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Tag: Latino Outdoors

My Park is Yosemite

#MyParkIsYosemite

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My first time hiking Half Dome.

Yosemite National Park is certainly a special place, both in its physical beauty and grandeur but as well as in the imagination and mind of what we envision as majestic national parks. It is embedded in the mythology of the National Park Service with a rich history that includes the Buffalo soldiers, John Muir and Teddy Roosevelt, and of course its role in being a precursor to the National Park Service by being protected by Abraham Lincoln in 1864 before the establishment of Yellowstone National Park in 1872.  Yosemite is also special in that it is a world-class destination so close to so many communities in the Central Valley of California and yet not many in those communities may always easily access it.

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CA Mini-Corps Outdoor Education Program Instructors training in Yosemite to provide outdoor education to Migrant students throughout CA.

Growing up in the Central Valley I would often hear about Yosemite, but it would be years before I would really get to discover its beauty. I recall as a college student finally entering the Yosemite Valley on a morning with light fog and emergent sunlight. It was magical. I would return to explore Tuolumne Meadows and Lambert Dome. Later, with a group of friends we scaled Half Dome, and returned several times to repeat that experience. Whether it was walking Mariposa Grove with park rangers as we trained Latino college students to be outdoor instructors for migrant students, or simply hiking the Panoramic trail with friends, Yosemite kept providing a diversity of experiences. It is that diversity that presents an opportunity—to welcome a diversity of the American public, from near and afar, to enjoy a diversity of experiences within the park.

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It is important to me, as a Latinx immigrant, a US Citizen, an English-Language Learner, and the first in my family to go to college, to be a role model of how our parks are for all—and the work we need to continue to advance in true inclusivity. I strive to exemplify how my cultura is important to me in these spaces, and how we create more inclusive environments to welcome all regardless of background. Yosemite welcomed me in its grandeur, and as a Yosemite Centennial Ambassador, I want to extend that invitation to others. We much to do but we also have much to celebrate, and regardless we start somewhere. Since that first time I wandered into Yosemite Valley, I have visited many other national parks and public lands and yet in many ways My Park Is Yosemite. It does not have to be yours or it can be, so long as you can see and feel yourself reflected in such a place.

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En este año que celebramos el centenario de nuestros parques nacionales,  vengan, encuentren su parque, están bienvenidos, es mi placer ser su embajador y guía.

This post is part of the #MyParkIsYosemite campaign. If your park is also Yosemite, join us! If you want to express your love for other parks or other public lands share that too! #Next100 #PublicLandsForAll #EncuentraTuParque

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José González is the Founder of Latino Outdoors. He is a Yosemite Centennial Ambassador and represents Latino Outdoors in several coalitions including the Latino Conservation Alliance and the Next 100 Coalition. He also serves on a National Park Service advisory committee and has been recognized with several honors, including the National Wildlife Federation, Grist Magazine, and The Murie Center.

To learn more about the Next 100 Coalition, check out this site and sign the petition.

New Years Resolutions: Outdoors Edition by Cynthia

Happy New Years! It is 2016 and many people are ready to start the new year with resolutions to either be healthy, share time with the loves ones, or go onto a new adventure. I am very excited to share that I made not one resolution, but six resolutions that are all focused in the outdoors in some way or the other. Here I share my resolutions with descriptions and fun images!

  1. Growing food!
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    Image taken at my former job in New Hampshire as we put the garden beds to ‘bed’ for the winter. I will be doing the same this year at my new job with Growing Places in Leominster, Massachusetts.

    Growing up in the warm, tropical island of Puerto Rico, I had the privilege to learn how to grow vegetables, herbs, fruits, and other delicious food. Gardening has been part of a family tradition for many generations and I find gardening to be my zen! I get to plant a seed, tend for it and later on harvest the fruits of my labor. I hope to garden this year, spend time with family and friends at the garden, and enjoy delicious meals we create with the garden products! My favorite and family tradition dish we make is Sofrito, a delicious sauce that is pretty much the secret ingredient to a lot (if not all) Puerto Rican food dishes. My family and I also save seeds of cilantro and peppers as we LOVE those crops!

  2. Volunteer at a farm!
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Image taken: September 2015 at my friends, Kohei Ishihara’s farm: Movement Ground Farm in Berkley, Massachusetts.

I love farms! My past experience with putting my hands in the dirt, weeding, and of course, meeting new people have been at farms. I have friends who are farmers and I love them for taking on, what I consider, the most important job in the world! Being nurtures, growers, and feeders of their communities, farmers are superheroes on my book. Therefore, I love supporting farms by visiting, volunteering as much as I can during the season, and purchasing their goods!

 

3. Keep on researching Latino/a/x Outdoor and Environmental work!

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LO loves being part of America Latino Eco-Festival! L-R: Jose Gonzalez, LO Founder, me being silly, and Asnoldo, LO Colorado Ambassador. Image taken: October 2015

I love reading, writing, and learning more about my cultural roots and the environment. My resolution is part of my ongoing career as an Environmental Educator. I want to keep learning from Latino Leaders, community members, and other in the Environmental movement their steps, questions, answers, solutions, and much more in regards to Latinos and the Environment. I hope to attend conferences, connect with other human beings that are interested in the work of making the environment an inclusion to all. I want to also learn more and part-take in the conversation about the Afro-Latino(a/x) identity in the Environment in the United States. I can’t wait for what I will discover!

 

4. Keep on walking in the woods…

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Did a morning walk in the small trail next to my work office! Image taken: January 2016

I want to keep on taking walks and hikes in many trails as possible. I enjoy being in the woods, using my learned skills of plant identification, take some time for me in the woods! There is something about being able to walk in the woods, maybe it is the sounds of the wind embracing the trees, the sound of my boots against the snow/ice as I make my way to the magical land called the woods. I am looking forward to many walks and hikes with loved ones, by myself, and new people!

 

5. Discovering more spiritual practices related to the outdoors!

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Altar created during the America Latino Eco-Festival. Image taken: October 2015

As a spiritual being, I enjoy anything related to madre tierra. This year, I want to learn about more spiritual practices which include rituals, writings, and much much more that bring me to the outdoors. I am in the journey of discovering more the spiritual practices of my cultural roots. My family has a mixed ancestral spiritual practices coming from both Africa and the Tainos. I am in the self-discovery phase of these spiritual practices and I am hoping that year I will be  able to tie in the new information with my current spiritual believes. I am very honored, thankful, and excited for this resolution!

 

6. More time with my familia outdoors!

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My family and I got to see the Springfield Christmas Parade and enjoy arts, music, and quality time together! Image taken: December 2015

There is nothing more precious than spending time with your loved ones outdoors. It is fascinating, fun, full of laughs, jokes, and love. I am looking forward to spending time with my family and friends in outdoors activities. Many outdoors activities I have done with my family have been attending outdoors events such as parades, go to the park for a walk, attend the pool during the summer, and create funny looking snow mans during the winter! These are all full of memories for me and have been ideal to get us outdoors, enjoy one another, and experience nature!

 

These are my six new years resolutions which I am extremely proud to put into place for me. They all include the outdoors in many ways! I would love to read/hear your new years resolution and how they include the outdoors by sharing on the comments section!

Happy New Year!

Latino Outdoors Interview: A Conversation with Luis Guillermo Benitez

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Tell us your story, what is your connection to the land and conservation?

My connection to lands and conservation started as a young boy in Ecuador. My father’s family all grew up on a ranch outside of Quito and that is where I also spent most of my childhood. I was taught at a very early age if you take care of the land it will also take care of you.

How is this connection celebrated? How is it understood or misunderstood in our community and culture—as well as in the broader conservation community?

This connection is celebrated in my community and culture mostly by being outside! But in the larger conservation community I think we have a responsibility to ask ourselves some larger questions. The Latino culture has always faced challenges with accessing some of our outdoor resources in Colorado. They are a huge resource here in our state and when you start to ask the question of what access could or should be, I think access is trying to understand if there is a better way to approach permitting and access on federal lands because when you think about it, for smaller rural towns, that access translates into economic development opportunities. When it comes to workforce training, within the outdoor industry the path to a functioning and usable education can sometimes be a bit disjointed. We are exploring everything from trail building to advanced manufacturing and trying to assess if there is a way to codify some of these amazing skill sets into a quantifiable education.

Latino identities are connected to the outdoors, the environment, and conservation—how are those words reflective of YOU and how is it expressed?  

I will always remember as a young boy in Ecuador, my Tío took me to a hillside overlooking our family’s ranch and told me that wherever I went and whatever I did with my life that this tierra, this land, will always be a part of me and be there for me. That gave me a tremendous sense of place and of pride. I feel that our culture and community here in Colorado also has that sense of place and pride. It is a feeling of home and of what is possible.

What needs to change and how do we grow, celebrate, and have the broader conservation movement connect with the role and values Latinos bring to the field?

If you look at the current demographics, Latino/Chicano culture will be the predominant cultures of our state in the near future. We need to understand from an education perspective what we are doing to engage the next generation of adventurers and conservationists. I share this with most people I talk to: EVERYONE needs to have a succession plan! Who will replace me? You? What will their passions be? Their education? How will we make conservation important to them? I feel that it is the connection to the lands we recreate on and utilize that will be an important first step.

Luis Benitez. Photo by Didrik Johnck.

Luis Benitez. Photo by Didrik Johnck.

Why does this issue and work matter to you?

It matters to me because the outdoor industry in Colorado has given me so much. It has given me a community, an education, a job, and a purpose. It has allowed me to connect who I am with what I get to do every day. Imagine if more people felt that sense of purpose and tenacity, what our world could be.

What does success in all of this look like to you? 

Success to me looks like more of us out there in the workforce within the outdoor industry. I used to joke with other Latino friends that conservation was left up to people who worked the lands directly, and not people in the city. I think success will be when everyone understands how interconnected the lands and our cities really are. How important green space is to a culture and a community.

 

How has your work with the current office of Outdoor Recreation been reflective of all this?

I have 4 primary goals for my office here in Colorado:

  1. 1. Economic Development:Understand who is here and who isn’t here. If we can help companies move here or existing companies that are growing relocate within the state, that plays a huge part in the health and viability of the industry within the state. Also, try to help companies that may be struggling. Ensure that people remain connected to this amazing community the outdoor industry offers within Colorado. Sometimes this help comes in the shape of fiscal help with tax credits or incentives, sometimes it is simply ensuring that people are connecting to those best positioned to help. I believe this should apply to for-profit and nonprofit companies alike.
  2. Conservation and Stewardship ( Access ):We have to take care of the product that allows us to HAVE viable businesses and lands to recreate on. I truly believe there is a better way to allow access to our federal lands. As individual users, Colorado has access that is unmatched in most other states, but when it comes to trying to start an outfitter and/or potentially a wilderness education school, or a mountain bike guide service, basically anything that requires permitting, it is incredibly hard. My goal is to help start this conversation for Colorado at a state and hopefully federal level to see if we can’t have a different conversation about access.
  3. Education: I mentioned before we have a Ski Area Management degree here in Colorado. What about a Trail Building Degree? Advanced Sewing for Outdoor Apparel? Advanced Manufacturing? The possibilities are limitless. This also ties into what we are doing for the next generation of outdoor enthusiasts. We have to understand the legacy we are leaving and the support structure we are creating to empower the next generation with the great ideas to rise up and thrive. We need to focus on the demographics of our state, and the power that holds.
  4. Industry Anchors:I call this goal Industry Anchors because these are some of the things that anchor industry sectors in our state. We have the American Mountaineering Center in Golden, among other amazing companies whose headquarters are here. How can we impact those that are here and thinking about coming here? Not to mention industry trade shows and large events like the GoPro Mountain games. Colorado is a nexus for disruptive innovation within the outdoor industry; I want to ensure that stays anchored here in Colorado for decades to come.

A final thought…

If you truly are willing to challenge yourself, you can change your world.

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Luis Guillermo Benitez is the Director of the Colorado Outdoor Recreation Industry Office. He is also one of the more experienced and respected professional guides in the outdoor field and leadership development. He has summited the top of the famed “Seven Summits” 32 times, including being a six-time summiteer of Mt. Everest.

This post was originally posted on La Madre Tierra. Check out LMT for more work on amplifying the Latino narrative and voices supporting our public lands.