Event Recap: Cocktails & Conservation in New Mexico

Last week, HECHO hosted two events -- one in Santa Fe and one in Las Cruces, New Mexico -- as part of our ongoing Cocktails & Conservation networking and education series. The HECHO Cocktails & Conservation series unites community members to learn about important public lands and conservation issues with a cocktail (or mocktail) in hand.

This time around, we celebrated the completion of a long-term project in the Upper Rio Grande by screening our new short film project: Nuestra Agua, Nuestro Futuro. For the past year, HECHO has been collaborating with the National Wildlife Federation on a four-part assessment of the Upper Rio Grande. This assessment looks at the Upper Rio Grande watershed through the lenses of policy, institution, ecology, and the social aspects of the area. HECHO’s part in this work has been to capture the social and cultural connections to the watershed in the San Luis Valley of Colorado and Northern New Mexico. Alongside the final report that will come out of this work is a short video that illustrates the many compelling stories that we heard from the community. The film will be uploaded to our webpage at the conclusion of all pre-screening events.

While the main objective of our events was to share our short film, Cocktails & Conservation provides an opportunity for the many supporters and members of HECHO to gather together and build community with people who share the same passions. We were joined by members of HECHO’s Advisory Board and members of our Hispanic Conservation Leadership Council (HCLC), a first-of-its-kind network of Hispanic and Hispanic-serving elected, appointed, and community leaders across the West. Our HCLC members prioritize the conservation of public lands and waters and climate in their decision-making and community advocacy efforts.

Additionally, participants had the opportunity to explore issues that are extremely relevant to their communities, such as wildfires, and water quality, quantity, and usage. Over the past month, wildfires have been burning across New Mexico, devastating people’s homes, the land, and watersheds. The fires have severe implications for people right now, but we also know that the long-term effects of fire are just as dire. We are reaching a critical point with our planet, and HECHO’s work will ensure that the Hispanic community is at the forefront of decisions made that will affect us. You can keep up with our work by subscribing to our newsletter, becoming a HECHO Advocacy Network member, and reading more about our work on the Upper Rio Grande.

Thank you to all that were able to make it out to our events to celebrate our work.