Por Shelby Bazan, Outings Leader and Jazzari Taylor, Policy Advocate
Earlier this spring, Latino Outdoors New Mexico explored the La Cieneguilla Petroglyph Site, located within Caja del Río near Santa Fe on lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Home to an estimated 4,000 petroglyphs, the site offers a remarkable window into the region’s cultural history. The 107,000-acre Caja del Río Plateau is one of the Southwest’s most culturally and ecologically significant landscapes, containing thousands of petroglyphs, sacred sites, wildlife corridors, and lands that continue to support the traditions and lifeways of surrounding Tribal Nations and Hispano communities.
What participants expected to be a scenic hike quickly became something much more meaningful as they encountered centuries of stories etched into stone. One participant captured the experience perfectly, saying, “I thought we were going on a hike, but instead we’re in an art gallery!” Through shared discovery and conversation, participants connected with one another while developing a deeper appreciation for a landscape that continues to inspire and educate visitors today.
As participants learned about the cultural and ecological significance of Caja del Río, they also learned about ongoing efforts to protect it. Tribal Nations, local government, community members, and partner organizations like New Mexico Wild, have worked together to advance protections for this treasured landscape. In a powerful example of the connection between place and policy, New Mexico’s congressional delegation introduced the Caja del Río Protection Act in both the House and the Senate just one week after the outing to permanently protect the Caja del Río. By experiencing the landscape firsthand, participants gained a deeper understanding of why conservation matters and how community voices can help shape the future of the places they love.
The outing reflected the power of the *Latino Outdoors Outings Framework, connecting participants to the 4 P’s: People to People, Place, Process, and Policy through a single shared experience. Participants were not only introduced to the remarkable “art gallery” of petroglyphs at La Cieneguilla, but were also invited to consider what it means to protect the landscapes, wildlife, cultural resources, and communities connected to them. One participant shared that they never would have considered a hike like this before, but left with more confidence and inspired by the experience.
*The Latino Outdoors Outings Framework uses outdoor experiences to strengthen connections between people, place, process, and policy, transforming recreation into opportunities for belonging, stewardship, and advocacy.
As Latino Outdoors continues building community across the country, the Caja del Río outing offers a powerful example of how intentional outdoor experiences can spark curiosity, foster belonging, and empower people to become advocates for the places they love. We invite you to join an outing, learn more about the public lands in your community, and take action to protect them. Take Action to support permanent protections for Caja del Río and defend national monuments like Grand Staircase-Escalante. Our collective voices help shape the future of these treasured landscapes. Every voice matters, and every action helps ensure these places endure for generations to come.
As Jorge’s time on the Latino Outdoors Board comes to a close, we want to extend a heartfelt thank you.
Gracias por todo tu apoyo, tiempo y colaboración durante todos estos años. Whether it was enthusiastically supporting our fundraisers, thoughtfully contributing to LO’s strategic direction, or happily connecting with our volunteers and community members during outings, your leadership, generosity, and vision have helped Latino Outdoors in ways that will reverberate for years to come.
Since joining the LO community in 2017 and serving on the National Advisory Board since 2019, Jorge has helped guide our organization through tremendous growth while always keeping comunidad at the center. He has left a lasting mark on our community.
Congratulations on an incredible term of service, Jorge. While we will miss you on the LO Board, we’re so happy that you’re planning to stay involved as a compañero and champion for Latino Outdoors. Once part of the LO familia, always part of the familia.
¡Nos vemos en los senderos!
-Latino Outdoors
As I finish my term on the Latino Outdoors (LO) National Advisory Board this summer of 2026, after serving since September 2019, I find myself overwhelmed with gratitude y con mucho orgullo for everything we have built together. I am not going anywhere. I am still in the Bay Area and you will continue to find me outdoors. Como dice LO: once part of the LO familia, always part of the familia.
Starting in DC!
My story with LO began in 2017 when I started attending LO events with the Washington, DC/DMV chapter. I was working as a carbon scientist with an NGO (non-governmental organization), but on weekends I was searching for something else. There were enough networking events in DC, but where were the Latinos who would enjoy being outdoors, hiking, sharing food? I remember meeting Albert Arevalo at an event and then helping clean banks of the Potomac River with the LO chapter and future friends. On those weekend outings outside of working hours, I was Jorge, the norteño kid from Juarez, chatting in Spanish, English, Spanglish about the music I liked, laughing, and building comunidad with others. For the next years, we shared tamales, empanadas with Patricio, dinners at home with Jesse, listened to Chavela Vargas with Alejandro, and more.
I did not know it at the time, but that community taught me the foundation for my future as an advisory board member of LO and shaped my career path. One of the most important parts of conservation happens when we center community and create space for everyone to see themselves caring for each other, including nature.
Invitation to Join the National Advisory Board
In September 2019, just four months after moving to California and starting at Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve (‘Ootchamin ‘Ooyakma) of Stanford University, I was asked by Richard Rojas, the chair of the board at the time, to join LO’s National Advisory Board. Since then, we’ve guided the organization through the pandemic, tremendous growth in programming and staff, celebrated our 10-year anniversary in 2023, and in 2025 developed our 2025-2030 Strategic Plan refresher ensuring that Vamos Outdoors, Crecemos Outdoors, and Yo Cuento Outdoors remain strong and responsive to the LO community.
Meeting Bryan, Jennifer, and Esmeralda
When I think about what LO in California meant to me as I started my service, I immediately think of Bryan Rodriguez, Jennifer Adams, and Esmeralda Cabrera. When I moved to California and started my new job in fall 2019, they made me feel at home in a place that was new and unfamiliar. I particularly remember the hike where we got snowed in at Mt. Umunhum in November 2019 and we had chocolate caliente, tamales, and pan dulce up there. After that, Bryan and Esmeralda opened their homes to me, welcoming me to their dinner tables where we shared meals, stories, laughter, and music. In those moments, I found my little Mexico in the Bay Area and the warmth of la comunidad.
Bryan, Esmeralda, and Jennifer introduced me to more people, and I got to explore more of the Bay Area with Aurora Cortés leading many of the hikes. I invited all of them to Jasper Ridge for a hike where we were all amazed by the seeds of the Mountain mahogany (Cercocarpus betuloides). With Aurora, we organized an event in March 2022 that focused on building a network of outdoor careers. In one day, we hosted more than 50 people from SACNAS, Genentech, USFWS, UC Berkeley, SJSU, and Stanford at Jasper Ridge, connecting young professionals with career pathways in conservation.
I kept organizing these activities, always keeping in mind the volunteers and how to expand their networks as they were seeking careers in the outdoors, while also pushing outdoor employers to recognize that young diverse people were here and ready to apply for jobs. I did this as an advisory board member and I will continue doing this.
This is what LO really is: a community that practices hospitalidad, that understands welcoming someone means inviting them into your community. Bryan, Jennifer, and Esmeralda saw someone who was new and they extended their comunidad in the most personal way, helping me build a life in the Bay Area. When people ask me about LO, I tell them this story first.
National Campouts and Meeting Toda la Familia
The adventures continued. In August 2021, I floated the Sacramento River with the LO community and our founder José González. It was my first time floating a river in California, what an adventure that was! That same year, I attended the national campout at Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park in Northern California, surrounded by those ancient redwood giants and so many national volunteers, the familia that keeps LO alive. On that same trip, we visited the Redwood Rising project, a project with multiple co-benefits. The laughter and sense of belonging reinforced what I had learned with LO: this movement is about creating a support network, in our terms, a familia. I still remember that it was from this campout that volunteers asked us, the advisory board, to add a volunteer voice to the board. We listened and welcomed André Sanchez.
Bridging LO with Jasper Ridge and Greater Networks
When I became Executive Director at Jasper Ridge in October 2022, though I was busier than usual, I kept bringing everything I had learned from LO with me. At Jasper Ridge, we serve more than 5,000 educational visits each year, and every program I develop reflects similar values to LO. I developed a resources page for students that intentionally included links to LO, OutdoorAfro, ESA SEEDS, SACNAS, and other organizations supporting students from underrepresented backgrounds. I wanted to make sure that students knew that academic research and culture don’t have to be two separate choices or pathways.
One of the most meaningful moments came at the 2021 ESA virtual Annual Meeting when Bryan, Jennifer, Esmeralda, and I co-presented on bridging community organizations and academic institutions. Three incredible LO volunteers shared the stage with an academic from Stanford, demonstrating that community knowledge and academic knowledge are interconnected. I also invited them to present at Jasper Ridge’s community lecture series.
Throughout my tenure, I’ve lifted up LO in every space I enter, from national organizations like ESA, SEEDS, SACNAS, and OBFS to regional programs at UC campuses, the NSF SOAR Network, Save the Redwoods League, and community networks throughout the Bay Area. I’ve shared how LO creates welcoming spaces and provides pathways for students to see themselves in outdoor careers. I always emphasize that the mentorship that matters most often happens outside the classroom: on trails, around campfires, floating rivers, and around those picnic tables full of delicious food. That’s where transformation happens.
2026 National Campout: More Familia and New Momentum
In 2026, I attended the national LO campout at Bandelier National Monument in New Mexico with all of the LO familia. It was so refreshing to meet so many new volunteers since my last national campout. Sometimes we joke that you invite one Latino and they show up with all of their primos and primas. Well, this time it was not a joke, it was true and it was an amazing gathering! Being in the landscape with so much Indigenous and Pueblo knowledge, engaging respectfully through local Tribes, and weaving that knowledge with various activities around ecology, conservation, and advocacy led by the volunteers, reminded me once again why building collective voice with them matters. These national campouts are truly the best fiestas, celebrations of who we are and where we come from, with so much momentum building for the activities this year. Similar to 2021, I noticed the passion and momentum that the LO community has for a new initiative focused on advocacy. Keep your eyes open, LO is showing up in more ways in the outdoor space!
Gracias!
My term is ending, and I am grateful for the opportunity to make space for new voices that will strengthen this movement. If you feel called to serve, I encourage you to consider joining as a participant, volunteer, supporter, or advisory board member. Being involved with LO is deeply rewarding, and LO needs everyone’s perspective, passion, and commitment. You will continue seeing me with LO!
To every volunteer, board member, and staff person, gracias. To Albert, Jesse, Alejandro, Bryan, Jennifer, Esmeralda, Vero, Carlos, Miguel, Aurora, and every volunteer who welcomed me into your comunidad. To José, our founder, and Luis, our Executive Director, you created something that changed many lives. To Richard, Claudia, the current board, and every supporter of LO, gracias!
Nearly a decade ago, I showed up as a volunteer in DC, and LO welcomed me. A few years later, I arrived in the Bay Area alone, and LO welcomed me. I will continue to bring up LO in every conservation space and open doors for volunteers at Jasper Ridge and beyond. To anyone considering getting involved: Do it! ¡Sí se puede! You might find your comunidad, like I found my little Mexico. To the LO familia, keep going and I wish you all the best for more campouts, trails, and picnic tables full of pan dulce!
Gracias por todo, Latino Outdoors. Como dice el Chicharito: “Imaginemos cosas chingonas carajo.”
Dr. Jorge Ramos is Executive Director of Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve (‘Ootchamin ‘Ooyakma) at Stanford University. Originally from Juárez, México, he served on Latino Outdoors’ National Advisory Board (2019-2026) after volunteering since 2017. An ESA Eugene P. Odum Award recipient and California Academy of Sciences Fellow, Jorge champions research, education and conservation-centered stewardship in outdoor spaces.
Today, that message feels even more urgent. On May 18, 2026, the United States Senate confirmed Steve Pearce as Director of the Bureau of Land Management despite widespread opposition and concerns from conservation organizations, outdoor advocates, Tribal communities, and public lands supporters. The confirmation serves as a reminder that protecting public lands requires us to come together across districts, landscapes, and communities, from the mountains of Southern California to the deserts of the American West, and remain engaged in the decisions that shape their future.
Last month, Latino Outdoors joined partners from the Conservation Lands Foundation and Protect CA Deserts Coalition at a community event in Crestline, California, where we connected with nearly 250 residents, visitors, business owners, and community leaders. Through advocacy activation and outreach, local residents and business owners expressed interest in becoming public lands champions and in participating in future conversations with policymakers. Their message was clear: public lands matter to the communities, economies, and identities of the places they call home.
Crestline, CA (Lake Gregory)
From the U.S. Forest Service-managed forests surrounding Lake Arrowhead and Crestline to the Bureau of Land Management deserts that define much of California’s 23rd Congressional District, public lands support tourism, outdoor recreation, local businesses, and quality of life. The San Bernardino National Forest alone attracts nearly 2 million visitors annually and generates approximately $145 million in visitor spending (U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region, 2020). Together, these mountain and desert landscapes serve as both economic engines and treasured public resources.
That is why accountability matters! Congressman Jay Obernolte (CD23) recently told his constituents, “We need to support the people who keep our parks running and protect this incredible asset for our community.” We agree.
Public lands depend on people, and effective stewardship requires elected leaders who ensure federal agencies remain transparent and responsive to the communities they serve. As the Bureau of Land Management enters a new chapter under Director Pearce, we encourage Congressman Obernolte and California’s congressional delegation to champion public lands and exercise strong oversight on behalf of the residents, businesses, and communities that depend on them.
“As a local media agency, I support many small businesses in the San Bernardino Mountains communities. My job is to use media to bring them more business. Our local businesses are overwhelmingly unique and charming. Our town is not inundated with chains and strip malls. I see firsthand how our lakes, the expansive trees, and minimal noise / light pollution are a strong draw for tourists. As the manager of The Market at Lake Gregory, which supports +30 vendors, half of our customers are not local. It is so important that we prioritize our natural resources, as they have a direct effect on the success of our local businesses.” – Alex Hancook, Company: Digital Nomad Video
We call on Representative Jay Obernolte to publicly uphold these commitments by cosponsoring H.R. 8523, the Public Lands Workforce Stability Act, to stop the firings and protect the public workers who steward our public lands. At Latino Outdoors, we believe that public lands belong to all of us. Protecting them requires more than appreciation. It requires participation. It requires leadership. And it requires holding decision makers accountable for the choices they make on behalf of current and future generations.
Call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask to be connected to their office.
When you call or write, you can say:
“I’m a constituent from [city or community], and I’m asking you to fully fund our public land agencies, including the U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, and Bureau of Land Management.”
“Please protect our public lands from budget cuts, staffing shortages, and efforts that would weaken long-term conservation and public access.”
“Our communities depend on these lands for jobs, recreation, tourism, culture, and connection. I urge you to support strong stewardship and oversight of our public lands.”
At Latino Outdoors, we know that telling our stories is only part of the work. Acting on them and holding our elected officials accountable is how we protect the places that connect us all.
