer was called the Field Research Course (FRC). It is a 2 week experience for high school students from all over the country who show an interest in the sciences and public lands and are interested in pushing themselves out of their comfort zones. Students arrive on a Sunday and spend the first 3 days at our Crane Flat campus getting to know one another, learning about the scientific process and what it means for park management, and getting geared up for 9 days of backpacking! When we finally depart for the backpacking portion of the FRC, students spend the first 2 days learning how to backpack which means setting up tents, sleeping outside, cooking on a small backpacking stove, reading maps and so many other things. After the initial couple days of madness, things settle down and we get to start exploring our true purpose out there. While out backpacking, students are expected make observations and come up with testable hypothesis about the natural environmental around them. The rest of the expedition is spent collecting data based on their questions and starting to think about what it all means. Finally, we all return to the Crane Flat campus and students compile and analyze their data and create presentations of their scientific findings for fellow students, staff, park employees, friends and family.

One of the FRC students investigating the relationship between macroinvertbrates and decomposing trees.

One of the FRC students investigating the relationship between macroinvertbrates and decomposing trees.

The reason I go into so much detail about this particular program is because it is one of many new and innovative programs popping up all around the country aimed at creating meaningful and long lasting connections between our youth and our public lands. As our county’s demographics change, so does our understanding and expectations of our nation’s public lands. It is up to us to keep pace with this change.

Gone are the days of public lands existing outside of the everyday lives of those living in the city. Now, more than ever, we are being bombarded by messages of public land sell-off’s, toxic mining spills into rivers and political battles over how to best use public lands. We have entered into a new era of conservation, one that goes beyond the Muir vs. Pinchot battle of Preservation vs. Conservation, and instead should be called the era of “Complexity Awareness”. It is an era in which we must take into account all the complexities of living in an intimately linked society and all the effects we have on the “downstream”.

As we move into a world where our everyday action have more and more impact on the natural world, how do we more forward in a sustainable manner?

That is the job of the next generation. They will be the ones who make laws that protect our natural resources, promote sustainable living infrastructures and create a better ecological future for everyone. However it is up to us to give them the support and guidance necessary to make that change.

One of the FRC students enjoying the High Country of Yosemite N.P. on the expedition.

One of the FRC students enjoying the High Country of Yosemite N.P. on the expedition.

I was lucky enough to have a very diverse group of young adults on my FRC trips this Summer. It was through the excitement and passion these diverse young adults that I was assured that the future is in the right hands. These students, who came from a variety of cultural backgrounds, were all here to learn about the Yosemite ecosystem, how science can inform management practices and ultimately, how they can exist in harmony with these and other natural treasures.

According to the US census, in 2050, Hispanics will account for 30% of the US populations. As a member of a group that will account for a third of the US population within my lifetime, I am hopeful that we, as a community, will pass on to our youth a love and appreciation of our natural world. I urge you all to share those special places you hold near and dear with someone close to you. That way, we, as Latinos, will share a legacy of love and appreciation for the land.

 

-Latino Outdoors Ambassador

Andres Esparza

Western Slope Colorado Region

andres@latinoutdoors.org