Latino communities in Arizona are facing a series of crises — the severe public health ramifications associated with COVID-19, the ensuing economic devastation, the dire threat of climate change, and historic racial inequities. While each crisis requires unique solutions, they are undoubtedly intertwined and clearly being felt first and worst among communities of color.

Poll reveals policy opportunities for new administration and Congress on public land conservation 

COLORADO SPRINGS—Colorado College’s 11th annual State of the Rockies Project Conservation in the West Poll released today showed a marked increase for Latino voters in levels of support for conservation, with voters in the Mountain West calling for bold action to protect nature as a new administration and Congress consider their public lands agendas. 

The poll, which surveyed the views of voters in eight Mountain West states (Ariz., Colo., Idaho, Mont., Nev., N.M., Utah, and Wyo.), on pressing issues involving public lands, waters and climate change. The poll found 61 percent of voters are concerned about the future of nature, meaning land, water, air, and wildlife. Despite trying economic conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic, Latinos’ level of concern for things like loss of habitat for fish and wildlife, inadequate water supplies, pollution in the air and water, the loss of pollinators, uncontrollable wildfires, and climate change outpaced the overall level of concern about unemployment.

“Latinos are continuing to show their strong support for climate action and concern in environmental issues affecting their communities,” said Maite Arce, president and CEO of Hispanic Access Foundation. “The new administration is bringing new opportunities for conservation and climate, to fill the gaps that Latinos and other communities of color face in the outdoors and in the realm of environmental justice.” 

Western Latinos’ heightened concerns about their natural landscapes are matched with strong consensus behind proposals to conserve and protect the country’s outdoors.

• 83 percent of Latinos support setting a national goal of conserving 30 percent of land and waters in America by the year 2030, which was recently announced in an Executive Order by the new Biden administration. 
• 81 percent of Latinos support making public lands a net-zero source of carbon pollution, meaning that the positive impacts of forests and lands to create clean air are greater than the carbon pollution caused by oil and gas development or mining. 
• 83 percent of Latinos support gradually transitioning to 100 percent of our energy being produced from clean, renewable sources like solar, wind, and hydropower over the next ten to fifteen years. 
• 75 percent of Latinos support restoring national monument protections to lands in the West which contain archaeological and Native American sites, but also have oil, gas, and mineral deposits.
• 93 percent of Latinos support creating new national parks, national monuments, national wildlife refuges, and tribal protected areas to protect historic sites or outdoor recreation areas, in part because 72 percent of Latino voters believe those types of protected public lands help the economy in their state. 
• 93 percent of Latinos of voters in the West agree that despite state budget problems, we should still find money to protect their state’s land, water, and wildlife. 

Conservation intersects with equity concerns

The poll broke new ground this year in examining the intersection of race with views on conservation priorities. Results were separated by responses from Black, Latino, and Native American voters, along with combined communities of color findings. The poll included an oversample of Black and Native American voters in the region in order to speak more confidently about the view of those communities.   

The poll found notably higher percentages of Black voters, Latino voters, and Native American voters to be concerned about climate change, pollution of rivers, lakes, and streams, and the impact of oil and gas drilling on our land, air, and water. The poll also found higher levels of support within communities of color for bold conservation policies like the 30 percent conservation by 2030 effort, transitioning to one hundred percent renewable energy, and making public lands a net-zero source of carbon pollution. 

Furthermore, the poll showed a desire by strong majorities of Western voters for equitable access to public lands and to ensure local communities are heard. 73 percent of voters in the West support directing funding to ensure adequate access to parks and natural areas for lower-income people and communities of color that have disproportionately lacked them. 83 percent of voters in the West support ensuring that Native American tribes have greater input into decisions made about areas within national public lands that contain sites sacred to or culturally important to their tribe.

Sights on a cleaner and safer energy future on public lands
With oil and gas drilling taking place on half of America’s public lands, Western voters are well aware of the harmful impacts and want to ensure their public lands are protected and safe. 95 percent of Latino voters support requiring oil and gas companies to use updated equipment and technology to prevent leaks of methane gas and other pollution into the air and 90 percent support requiring oil and gas companies to pay for all of the clean-up and land restoration costs after drilling is finished.

Asked about what policymakers should place more emphasis on in upcoming decisions around public lands, 77 percent of Latino Western voters pointed to conservation efforts and recreational usage, compared to 21 percent who preferred energy production. 

Nearly three-fourths of all Western voters want to significantly curb oil and gas development on public lands. 70 percent of Latinos think that oil and gas development should be strictly limited 12 percent of Latino voters say it should be stopped completely. That is compared to 25 percent of voters in the West who would like to expand oil and gas development on public lands. 

Growing support for water and wildlife protections

The level of concern among Westerners around water and wildlife issues is growing. 52 percent of voters (63 percent latinos) in the West say loss of habitat for fish and wildlife is an extremely or very serious problem in their state, which represents a sharp increase compared to 38 percent in 2011 and 44 percent in 2020. 66 percent of Latino voters in the West believe the loss of pollinators is an extremely or very serious problem. 54 percent of voters in the West also say pollution of rivers, lakes, and streams is an extremely or very serious problem in their state, up from 42 percent in 2011 and 54 percent in 2020.

This is the eleventh consecutive year Colorado College has gauged the public’s sentiment on public lands and conservation issues. The 2021 Colorado College Conservation in the West Poll is a bipartisan survey conducted by Republican pollster Lori Weigel of New Bridge Strategy and Democratic pollster Dave Metz of Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin, Metz & Associates.

The poll surveyed at least 400 registered voters in each of eight Western states (Ariz., Colo., Idaho, Mont., Nev., N.M., Utah, and Wyo.) for a total 3,842-voter sample, which included an over-sample of Black and Native American voters. The survey was conducted between January 2-13, 2021 and the effective margin of error is +2.2% at the 95% confidence interval for the total sample; and at most +4.8% for each state. The full survey and individual state surveys are available on the State of the Rockies website.

Latinos Muestran Preocupación Por la Naturaleza, Apoyo Bipartidista Continua para la Conservación en la Undécima Encuesta Anual de Conservación en el Oeste

La encuesta revela oportunidades políticas para la nueva administración y el Congreso sobre conservación de tierras públicas

COLORADO SPRINGS—Colorado College’s undécima annual State of the Rockies Project Conservation in the West Poll publicada hoy mostró un marcado aumento para los votantes latinos en los niveles de apoyo a la conservación, y los votantes en Mountain West pidieron acciones audaces para proteger la naturaleza ahora que una nueva administración y el Congreso consideran sus agendas de tierras públicas.

La encuesta, que examinó las opiniones de los votantes en ocho estados de Mountain West (Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Mont., Nev., N.M., Utah y Wyo.), sobre cuestiones urgentes que involucran tierras públicas, aguas y cambio climático. La encuesta encontró que el 61 por ciento de los votantes están preocupados por el futuro de la naturaleza, es decir, tierra, agua, aire y la vida silvestre. A pesar de las difíciles condiciones económicas durante la pandemia de COVID-19, el nivel de preocupación de los latinos por cosas como la pérdida de hábitat para los peces y la vida silvestre, suministros de agua inadecuados, contaminación en el aire y el agua, la pérdida de polinizadores, incendios forestales incontrolables y el cambio climático superó el nivel general de preocupación por el desempleo.

“Los latinos continúan mostrando su firme apoyo a la acción climática y su preocupación por los problemas ambientales que afectan a sus comunidades”, dijo Maite Arce, presidenta y directora ejecutiva de Hispanic Access Foundation. “La nueva administración está brindando nuevas oportunidades para la conservación y el clima, para llenar las brechas que enfrentan los latinos y otras comunidades de color al aire libre y en el ámbito de la justicia ambiental.”

Las mayores preocupaciones de los latinos occidentales sobre sus paisajes naturales se combinan con un fuerte consenso detrás de las propuestas para conservar y proteger el aire libre del país.

• El 83 por ciento de los latinos apoya el establecimiento de una meta nacional de conservar el 30 por ciento de la tierra y las aguas en Estados Unidos para el año 2030, que fue anunciada recientemente en una Orden Ejecutiva por la nueva administración de Biden.
• El 81 por ciento de los latinos apoya que las tierras públicas sean una fuente neta cero de contaminación por carbono, lo que significa que los impactos positivos de los bosques y las tierras para crear aire limpio son mayores que la contaminación por carbono causada por el desarrollo de petróleo y gas o la minería.
• El 83 por ciento de los latinos apoya la transición gradual para que el 100 por ciento de nuestra energía se produzca a partir de fuentes limpias y renovables como la energía solar, eólica e hidroeléctrica durante los próximos diez a quince años.
• El 75 por ciento de los latinos apoyan la restauración de la protección de los monumentos nacionales en las tierras del oeste que contienen sitios arqueológicos y de nativos americanos, pero también tienen depósitos de petróleo, gas y minerales.
• El 93 por ciento de los latinos apoya la creación de nuevos parques nacionales, monumentos nacionales, refugios nacionales de vida silvestre y áreas protegidas tribales para proteger sitios históricos o áreas de recreación al aire libre, en parte porque el 72 por ciento de los votantes latinos cree que esos tipos de tierras públicas protegidas ayudan a la economía en su estado.
• El 93 por ciento de los votantes latinos en el oeste están de acuerdo en que a pesar de los problemas presupuestarios estatales, aún deberíamos encontrar dinero para proteger la tierra, el agua y la vida silvestre de su estado.

La Conservación se Cruza con Preocupaciones de Equidad

La encuesta abrió nuevos caminos este año al examinar la intersección de la raza con las opiniones sobre las prioridades de conservación. Los resultados se separaron por las respuestas de los votantes afroamericano, latinos y nativos americanos, junto con las comunidades combinadas de hallazgos de color. La encuesta incluyó una sobremuestra de votantes afroamericanos y nativos americanos en la región para poder hablar con más confianza sobre la opinión de esas comunidades.

La encuesta encontró porcentajes notablemente más altos de votantes afroamericanos, latinos y votantes nativos americanos preocupados por el cambio climático, la contaminación de ríos, lagos y arroyos, y el impacto de la perforación de petróleo y gas en nuestra tierra, aire y agua. La encuesta también encontró niveles más altos de apoyo dentro de las comunidades de color para políticas de conservación audaces como el esfuerzo de conservación del 30 por ciento para 2030, la transición al cien por ciento de energía renovable y hacer de las tierras públicas una fuente neta cero de contaminación por carbono.

Además, la encuesta mostró el deseo de una gran mayoría de votantes en el oeste de un acceso equitativo a las tierras públicas y de asegurar que las comunidades locales sean escuchadas. El 73 por ciento de los votantes en el oeste apoyan la asignación de fondos para garantizar un acceso adecuado a los parques y áreas naturales para las personas de bajos ingresos y las comunidades de color que los han carecido de manera desproporcionada. El 83 por ciento de los votantes en Occidente apoyan garantizar que las tribus nativas americanas tengan una mayor participación en las decisiones tomadas sobre áreas dentro de las tierras públicas nacionales que contienen sitios sagrados o culturalmente importantes para su tribu.

Vistas hacia un futuro energético más limpio y seguro en tierras públicas
Con la perforación de petróleo y gas que se lleva a cabo en la mitad de las tierras públicas de Estados Unidos, los votantes en el oeste son muy conscientes de los impactos dañinos y quieren garantizar que sus tierras públicas estén protegidas y seguras. El 95 por ciento de los votantes latinos apoya que se requiera que las compañías de petróleo y gas utilicen equipos y tecnología actualizados para evitar fugas de gas metano y otra contaminación en el aire y el 90 por ciento apoya que las compañías de petróleo y gas paguen por los gastos de toda la limpieza y restauración de la tierra después de terminar la perforación.

Cuando se les preguntó en qué deberían poner más énfasis los legisladores en las próximas decisiones sobre tierras públicas, el 77 por ciento de los votantes latinos en el oeste señalaron los esfuerzos de conservación y el uso de recreación, en comparación con el 21 por ciento que prefirió la producción de energía.

Casi tres cuartas partes de todos los votantes occidentales quieren frenar significativamente el desarrollo de petróleo y gas en tierras públicas. El 70 por ciento de los latinos piensan que el desarrollo de petróleo y gas debería limitarse estrictamente. El 12 por ciento de los votantes latinos dice que debería detenerse por completo. Eso se compara con el 25 por ciento de los votantes en el oeste a quienes les gustaría expandir el desarrollo de petróleo y gas en tierras públicas.

Creciente apoyo para la protección del agua y la vida silvestre

El nivel de preocupación entre los occidentales por los problemas del agua y la vida silvestre está aumentando. El 52 por ciento de los votantes (63 por ciento latinos) en el oeste dicen que la pérdida de hábitat para los peces y la vida silvestre es un problema extremadamente o muy serio en su estado, lo que representa un fuerte aumento en comparación con el 38 por ciento en 2011 y el 44 por ciento en 2020. 66 por ciento de los votantes latinos en el oeste creen que la pérdida de polinizadores es un problema extremadamente o muy serio. El 54 por ciento de los votantes en el oeste también dice que la contaminación de ríos, lagos y arroyos es un problema extremadamente o muy grave en su estado, en comparación con el 42 por ciento en 2011 y el 54 por ciento en 2020.

Este es el undécimo año consecutivo en que Colorado College ha evaluado el sentimiento del público sobre las tierras públicas y los temas de conservación. La encuesta 2021 Colorado College Conservation in the West Poll es una encuesta bipartidista realizada por la encuestadora republicana Lori Weigel de New Bridge Strategy y el encuestador demócrata Dave Metz de Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin, Metz & Associates.

La encuesta encuestó al menos a 400 votantes registrados en cada uno de los ocho estados del oeste (Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Mont., Nev., NM, Utah y Wyoming) para una muestra total de 3.842 votantes, que incluyó una sobre- muestra de votantes negros y nativos americanos. La encuesta se realizó entre el 2 y el 13 de enero de 2021 y el margen de error efectivo es de + 2.2% en el intervalo de confianza del 95% para la muestra total; y como máximo + 4.8% para cada estado. La encuesta completa y las encuestas estatales individuales están disponibles en el State of the Rockies website.

On January 27, 2021, President Joe Biden took executive action to take immediate steps to address the climate crisis and protect our health and environment from its most catastrophic impacts. Biden’s executive action included:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, President Joe Biden took executive action to take immediate steps to address the climate crisis and protect our health and environment from its most catastrophic impacts. Biden’s executive action included:

While the political world has been tumultuous lately, one takeaway stands out among the chaos. More and more, we see the importance of the role grassroots organizers and movers play in shaping our nation’s democracy and motivating our communities.

We’ve seen the power of the people unfold for the better and for the worse, but by the will of the people. And it is people who cannot be forgotten as we enter a new administration and renew our calls for environmental and climate action. 

Last year and 2021 have challenged our democracy as we know it, from our routines, daily existences and our preconceived notions of safety. As a nation, we’ve lived through more historical firsts than we ever expected, including the pandemic hitting and hurting the most vulnerable communities, record years for climate-fueled hurricanes and wildfires, followed by the response of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement to years of police brutality and subsequent civil uprising. 

As we look forward to a new administration and the new challenges and conversations to be had, this fact will remain at the forefront: the catalyst for change at higher levels, more often than not, is grassroots organizing. The organizations and community leaders spearheading these efforts should be heard and involved at all levels of change conversations, including in the Biden administration and Congress. 

These events as a whole have shed light on the intersectionality of the issues facing our country. Health crises and health disparities, climate inequalities, the Nature Gap and systemic racism work in tandem with each other. The Nature Gap: Confronting Racial and Economic Disparities in the Destruction and Protection of Nature in America, of which I am a co-author, along with Jenny Rowland-Shea from the Center of American Progress, refers to the lack of parks, nature and green space in communities of color and low-income communities. The Nature Gap is an example of an intersecting issue that has resulted from centuries of land theft and discrimination. The Nature Gap has left a legacy of poorer health and COVID-19 severity, higher stress levels, worse educational outcomes, lack of recreation and business opportunities and greater vulnerability to extreme heat and flooding in these nature-deprived neighborhoods. 

It’s increasingly evident that these issues must be addressed across sectors, including exploring the history and origin of these systems. In our work as conservationists, we can’t think about creating an inclusive outdoors without addressing the police brutality against the Black community — daily — in public spaces. We can’t protect land without acknowledging that  unaffordable housing leads to the sprawl that eats away at those lands. We can’t close the Nature Gap, unless we recognize that, without a solution to poverty, “green” gentrification could push out the families that need parkland the most. We can’t address wildfires without acknowledging the sovereignty of the Tribal nations who were managing them for centuries before 1492. We can’t have public buy-in for decisions based on climate science if the public does not have a scientific education. When environmentalists only think in terms of environmental benefits without the larger social context, every step we take will lead to a backslide. The same is true for trying to make change in every field.

We must focus our efforts on environmental justice — policies and investments that uplift marginalized communities, confront exclusion and discrimination. From addressing poverty to affordable housing, labor rights, education, infrastructure, criminal justice reform and health care. 

Grassroots organizations have worked to address these issues not in isolation, but as pieces of one very large puzzle. These organizations and the communities they serve act as the bridges where these issues intersect. For years, grassroots organizations serving disenfranchised communities have worked collaboratively to create sustainable change for the benefit of all members of society. The relationships that are built through grassroots efforts are personal, intentional and integral to forming long-lasting, comprehensive change at the national level. 

Moving forward into a new year, policy must reflect the importance of this intersectionality in Congress and within the Biden administration. All of us must prioritize and integrate the voices most often left unheard in our efforts for positive change in the nation.

By Shanna Edberg for The Hill. Shanna is the director of Conservation Programs at Hispanic Access Foundation. She is a longtime conservation advocate and promoter of environmental justice in the U.S. and abroad. 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, President Joe Biden took executive action to take immediate steps to address the climate crisis and protect our health and environment from its most catastrophic impacts. On his first day of presidency, Biden’s executive action included:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today on the 46th Inauguration, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were sworn into office. In response to this historic day, Hispanic Access Foundation’s President and CEO Maite Arce released the following statement: