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Tag: latinooutdoors

Tierra Sagrada: Celebrating Latino Leadership and Advancing Outdoors for All

Por Latino Outdoors

On October 28, Latino environmental leaders, advocates, and community partners gathered at the California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) in Sacramento for Tierra Sagrada, a celebration of generations of Latino leadership in conservation, environmental justice, and outdoor equity. Hosted by Resources Legacy Fund, GreenLatinos, Trust for Public Land, Azul, and Latino Outdoors, in community with CNRA, the event honored past and emerging leaders. During a Fireside Charla, panelists reflected on how experiences with extreme heat, pollution, and limited green spaces shaped their advocacy, reinforcing Latino Outdoors three advocacy priorities: equitable access to parks and public lands, environmental justice, and community leadership in decision-making.

These priorities reflect decades of collaboration among advocates, state agencies, and coalitions. Latino Outdoors has worked alongside CNRA, California State Parks, Parks Now, the California Conservation Equity Partnership (CCEP), and community partners to expand outdoor access. A major milestone came on September 29, 2026, when Governor Gavin Newsom signed the Outdoors for All Act (SB 1268), codifying California’s Outdoors for All initiative at CNRA. As Rue Mapp, Founder and CEO of Outdoor Afro, shared, “So incredible – and a generational benefit of so much hard work!” This achievement reflects years of collective effort to make outdoor access and belonging a lasting state commitment.

California is also advancing these goals through the Outdoor Equity Grants Program (OEP) and Statewide Park Program (SPP), which expand outdoor experiences and parks in underserved communities. OEP’s first funding round connected more than 250,000 youth with nature. Another recent win, Assembly Bill 2734 (Hart), signed on September 20, 2026, established a funding mechanism that directs 20% of specified 49ers Foundation license plate revenues to OEP, subject to legislative appropriation. In the new year, Latino Outdoors will work with leaders and organizational partners to monitor implementation and advocate for these resources to reach their intended purpose. Each victory, large or small, brings us closer to lasting outdoor equity.

With the November 3rd Midterm Elections approaching, Tierra Sagrada highlighted how civic participation shapes decisions affecting parks, public lands, conservation, and community health. California’s progress offers a model for advancing outdoor equity nationwide, but sustaining that progress requires continued engagement. Make your voice heard: learn about the issues, research candidates and ballot measures, and make a plan to vote.

Visit Voto Latino for voter education and participation resources. Beyond Election Day, stay involved in your community and support efforts to make the outdoors a place where everyone can access, enjoy, and belong.

Go. It Will Be Good For You

por Richard “Flaco” Flores

My mom passed away in 2021. We were very close, and losing her broke me. I went through a tough time: depression, loneliness – I felt I was in a deep hole with no way out. I had thought about doing the Tour du Mont Blanc (TMB) earlier that year – a 10-day hike through the French, Italian, and Swiss Alps – but hadn’t made any plans. I didn’t see how I could now, in the state that I was in. A close friend told me, “Flaco, go! It would be good for you.” Still unsure about it, I decided to do it. Last minute. Self-guided. Solo. Just me, my backpack, and a yearning to explore, a yearning to catch myself. I’m so happy I did.

I didn’t grow up hiking or in the outdoors. I grew up in Los Angeles – a concrete jungle. My family wasn’t particularly into nature, so there were no camping trips or hikes planned, not even to the nearby mountains. Possibly because my family had other things to worry about. The outdoors felt out of reach. It wasn’t until I moved to Portland, Oregon, that I started immersing myself in nature. A friend invited me along on hikes, and little by little, I developed an appreciation for it. But even then, I saw hiking mostly as an activity, a challenge, something to do with friends. I never saw it as healing. Not until the TMB.

On the third day of the hike, crossing into Italy over the Col de la Seigne, something happened that I wasn’t expecting. I reached the top of the climb and stopped. There was a huge valley, mountains on both sides as far as I could see. As I started the descent, taking one step in front of the other, immersing myself in all of it – suddenly, looking at the sprinkle of flowers here and there – deep emotions resurfaced. Feelings I’d been carrying for months.

I stopped. I knelt down. And I let some grief out. This huge, breathtaking valley, and I, grieving in the middle of it. It was one of the most healing experiences of my life. And I was able to continue lighter, brighter for the trail ahead.

Nature doesn’t judge. It doesn’t rush you. It just holds the space and lets you feel what you need to feel. That’s when I understood what my friend meant, that it would be good for me. This is what the trail does: it grounds you. It doesn’t fix anything. But it gives you something to hold on to, to stand on.

I finished the TMB ten days later. I walked back into Chamonix lighter than I’d left. Not because my problems had disappeared, they hadn’t. But because I’d been reminded that I was still capable. Still moving. Still here.

Since then, I’ve hiked the Alta Via 1 in the Italian Dolomites. This summer I’m doing the Walker’s Haute Route from Chamonix to Zermatt, fourteen days through the Swiss Alps.

I want to share my story to encourage people to get outdoors and experience nature. Because I want to be for someone else what my friend was for me. The voice that says: “Go. It will be good for you”

Nature always has your back. I’m living proof.

¡Vamos!

Richard “Flaco” Flores is a Latino hiker based in Portland, Oregon. He grew up in Los Angeles with no access to the outdoors and discovered hiking as an adult — and eventually as a lifeline. He documents his hikes on YouTube and Instagram at Andar con el Flaco, creating content for the Latino outdoor community in English and Spanish. This summer he’ll be doing the Walker’s Haute Route from Chamonix to Zermatt through the Swiss Alps.

Doors to the Outdoors

por Yoriko Richards Carreón

“Girls can be what they can see” is such an important concept. By opening up opportunities for ourselves, we also open doors of possibility for others.

I didn’t grow up with a life outdoors. I started exploring more when I was in college and living near the mountains. I fell in love with the wind, water, and tall pines. What started as once-a-month hikes slowly became weekly adventures. The outdoors healed me during a time when I felt a lot of anxiety and uncertainty in my life.

That love eventually led me to a job supporting outdoor programs. In many ways, that work healed something in me that I didn’t even realize needed attention. During my first week, I attended my very first women of color snowshoe hike.

I was scared and intimidated. What if I can’t keep up? What if they realize I don’t know what I’m doing? What if… and the thoughts kept going. I came into the event already imagining reasons to cancel.

Everything changed once we started walking and talking.

Every woman there was experiencing snowshoeing for the first time too. That immediately made me feel more comfortable with my own fears. If I was going to be scared, I could still do it scared. The staff was knowledgeable, encouraging, and made sure we felt safe and supported.

There was so much joy in watching people experience snowshoeing, or even the outdoors in community, for the first time. So much laughter, learning, and warmth. Watching everyone else shifted my mindset. Trying new things didn’t have to feel so intimidating.

That experience inspired me to keep pushing myself to try new outdoor activities. Now I trail run, backpack, and camp. All things that once felt intimidating are now part of my regular yearly rhythm.

A couple of years ago, I shared this story during a Latina meetup. Right away, people started asking me for tips, places to go, and how to get started outdoors. That was the moment I realized how powerful representation can be. By getting past my own fears and opening doors for myself, I could help make the outdoors feel less intimidating for someone else too.

I always say: you never know who is watching, who is being inspired, or who needed to see someone like them in a space they once felt they didn’t belong in.

Sometimes simply showing up is enough to help someone else believe they can too.