We are mindful of the enormous challenges facing us as both a national and global society in 2020 and the new decade ahead. Although we cannot offer a panacea, we invite everyone to turn their attention to the outside for a moment. Part of the solution may lie therein.

Latino Outdoors exists, in part, to help enrich and expand the collective story of peoples’ connections with the natural world. We believe that a narrative that is more representative of the diverse communities and cultures that engage with nature will result in commensurate growth in conservation and environmental stewardship constituencies. By helping to expand this narrative, while concurrently facilitating more equitably accessible experiences in the outdoors, LO is contributing to a much larger movement towards stronger, healthier, happier, and we dare say, more united, communities.

The Latino Outdoors logo speaks to this. It consists of two primary symbols.

The larger of the two, placed off center to the left in a petroglyph pictogram style, represents the sun. Two concentric rings form its body. Surrounding the rings, are the rays of the sun, composed of triangles. The four larger triangles representing the cardinal directions.

To the right of the sun, slightly elevated, is a symbol that evokes a gust of wind or a small cloud. However, it actually represents voice and is inspired by the Aztec speech glyph found pictorially in codices.

One important way in which Latino Outdoors is helping to make the outdoors more welcoming to more people is through our storytelling initiative known as Yo Cuento Outdoors. The Spanglish phrase makes use of two languages, underscoring LO’s commitment to inclusivity and our multi-cultural roots. “Yo Cuento” has multiple meanings. It expresses “I count” or “I matter,” as in my presence in the outdoors matters. It also refers to the act of storytelling and literally translates to, “I tell a story.” The dominant narrative around who is a conservationist, who engages in fostering communities’ environmental know-how, or who recreates in nature could use a refresh. LO’s story-driven approach to amplifying personal connections to nature provides for a conversation focused on the Latinx outdoor experience, which itself is not homogeneous. Our individual stories highlight just how nuanced and diverse Latinx community members’ outdoor experiences can be. We share them online and in person as a contribution to the collective narrative of connection to the natural world.

Turning our attention once more to the LO Logo, we see that it is open to interpretation. Aside from the Aztec-inspired symbolism, some might see a group of people gathered around a campfire, a puff of smoke rising above them, as they share stories and the experience of being outdoors together. This year, for Yo Cuento Outdoors, we invite you to join us at the campfire. Share your story with us and add it to the collection of varied voices united in celebrating diversity. Juntos, let’s leverage the collective power of community in 2020 and beyond.

#YoCuento2020