Blog: Inspiring more Latinos to get outdoors and get involved in conservation
By Adriana Garcia, HCLC member from Arizona.
Spending time in nature was an essential part of growing up in Mexico. I remember clearly going with my family to "días de campo" every weekend. Basically, we took lunch with us and did a picnic outdoors in the little town where we lived, in Cuernavaca or other beautiful sites by the region's volcanoes.
My grandmother had a significant influence on my life, and she is the reason why I love the outdoors so much. I lived with her, and she would take me everywhere in nature every chance she had.
I was only eight years old when my family migrated to the United States. As immigrants, my parents were scared to drive outside of our neighborhood. But there was an exception: our trips to the Grand Canyon. Every year, either on Thanksgiving or Christmas, when they knew they were off from work, we would make a day trip to this icon of Arizona.
As I got older, I started returning to the outdoors more often. A good friend invited me to hike around Phoenix, which was the beginning of a new journey for me. I remember the first time I ever hiked Piestewa, and I thought I would not make it to the summit.
But the experience was freeing and liberating. That motivated me to search for more and more challenging hikes. A couple of months later, I was hooked! I hiked the difficult Flat Iron trail in Superstition Mountains near Apache Junction.
I evolved from small to big hikes and then to camping and backpacking.
Spending time outdoors and exploring different natural wonders have made my life richer and empowered me as a woman and a Latina.
Because of what the outdoors has provided me and has done for me, it has become my mission to inspire other people, especially people of color, to enjoy nature as much as I do. In the last couple of years, I have used the power of social media to share my story and adventures on Tik Tok and Instagram, encouraging them to get out there and showing them that if I can do it, they can too!
Getting outdoors and connecting to nature is very important for people to care about the environment, protect public lands for future generations, and get involved in conservation.
I feel strongly that public lands, including our national parks, should be more accessible and welcoming to Latinos so they are encouraged and inspired to enjoy all the beautiful things these spaces offer: camping, hiking, fishing, and many other opportunities.
Unfortunately, there is a big gap and issue with equity access to public lands for our community at different levels. I have experienced it first-hand. When I go out with my parents, I often need to translate the information, signs, history, and facts on placards, which should be available in English and Spanish at national parks or other public lands.
The lack of public transportation to these incredible places is an obstacle for many families. Add to that the entrance fee, which may be too expensive for some people, and high prices for accommodation inside or near some national parks. For example, when I went to Yosemite National Park and saw the luxury hotels inside the park, it was clear that these places were for a selected group. A working family would never be able to afford something like that, limiting their accommodation options and possibilities to visit it, and also making them feel, myself included, that we don’t belong there.
Besides increasing equal access to our public lands, I care deeply about environmental justice. I am especially concerned about the future of water resources in Arizona, clean air, and the health impacts of environmental issues because they disproportionately affect communities of color, Latinos, Black and Indigenous People. We must unite our voices, support each other and build multiracial coalitions.
I am proud to be part of HECHO’s Hispanic Leadership Council because it gives me a platform to advocate for issues I care about, and to connect not only with other Hispanic leaders across the southwest but also with different communities advocating for a more sustainable future where everyone feels welcome at outdoors spaces, and where human rights and Indigenous leadership are respected, and where we all have an actual seat at the table during the conservation policy decision-making process.
Follow Adriana's incredible adventures on her social media!