ACTION ALERT: On Tuesday, January 30 at 2pm ET, the House Natural Resources Committee will have a hearing on H.R. 4532 – a bill which WOULD ELIMINATE BEARS EARS NATIONAL MONUMENT. Please join HECHO in standing with the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Commission's five sovereign tribal nations, including the Navajo Nation, the Hopi Tribe, the Pueblo of Zuni, the Ute Tribe, and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, in saying NO TO H.R. 4532.
Read MoreRead the story of Rose Ann Contreras Atherton, whose second home is the outdoors - plus her favorite wild game green chili recipe! "Every Thursday night, like clockwork, my husband, son and I pack up our Fifth Wheel and prepare to head out into the woods the next day," she writes. "During hunting season, we drive a few hours away to our favorite spots looking for deer, elk, and wild turkey. I love the outdoors. I love the smell. I love that you can go for a walk for hours and you see something different every second. You don’t have to answer to anybody. I can’t even tell you the last time I stayed in a motel – it’s been years."
Read MoreHECHO condemns yesterday's announcement by President Trump that he intends to roll back protections of more public lands than ever before in our history by reducing Utah’s Bears Ears National Monument by 85% and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument by half.
Read MoreImagine if you never left your neighborhood. Imagine if you never had the opportunity to hike or camp. Imagine never having seen snow. For many urban Arizona youth, it’s an unfortunate reality. Maricopa County Supervisor Steve Gallardo Is an active advocate for these kids because he knows that experiencing the great outdoors has a beneficial impact on a child’s development. Here, he shares his story. (Plus you'll see photos of Free Fishing Day that Supervisor Gallardo organized along with HECHO on October 7!)
Read MoreRead what Utah State Representative and HECHO Board Member Rebecca Chavez-Houck had to say about President Trump's upcoming visit to Utah, and plans to shrink our beloved National Monuments. This article originally appeared as an op-ed in Utah's Deseret News on November 23, 2017.
Read MoreThe Administration is threatening to delay the BLM's Methane Waste Rule, which took six years to develop with a variety of stakeholder input. HECHO is not opposed to extracting oil and gas, but we are opposed to wasting precious, natural resources. This goes against our Hispanic heritage of conservation and our ancestral values of respecting what the Earth provides for us. Read HECHO's full statement to the Administration here.
Read MoreIn honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, we asked people on Facebook to share their favorite family memories of outdoor activities, and to post a photo if they could. The response was incredible and confirmed what HECHO proudly represents – the centuries old cultural connection of Hispanics to our public lands. Not only do Hispanics enjoy camping, hunting and the outdoors, for centuries, Hispanics have worked the land, provided sustenance for their families from the land and have been stewards of the land.
Read MoreSaturday, September 30 is National Public Lands Day (NPLD)! Entrance fees will be waived on all federal public lands and many state parks, including some monuments, wildlife refuges, forests, grasslands, marine sanctuaries, lakes, and reservoirs. (Please check with your local parks to confirm!) These special places belong to all of us. They are testaments to our nation’s diverse heritage, recreational resources unparalleled in beauty, and economic engines for local communities.
Read MoreHECHO (Hispanics Enjoying Camping, Hunting and the Outdoors) eagerly awaits the public release of Secretary Zinke’s report detailing his recommendations to change a handful of monuments. Which monuments will be reduced in size and by how much is unclear, as the Administration has yet to release the full report to the public.
Read MoreHECHO Board Member Kent Salazar speaks out about the importance of New Mexico's national monuments as we await Secretary Zinke's review. Please read his op-ed in the Santa Fe New Mexican.
Read MoreOn July 28 U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) joined Senators Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and Dean Heller (R-Nev.) to introduce a bipartisan resolution that supports the commitment of the Latino community to engage in conservation efforts. The resolution recognizes the contributions of the Latino community to conservation and wildlife protection and urges increased access to public lands for all Americans.
Read MoreMost people think of Nevada as the home of the Las Vegas strip – and that’s it. But, there’s so much more to explore in the state. From high alpine wilderness to the floor of the Mojave desert, Nevada is a state of incredible natural diversity known around the world as an exceptional outdoor recreation destination. And the landscape of the state provides a lot more than just recreation and relaxation: it’s also a vital part of the economy, culture, and history.
Read MoreLast week was Latino Conservation Week, when hundreds of events took place around the country to celebrate and honor Hispanics’ ancestral connections to the outdoors and stewardship of the land. No other event exemplifies this more than the clean-up of High Point canyon in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of Northern New Mexico. The event was spearheaded by HECHO Advisory Board Chairman Rock Ulibarri, whose family has lived in the Las Vegas area for seven generations, along with HECHO Advisory Board member Kent Salazar, volunteers from Hermit's Peak Watershed Alliance, Casa Cultura, San Miguel County, and more.
Read MoreACTION ALERT: Let Secretary Zinke know you that you support keeping Bears Ears National Monument in place. Take 5 minutes to submit your comments online...
Read MoreWe have a very rich history and a very strong connection to the land. Some people see the land as the topography, the boundaries, maybe mineral rights, a place to exploit. We see the land as where my father was born, where the blood from his umbilical cord soaked into this earth. We have a connection to the land. We have herencia and querencia and querencia is a love for the land.
Read More“We applaud the Senate for recognizing that this common sense rule should stay in place to cut the waste of publicly owned resources and save millions of taxpayer dollars,” said Camilla Simon, Executive Director of HECHO. “We are grateful to the U.S. Senators who voted for taxpayers and who value our public lands.”
Read MoreMy experiences growing up not only taught me to respect the land, it also taught me the importance of getting out there. You care more about protecting our land and water when you have a personal relationship with them. Now, I bring that to my work as county supervisor and I organize events that will get the community involved in outdoor recreation.
Read MoreThe Next 100 Coalition urges the Administration and Congress to use this review to consider what additional designations are necessary to fill in missing elements of our national narrative, as well as represent a future that respects all cultures and engages all people.
Read MoreCongress’s effort to rollback the Natural Gas Waste rule would allow the waste of America’s energy resources and more pollution such as ozone that can trigger asthma attacks and worsen emphysema. The BLM’s Natural Gas Waste Rule is widely supported by local officials, businesses, landowners, Latino organizations, taxpayer groups, and others across the U.S. Call your Senator now!
Read MoreMy family’s been living in the San Francisco Peaks area for three generations and the forest is everything to us. All my life my family would tell stories of the time they spent out on the land. One of my grandfathers was a logger and spent his entire career in the forest. There’s even a legend about a huge mule deer buck my grandpa got at Schultz Pass back in the 40’s. Personally, I’m an avid bow hunter, hiker, and mountain biker. I’m out there all the time. I even combine my mountain biking and hunting, since most of the forest is closed to cars.
Read More
