Blog: Upholding New Mexico’s Multilingual Tradition by Translating the New Mexico Game and Fish Department’s Hunting Rules and Information Booklet in Spanish

New Mexico has always been a culturally diverse, multilingual state, and in 1911, after Mexico had ceded the state to the U.S., a provision was included in the New Mexico Constitution calling for all laws to be published in Spanish and English. Additionally, the state’s Constitution specified that no citizen would be restricted or denied the right to vote, to hold office or serve on juries, or to go to public school if they were not able to speak, read or write English or Spanish. Public school teachers were also to be trained to be bilingual.

Today, as the state with the highest per capita population of Hispanic residents and with the greatest percentage of Spanish speakers, translation of key documents rightly contributes to the state’s equity, fairness, and inclusivity. This should continue to be the dominant norm of our social fabric.

URGadminJanuary 12, 2022Blog, Traditional Land Uses, Environmental Justice (EJ), Hunting, Fishing, New Mexico, Max Trujillo, Kent SalazarComment

Statement: Cerro de la Olla Designation, an Opportunity to Cultivate Legacy of Stewardship

Last week, Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernández introduced the Cerro de la Olla Wilderness Establishment Act to the House of Representatives that would designate 13,103 acres within the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument in northern New Mexico as Cerro De La Olla Wilderness.

Press Release: Practicing cultural traditions on public lands safely should be right for all vs. privilege for few

Albuquerque, New Mexico (December 27, 2020) -- Following the holiday at Petroglyph National Monument, a Navajo and Oneida man named Darrell House was repeatedly tased by a National Park Service ranger for stepping off-trail to maintain social distancing protocols when he noticed a crowd walking in his direction.

The site plays an important role for Indigenous people, and was designated after Native American activists sought to protect the stone carvings from vandalism and land development. House visited the national monument to pray before the petroglyphs, and to collect earth for ceremonies.

Event Recap: Holiday Cocktails & Conservation

Nearly 25 people joined HECHO on Tuesday, December 15 for our Holiday Cocktails & Conservation event to hear stories of traditions rooted in our Hispano cultural connection to the land. Enjoying a demonstration of our event’s signature drink, Abuelita Hot Cocoa with Kahlua, participants also engaged in a conversation regarding special memories and traditions that take place for many Hispano people during the Christmas season.

A newly formed tradition for HECHO, Holiday Cocktails & Conservation opened dialogue for community members to share their own cultural traditions around the Holidays. Sisters Juliana and Theresa Huereña demonstrated their family recipe of mince-meat empanadas made of game meat from hunting and pinyons traditionally gathered from forest trees. Founding Board Member, Kent Salazar, shared his seasonal hunting tradition, and community member, Steve Peru shared a beautiful remembrance of his late mother and their special camping memories.

Guest UserDecember 28, 2020Cocktails & Conservation, Event Recap, Traditional Land Uses, Liz Archuleta, Advisory BoardComment

Event Recap: HECHO and Office of Assistant Speaker Ben Ray Luján Host Virtual Panel

Santa Fe, NM – Hispanics Enjoying Camping, Hunting, and the Outdoors (HECHO), in partnership with the Office of Assistant Speaker Ben Ray Luján, hosted a virtual event focusing on the ways in which agricultural and community stewardship can help mitigate and adapt to climate change, while highlighting traditional land-use practices though New Mexico’s traditional acequia and land grant communities.

Guest Blog: Building Community and Latinx Political Power with Arizona State Representative Raquel Terán

Growing up in Douglas, Arizona is like having a foot in two worlds. Because it straddles the United States and Mexican border, my upbringing was unique in that I grew up on what I considered an international avenue – my favorite tienditas on one side, my family on the other, and then the desert, the saguaros, watching us all.

Living in a border town means understanding economic privilege from an early age. I recognized the divide that existed, and the role that politics played in our lives. I was painfully aware of the privileges that being a U.S. Citizen awarded me, and I questioned why my neighbors weren't able to experience what my family could.

Guest Blog, HCLCGuest BloggerNovember 24, 2020Arizona, Raquel Terán, Public Lands, Environmental Justice (EJ), Traditional Land UsesComment

Guest Blog: Building Family Connection Through Time Spent Outdoors

I live on four-acres of land next to the Coronado National Forest. I love living in the boondocks. When I’m home I sit outside and have a 360-degree view of nature. I listen to the birds and it clears my mind. It gives me solace to be out here by myself. It’s relaxing, but most of all, it’s inspirational.

Guest BlogGuest BloggerOctober 27, 2020Arizona, Traditional Land Uses, Hunting, Fishing, Sportspersons, Public LandsComment

Civic Engagement: Meeting with Our Representative

Central to HECHO’s mission, is to empower Hispanic leaders to engage in the conservation of our public lands while working with local Hispanic leaders in the protection of healthy watersheds, clean air, and robust wildlife habitats to fulfill our duty to conserve and protect lands and waters for future generations.

In October, we worked with the office of U.S. Congressman Ben Ray Luján to schedule a meeting to share information about our work, and share our perspectives and stories about what we’re seeing on the ground as it relates to climate change, and other important issues. Joining the meeting with HECHO staff would be HECHO Advisory Board Chair, Rock Ulibarri; San Miguel County Commissioner for District 2, Janice Varela; Santa Fe County Commissioner for District 1, Henry Roybal; and Santa Fe County Commissioner for District 3, Rudy Garcia.

Guest Blog: Implementing Ancestral Values in the State Land Office of Stephanie Garcia Richard, New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands

My siblings and I spent our summers on the East side of New Mexico on my grandfather’s ranch. Our family called it La Garita. Those trips and my upbringing in southwest New Mexico gave me my first introduction to horses, and the beginning of a deep appreciation for the Gila National Forest that was almost in our backyard.

My mother was the eldest of 15 siblings, and she would often share with us what it was like growing up on the ranch, doing chores and pausing to take a break while my grandfather would break a watermelon on his knee for them all to share together. My family has always had a strong tie to the land, because as ranchers, nature is your livelihood…..

Guest Blog, HCLCGuest BloggerSeptember 14, 2020New Mexico, Stephanie Garcia Richard, Ranching, Traditional Land Uses, Outdoor RecreationComment

Guest Blog: Leading With A Love For the Land, Family Traditions, and Culture With Santa Fe County Commissioner Henry Roybal

My family has a long history in the Pojoaque Valley of New Mexico. Both my mother and father’s side of the family has been a part of this county for generations, dating back to the early pre-Hispanic settlers in the area. Growing up in New Mexico, I was immersed in the traditional farming community and grew up with the ranchero lifestyle.

Guest Blog: Bridging Culture, Community, and Nature: Latina Leadership Benefits Maricopa County's Parks

I’m proud to be an 8th generation Arizonan. My family has traced our long history in Arizona back to the 1740s. Both my maternal and paternal grandparents were farmworkers, tending the fields. My father was a farmworker as well.

My family settled in Pima County after an uncle bought a plot of land and invited his brothers to join.

Arizona is what I know best. I was brought up in South Phoenix, and moved after gentrification pushed us out. Afterwards, my family moved to Golden Gate Barrio. I find comfort in familiarity and today, my children go to the same elementary school I did.

Guest BlogGuest BloggerMarch 31, 2020Arizona, Picknicking, Traditional Land Uses, Outdoor Recreation, FishingComment

Event Recap: Free Family Fishing at Red Mountain Lake

HECHO (Hispanics Enjoying Camping Hunting and the Outdoors), in partnership with City of Mesa Councilmember David Luna, the Arizona Game & Fish Department, and the City of Mesa Parks and Recreation hosted the first Free Family Fishing Day of 2020 at Red Mountain Lake on February 1, 2020.

Guest UserFebruary 11, 2020Event Recap, Family Fishing Day, Fishing, Arizona, Liz Archuleta, David Luna, Traditional Land UsesComment

Blog: Six Nature-Based Activities Rooted in Tradition

For many of us, we think of nature-based activities in terms of recreational activities like camping, hiking, kayaking, birdwatching. These activities are great for exercise, connecting with family and friends, and enjoying the outdoors. However, this week we want to elevate some traditional nature-based activities that connect us to our land, water, and air in the most vital way possible.

The following nature-based are examples of how we have worked with nature to build and support thriving civilizations. These agricultural and land-based practices have played an important role in Hispanic and Latinx culture, existing through generations, and continue as traditions that many of us share today. Read on to learn more about our ancestral connections to the lands we have inhabited for centuries.

URGCamilla SimonSeptember 23, 2019Outdoor Recreation, Traditional Land Uses, Acequias, HuntingComment

Op-ed: Wildlife corridors keep our cultural traditions alive

For the past seven generations, my family has lived and cultivated the land on our property in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, with ancestors that were among the first to settle Las Vegas, New Mexico. With our back fence bordering a national forest, we are rarely indoors. Like many New Mexicans, my family enjoys the nature that surrounds us. We are avid anglers, campers, hikers and hunters.

Guest Blog: Protecting the Pecos River

I was born and raised in Pecos, New Mexico, where my family has been for several generations. I grew up eating deer meat and trout. Nature is what sustained me growing up. My father was a hunter and a fisherman, and we depended on that for our food source. We’d gather berries and pick piñon in the fall. Food gathering has always been really important to my family.

I still share the tradition of picking berries and making jelly with my family. My daughter asks me why we’re doing it since we still have leftover jelly from last year, but I tell her it’s about remembering grandma and her recipes and continuing the tradition. I want to teach my kids and grandkids about the foods that are edible in this area and how to identify them. That’s something that’s been part of my upbringing and something that’s always been important to me.

Guest BlogGuest BloggerMarch 5, 2019Janice Varela, New Mexico, Hunting, Fishing, Traditional Land Uses, Outdoor Recreation, Pollution, WaterComment

Guest Blog: Taking Care of Land and Water - The Importance of Tradition and Our Voices

I always went fishing with my grandfather and my uncles, Bernave Arellano and Virgil Lopez, who taught me how to catch trout. Both of my uncles were very respectful of the land and understood that it was important to leave it better than you found it.

Growing up in Salt Lake City, I always enjoyed the outdoors. The air felt so good to breathe and it seemed like the opportunities were endless. We were rather poor. My mother raised four kids by herself. We didn’t have a car for much of the time. When we got on the train to visit relatives, I always looked out the window at the open range where you could run fast and feel free.

Back then, my family hunted deer and elk. It’s important to realize that hunting and fishing are fun, but the best reason is to hunt to put food on the table. This is true for most Latinos. My family made jerky from the meat of the animals they killed. They would smoke the fish that we caught. Today, my relatives living in small towns in the Southwest still hunt for subsistence. A lot of these towns are food deserts and don’t have access to the best grocery stores. But through fishing and hunting you can still feed your family with good nutrition.

Guest Blog: The Land is My Life

The land has always been our life. Our dedication is to the land. We’ve always depended on the land to survive. My family were farmers and ranchers. I spent most of my summers with my grandfather, and I continue his traditions. We own pieces of land, but I don’t feel like they’re ours, only ours to take care of while were here.

Action Alert: Bears Ears National Monument Under Attack

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.

Guest Blog: The Outdoors Is My Second Home by Rose Ann Contreras Atherton (Plus my favorite wild game green chili recipe!)

Read 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."

Guest BlogGuest BloggerDecember 19, 2017Arizona, Hunting, Fishing, Traditional Land UsesComment

Blog: HECHO Eagerly Awaits Public Release of Monuments Review

HECHO (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.

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