A Chicano’s Experience Outdoors

By Efraín Delgado

I traveled down California in a black, rented, soccer team van with six people I had only ever previously met through emails. We were on our way to the first ever Latino Outdoors Leadership Campout, which was being hosted at Malibu Creek State Park.

With the van’s windows down we drove into the parking lot just outside of our campsite with La Chona by Los Tucanes de Tijuana playing. The fatigue in our bodies was replaced with nostalgia and excitement as the fast-paced accordion, the slightly funky bass line, and the flashback-inducing chorus shook the cheap plastic interior of the van. For a nature loving Chicano this was a rare moment where two parts of my identity were able to transcend the border that regularly divides them.

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       On our way to the Leadership Campout!

 

At the campout I saw people wearing huaraches, people’s skin tones matched my own, and I heard conversations conducted in colloquial Spanglish. We shared stories of being the lone person of color in our professional settings while we mulled ideas on how to reconnect the Latinx community to the outdoors. José González, the Founder of Latino Outdoors, wore a faded black shirt with Tierra y Libertad, a slogan from the Mexican Revolution that translates to Land and Liberty, printed across the front in an old English font.

Latino Outdoors provided validation of my Chicano identity.

Latino Outdoors and Denver Colorado

So far we have been on three hikes with groups of 10+ participants. Chautauqua Park, Mount Falcon Park, and O’Fallon Park have been – fun group forming events. We have partnered with Sierra Club’s – Inspiring Connections Outdoors  and I have hiked with Outdoor Afro – Boulder and really enjoyed the company !  

 

OA & LO

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some Field notes:

Ponderosa Pine trees smell like Vanilla! You read that right, Vanilla!

Fun trail game: Branch Limbo

Smoky the bear loves Pictures!

Stope and smell the Ponderosa

Branch Limbo

Yogi bear

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chela – Colorado’s Coordinator and myself, Asnoldo the Colorado Ambassador have been making many helpful contacts at local events. We know that partnering is the best way to grow Latino Outdoors in Colorado. Like the famous quote: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

Partners in the outdoors ELK LO Pic Sierra Club and LO

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summer has just begun and the verdict is in from a recent Facebook poll. Our current participants are eager to get out there and hike to Colorado’s beautiful waterfalls and hot springs! We can’t wait to upload those beautiful pictures and take in the awe-inspiring landscapes!

I live in Westminster Colorado where I love to bike, hike, garden, explore and DIY. I am currently (1 year in) finishing a two-person 14 foot Marine Grade Plywood Canoe! To contact me for any LO-related communications, collaborations, or outing requests in my area, please send me an email: asnoldo@latinooutdoors.com

Latino Outdoors Founder José González Honored With National Conservation Education Award

Contact: Lacey McCormick, National Wildlife Federation, McCormick@NWF.org, 512-610-7765 

RESTON, Va. (June 20, 2016) – This weekend, the National Wildlife Federation recognized José González, the founder of Latino Outdoors and a long-time professional educator with its National Conservation Education Award.

“González is an artful educator and creative thinker who inspires the Latino community and everyone who works with him,” said Collin O’Mara, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation. “As the founder of Latino Outdoors, González is creating a national network of conservation leaders who are expanding and amplifying the Latino experience in the outdoors.”

The ceremony took place at the National Wildlife Federation’s annual meeting and celebration of the 80th anniversary of its founding, held in Estes Park, Colorado. The National Conservation Education Award honors educators who promote environmental and conservation awareness.

 José González: National Conservation Education Award

José González is an experienced educator in formal and informal education settings with an array of associated interests in the arts, education, conservation, and the environment. He has broad experience as a K-12 public education teacher, environmental education advisor, outdoor education instructor and coordinator, and university adjunct faculty. He received his BA at the University of California, Davis, and his MS at the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources & Environment. As a Program Coordinator at San Jose State University with the California Mini-Corps Program, González trained and led groups of undergraduate students providing direct instructional services to migrant students in partner school districts and in outdoor education programs. José González is also the founder of Latino Outdoors. 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 in the outdoors, connecting families and youth with nature, and empowering their community of storytellers to explore and share their personal experiences. In his capacity at the head of Latino Outdoors, González fosters opportunities and builds collaborations with organizations seeking to diversify their outdoor and conservation programs; and conducts trainings, workshops, and speaking engagements around such topics. In fact, José often serves as a peer advisor to NWF California Director, Beth Pratt-Bergstrom, on a number of topics around urban community wildlife to youth and diversity in the environment. González has proven himself an artful educator and creative thinker in his work to engage, connect, empower and inspire, not only the Latino community but everyone who works with him.

Visit the National Wildlife Federation Media Center at NWF.org/News.

 

The National Wildlife Federation is America’s largest conservation organization, uniting all Americans to ensure wildlife thrive in a rapidly changing world. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.