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#SanaSanaOutdoors: A Love Letter

por Luis Villa

We’re not as close anymore, so it’s been a while since my last visit. You look beautiful. Not surprisingly, you’ve drawn the attention of many others on this lovely day. You’ve always had that appeal. Where there’s a dearth of them, you’re a gem, and time and again, you find a way of making people feel as good as a ten.

Some, openly express the joy you inspire in them, as if hoping to impress you while reveling in their varied pleasures and passions in your presence. People of all kinds show off their strengths and abilities, vying for your attention, looking to connect.

Others are more reserved around you. I fall into this camp, leisurely and contemplatively walking, reacquainting myself with you. Whenever I’m here, the challenges seem that much more bearable. The troubles are not so troubling. I’m both nostalgic and forward-looking when I’m with you. You’re an oasis in the middle of too much.

I yearned for you before I even knew you. Then we met and my expectations were beyond met. You became an inextricable part of my life. Birthdays, gatherings with friends, special family moments, you were there for them. When I left, I always returned, no matter the distance. During our reunions, you centered me, reminding me of who I am and where I come from. And although you’re no longer a fixture in my everyday life, seeing you do for others, what you did for me brings me wellness and joy.

Maybe it’s silly, but I love you. Always will.

From left: Luis and his piñata at South Gate Park, Luis learning that he’s not going to the park, Luis enjoying the park more recently.

Luis loves parks, especially local ones. He grew up in southern California’s urban density and has had a close relationship with South Gate Park since he was a small child. Despite moving away, it continues to this day.

Existing at the intersections of Mountaineering and Alpinism

por Monserrat Alvarez Matehuala

The opportunity to participate in this professional development is not one I take lightly. As a local leader, I believe that it is my responsibility to continue to invest and make time for my personal development and expanding of knowledge at my own pace. When I started out working as an outdoor educator, I had very little technical knowledge in traditional “recreation” and for a long time, it made me feel like I did not belong. Throughout the years, my employers and mentors invested in my learning and helped become a better outdoor educator, climber, and eventually an aspiring mountaineer. As a woman of color, I put a lot of unnecessary pressure to overperform, know the most, and be “perfect” in my role in leading others outside. I have since then learned that I don’t need to be perfect, or know the most, but that my personal learning needs to be about me. Yet outside of me, it has everything to do with my community. When I am learning and growing in my role as a leader, my community learns and grows with me.


I find myself now in a place where I am looking to feed my curious mind and need for growth at my own pace, as well as growing with the needs of my community. Over the last two years of living in Colorado, it is clear to me that there are few spaces for communities of color to exist at the intersections of mountaineering and alpinism. There is one woman of color mountaineer in my community, that is it. While Ari is an inspiration and it fills my heart to see her lead ice, summit mountains, and teach mountaineering courses, it is also hard to grapple with the fact that for a long time she is literally the only one. This fuels my fire and personal motivation to gain more knowledge to offer mentorship and exposure to more technical terrain for the next generation of people.


Thank you Latino Outdoors for supporting me on this course. The two days I spent building winter anchors and practicing crevasse rescues would not be possible without the support of our regional leaders and national staff. I feel more equipped and ready to not only put my skills to practice but more importantly share what I have learned with my community. Whether it is offering mentorship or advice to someone seeking to enter the sport, or facilitating a skills share with my community, I look forward to passing it on.

Monserrat Alvarez Matehuala is a Guachichil & Mexica mujer was born to Mexican immigrants in Ventura, CA but grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina where she fell in love with the outdoors. Monserrat is an outdoor educator, instructor, community organizer, climber, and danzante. As a bilingual instructor, she uses her language skills to teach Spanish-speaking communities as a certified Single Pitch Instructor, Apprentice Alpine Guide, JEDI consultant, and Master LNT educator. By day she works at the American Mountain Guides Association, by literally any other minute she can spare she is either supporting the outdoors community or tending to her flock. Along with being an LO volunteer, she is part of the national leadership team for Brown Girls Climb, a women of color owned and operated organization that uplifts and celebrates women of color in climbing. She also instructs part-time and loves to work with communities of color.

Time to raise Latinx voices for Nature

From the sidelines of the UN Climate Summit in Glasgow.

por Miguel Booth

Growing up I don’t recall seeing Latinx environmental champions on the TV, do you?

I remember being inspired by Sir David Attenborough or Jacques Cousteau. I marveled at the beauty of nature and the outdoors in far-flung places brought to me by the BBC, National Geographic, or the Discovery Channel but never by Univision, Televisa, or other Latino media giants featuring local talent.

It’s not that Latin American or Latinx environment champions weren’t there, of course they were. From Ushuaia to Alaska, and all around the world, we find inspiring examples of people caring deeply about nature, making it their purpose to protect it and going as far as risking their lives for it. Chico Mendes, Berta Cáceres, Joan Baez, Cesar Chavez, and countless others laid the foundations in the fight for human and environmental rights for all. But it seemed it was always in the context of intense struggle and sacrifice, correcting the wrongs that had fallen upon their communities not hosting a feature documentary or given a prominent platform on TV to inspire audiences to love and protect the outdoors.

And now, in our ever digital and synthetic reality, there is a sense that many people are distancing away from nature. This trend may have deeply disturbing consequences. How are we to love and care for nature and the outdoors if we have no emotional connection to it? Perhaps one of the most important ways is by keeping the connection alive through stories, images, and films that bring nature into the cities.

As a kid growing up in Mexico, my escape into nature ignited a curiosity that eventually steered my career choice. It was an unconventional journey for sure. As my friends turned to careers in finance, business, engineering and law – I chose wildlife and environmental filmmaking. I got a lot of puzzled looks, was that even a career? Latin America had zero schooling options for it, so I headed to New Zealand.

I was one of the lucky few. The first Latin American to graduate with a Natural History Filmmaking and Communication Degree and soon joined the International Fund for Animal Welfare in Massachusetts where I spent 10 fulfilling years traveling the world highlighting animal rescue and conservation efforts. Later, I moved with my family to Nairobi, Kenya, and took up the position of Head of Multimedia for the UN’s Environment Programme

Picking up a camera was always just an excuse for me to go outdoors, to travel, and explore. And surely if others could see what I film out there, they would care and they would also worry about how fast it’s changing, right?

I’m now writing this from the sidelines of COP26 in Glasgow. This is the United Nations’ climate summit, a space where governments, private sector, civil society, activists, and observers come together to come up with a way of limiting warming to the 1.5°C target set out a few years back in Paris. I won’t sugar coat it, we’re a long way from achieving the target. In fact, a +2°C is practically guaranteed and even a 3°C increase is in the cards. Governments are moving slowly and cowardly, businesses are operating ‘as usual’ prioritizing profit and growth over everything else and sadly even many NGOs are happy to play along with greenwashing if it allows them to continue operating.

Now more than ever, we need the Latinx community to take extreme ownership for the environment. Why? Because it’s in our DNA. We are the sons and daughters of Chico, Berta, Joan, and Cesar. The outdoor spaces that we love, those that we depend on for our very survival are on the brink of collapse.

So, my call to you is grab your camera or mobile phone next time you’re outdoors. Take photos and video and share that around. Become the next Attenborough or Cousteau. Tell everyone how you enjoy it out there and why it’s important to act now. Inspire us with nature’s beauty but also report on the ugly. The air and water pollution, the clearcutting of forests, the dwindling presence of insects, birds, whatever you see.

Follow and help amplify the message of other Latinx champions that are fighting to protect the planet. Young activists like Alexandria Villaseñor, Xiye Bastida, Jamie Margolin, Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, and also urge Latin American institutional leaders like Patricia Espinosa and Christiana Figueres to level-up on their side. There is no time to waste.

On my side, I’ve recently launched Dreamcatcher, a purpose-driven group of filmmakers and nature expedition experts to inspire a deep love for our natural world. We’d love for you to check out what we’re up to and join us in one of our upcoming adventures. We are inspired by the Latino Outdoors community, and we’re excited to grow together.

Hasta pronto.

A seasoned filmmaker and adventurer, Miguel Booth has produced films in over 60 countries in the past decade. His award-winning films have been showcased by National Geographic, GoPro, Discovery, CNN among others. Miguel served as the UN’s Head of Multimedia for the Environment from 2016 to 2019. In 2020, he founded Dreamcatcher with his wife Gabriela – their films and expeditions look to inspire a global community to love, protect, and live in harmony with nature.