Featured Projects 18 December 2024

Rio Grande Valley: Addressing the Nature Gap in South Texas

Hispanic Access Foundation, Por La Creación Faith-Based Alliance members, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are working to increase equitable access to nature for Latinos and local communities near the Rio Grande Valley in the McAllen/Edinburg area in South Texas. Focusing on changing the designation of the Palmview Parcel from wildlife-only access to public access, and visitor infrastructure development of Yturria Brush.

Addressing the Nature Gap in South Texas

Latino communities in the Rio Grande Valley face a pronounced Nature Gap—limited access to parks and green spaces due to urban development and inadequate infrastructure. The Palmview Parcel, part of the Lower Rio Grande Wildlife Refuge, was originally established as a wildlife corridor but has been surrounded by urban growth, diminishing its ecological function and accessibility. Similarly, the Yturria Brush tract, a 1,800-acre upland thorn scrub habitat, remains underutilized by local residents due to a lack of awareness and welcoming infrastructure. Without intervention, these areas risk further detachment from the communities they could serve.

Palmview Parcel

The Palmview Parcel presents an opportunity to reconnect communities with nature while preserving its ecological value. The project aims to:

Redesignate the parcel from wildlife-only access to public access.
Develop an infrastructure plan in collaboration with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that includes educational resources, bilingual (Spanish and English) signage, and cultural and ecological heritage recognition.
Secure funding to implement the infrastructure plan.

Yturria Brush

The Yturria Brush tract, west of La Joya, Texas, is a vital habitat for wildlife and an ideal space for recreation and environmental education. Project goals include:

Adding shaded areas, benches, picnic tables, and interpretive signage to make the area more inviting.
Increasing awareness among local Latino communities to encourage visitation and foster a sense of ownership.

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Our People 11 December 2024

Patricia Patron

Patricia is a Senior Executive committed to advancing social justice and driving transformational change to improve the health, social well-being, and economic prosperity of vulnerable communities. With a career spanning over 18 years in executive leadership, Patricia has focused on creating trauma-informed, healing-centered, and accessible programs that are affirming and inclusive of intersectional and diverse populations. Her work is deeply rooted in racial equity and a strong understanding of the systemic barriers that prevent individuals and families from achieving well-being.

Throughout her career, Patricia has worked across sectors, including healthcare, behavioral health, community-based organizations, and human services. Prior to joining Hispanic Access, she served as Executive Director at Family HealthCare in Fargo, ND, and Outside In in Portland, OR. She has also held leadership roles such as VP of Programs at Comunidades Latinas Unidas en Servicio (CLUES) in St. Paul, MN; Deputy Director at Familias en Acción in Portland, OR; and COO at Native Health in Phoenix, AZ.
Patricia has been recognized with multiple prestigious awards, including the YWCA’s “2010 Woman of the Year in Advocating for Equality,” the “Latino Leadership Award for Woman of the Year” from Mujeres Unidas/Women United for outstanding community leadership, and the “Star Award” from the Dakota Medical Foundation for positively impacting the health of people in North Dakota.

Originally from Colombia, Patricia now lives in Chaska, Minnesota. She is a proud mother of two young adults, a pet parent to three senior dogs, and enjoys long morning walks, biking, yoga, and experimenting with new recipes alongside her husband.

Why she works for Hispanic Access…

"I'm passionate about the work Hispanic Access advances. The organization's commitment to uplifting Latino lives and voices by opening doors to opportunities and supporting transformational partnerships leading to wellness, prosperity, civic engagement, and social wellbeing for my community fills my heart. I'm grateful to be part of a team committed to advancing equity for our Latino communities."

In her spare time…

“I love to read, spend time outdoors, walk with my dogs, and experiment in the kitchen by trying new recipes.”

Her favorite book…

“I have so many; however, a book I read recently that changed my approach to having fearless conversation in divided times that I really appreciated is "I Never Thought of it that Way" by Mónica Guzmán.”

A person she finds inspirational…

“My sister, Alexandra. She is the most selfless person I know. Always ready to listen and to give generously. She is present, kind, compassionate, the best mom and care giver. I'm grateful to have a sister who is also my best friend.”

Conservation 23 October 2024

Wildfires 2024

Our nation’s greenhouse gas emissions and resulting climate change are leading to higher temperatures, record-setting heat waves, and drier and more arid conditions in the West. These conditions matched with underfunded forest management, outdated land use policies and practices, and more people living in fire-prone areas has led to catastrophic wildfires that affect more people. Since 2000, an average of 73,200 wildfires burned an average of 6.9 million acres, a figure which has nearly doubled the average annual acreage burned in the 1990s (3.3 million acres). In 2017 alone, wildfires burned 10 million acres. In addition, a new study has found that approximately 85% of wildfires are caused by human activity and one in three houses in the US resides in the wildland urban interface (approximately 44 million homes).

These conditions are having severe consequences on communities, most significantly marginalized and vulnerable communities, such as low-income, disabled, elderly and communities of color. The effects of wildfires range from access to emergency response, disaster relief, and public and mental health services to job security, economic productivity, land use planning and affordable housing.

Latino communities are more vulnerable to experiencing these adverse effects of wildfires and Latino voters are not only aware of these impacts, but are ready for decision makers to take action to address climate change, provide more funding for forest management and community readiness, and ensure communities have access to the services they need to plan for, respond to, and recover and adapt to life with wildfires.

Exploring Latinos’ Role in U.S. Fisheries: Insights, Challenges, and Recommendations

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Research Library 03 October 2024

Exploring Latinos’ Role in U.S. Fisheries: Insights, Challenges, and Recommendations

In the face of climate and environmental crises, the ocean and fisheries sectors are facing challenges that must be addressed since fish are crucial for food security, livelihoods, biodiversity and more. Latinos and Hispanics are the largest ethnic minority in the United States - and growing. It is necessary to understand our role as Latinos in the fisheries sector and the fisheries supply chain in the United States and Puerto Rico, a topic which has quite little research dedicated to it. This paper explores the role of Latinos and Hispanics in the commercial, recreational, and subsistence fishing sectors, in an effort to understand where Latinos are engaged in this space and what challenges are faced.

About Us 02 October 2024

Texas Media Campaign Petition Letter

Sign the Letter

Last December, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized safeguards on wasteful methane emissions and other harmful pollution from the oil and gas industry. By March 2026, Texas must update its rules to align with EPA’s protections and submit a plan to EPA for approval. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is now taking comments so please sign this petition to show your support for strong methane protections in Texas!

Letter Text

Texas Commission of Environmental Quality
Executive Director Kelly Keel
Austin, TX

Subject: Implement Strong Methane Regulations in Texas for Public Health

As proud members of the Latino community in Texas, we respectfully ask for consideration of stronger protections and regulations regarding methane. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas over 80 times more powerful than carbon dioxide in trapping heat in our atmosphere in the short term, influencing climate change. As Earth’s climate continues to warm, extreme weather effects are rising across Texas. This includes record-breaking heat waves and droughts, intense wildfires, and intense storms such as tornadoes and hurricanes.

Oil and gas operations release methane and other pollutants such as ozone-forming volatile organic compounds and hazardous air pollutants such as benzene that affect the climate and health of residents in the great state of Texas. Exposure to these air pollutants can lead to serious health problems including respiratory problems such as asthma, cardiovascular problems such as heart disease, neurological damage, premature births and even cancer. Strengthening regulations will help safeguard our climate and communities, ensuring a healthier future for all.

Latinos in Texas are directly affected by the pollution resulting from leakage, venting, and flaring, as many of us live and work near oil and gas facilities. We strongly urge the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to prioritize rules to implement the EPA’s Methane Rule to improve air quality acrossTexas. Swift adoption of this rule is critical to safeguarding the health and lives of oil and gas workers, as well as the surrounding communities. Taking decisive action now will ensure a safer, healthier environment for everyone in Texas.

Let's defend and protect the health of our communities and our families, protect the air we breathe and contribute to the fight against climate change now.

The undersigned,

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Our People 01 October 2024

Juliana Rodriguez

Born in Bogotá, Colombia, Juliana (She/Her/Ella) is a bilingual conservation social scientist with almost a decade of experience in program and grants management. She began her career with a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering from Universidad de América, Colombia, where she developed her interest in Environmental sciences. Juliana completed her first MEng. in Environmental Management and Quality Assurance from EUDE Business School, Spain. Juliana embarked her American journey in Hawai’i, and after living there for two years she moved to Colorado and served as a STEM educator with AmeriCorps for four years in El Paso and Larimer Counties. This national service opportunity allowed her to develop a deep passion for community-based projects and led her to complete her second M.Sc. in Conservation leadership from Colorado State University (CSU).

In 2020 Juliana’s Op-Ed was published in a Colombian newspaper; here she wrote about the detrimental effects Colombian colloquialisms have towards Indigenous peoples as a result of colonial influences. In 2022 Juliana’s research collaboration work with invasive Lionfish in the Western Atlantic was published in the scientific journal “Diversity.” She is currently working on publishing her research, as first author, on the multilevel gendered challenges impacting women’s leadership in Latin American protected areas.

Before joining Hispanic Access Foundation team, Juliana worked at Conservation Legacy as a Grants Manager where she collaborated in providing oversight to 12 federal AmeriCorps grants; and served on the Community Navigator Program (CNP) Advisory Committee at Coalitions & Collaboratives (COCO). Over her career, she has collaborated to develop a situation assessment for Forest Health partnerships, to update Land Trust' strategic conservation plans, and perform conservation easement monitoring. Juliana has also a deep passion for water conservation and the interactions this resource has with women and youth specifically, which allowed her to direct a water project for mobile home parks with the Larimer County Environment and Health Department; and to co-organize a COVID-19 potable water relief fundraising event for the grassroots organization “Gorilla Guardians Village” in Rwanda.