WASHINGTON – Maite Arce, president and CEO of Hispanic Access Foundation, released the following statement in response to a peer-reviewed journal article that raises serious concerns about the Cadiz Water Project, a plan that would send water to Los Angeles and Orange counties by pumping groundwater from underneath a national park, national monument and other public lands in the Mojave Desert.

With only days remaining in the public comment period for the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed rule to eliminate the Clean Power Plan, Hispanic Access Foundation (HAF) is calling on Latinos across the nation to give input on this proposed rollback. Maite Arce, president and CEO of HAF, released the following statement:

Having spent my entire life in California, it would be easy to take our beaches, forests and one of a kind national parks for granted. Especially when you consider that for many of us, we are only two hours or less away from all three landscapes. In a typical day, we could stroll down the coast and then hike into the redwood forest. The outdoors of our beloved Golden State also attracts visitors from all over the world. For example, every summer Huntington Beach hosts the U.S. Open of Surfing and Joshua Tree National Park was visited by more than 2.8 million outdoor enthusiasts in 2018.

WASHINGTON, DC – Thirty-three members of Primaveral Association, a greater DC- metro area Guatemalan Hometown Association, went fishing this past Sunday at Enchanted Pond on the Bureau of Land Management’s Meadowood Special Management Area. The program held by the Bureau of Land Management and Hispanic Access Foundation taught multi-generational families basic fishing instruction, equipment, rules and great locations to fish in the state of Virginia. The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries provided the grant to cover the cost of the fishing trip together with George W. H. Bush Vamos a Pescar ™ Education Fund.

I have learned so much during my brief time working with Fish and Wildlife employees. I have done a range of projects from fishing, gardening on a pollinator garden, and assisting with a bird banding demonstration. But the biggest project I have been working on is called the Abbey Brook Restoration Project in Springfield, Massachusetts. My supervisor thought this would be a wonderful opportunity for me to try, and I have loved every second of it.

As suddenly as an afternoon thunderstorm in the mountains after a morning of clear, bright skies, the summer has started and quickly almost passed. Since moving out here, I’ve been anxious for the summer – for hiking in the mountains, climbing in the Canyon, travel all around, and for all the wonderful, inspiring events and programs I’d get to be a part of. Now, almost August, it’s hard to believe it’s coming to an end. August, too, promises to be just as exciting and busy, but nearing the end of the summer months, I am filled with gratitude and appreciation for the things I’ve gotten to be a part of thus far.

It has been a beautiful season, so far, here at Chimney Rock National Monument. My day begins by arriving to the office at 8am. I meet with my supervisor and the other Chimney Rock Rangers and discuss how our days went at the site, including the game plan for the day. After our meetings, around 8:45am, we take off from the office on our shuttles and arrive to the site around 9:15am. My day officially begins when I arrive at the site. I start by greeting the public at our visitor's cabin since most of our visitors are congregated in that area. Like a Visitor Center at a National Park, our Visitor Cabin operates similar. The cabin has Tour informations, merchandise, snacks, drinks, and some archaeological artifacts from the Ancestral Puebloan site.

I joined the U.S. Forest Service Urban Connections team through a stroke of good fortune. The Resource Assistant stationed in Milwaukee before me left to pursue her dream career as a wildlife rehabilitator, leaving an opportunity for me to join the USFS and Hispanic Access Foundation in our effort to connect Latinos to the outdoors.

It has been so wonderful creating a little home for myself in D.C. this winter. I’ve met so many kind people both at the National Park Service, where I spend most of my days, and at the U.S. Forest Service, where I was lucky enough to meet a few of the DC fellows after going to training in Denver with HAF USFS fellows from around the nation. I’ve also been able to get involved in many projects right from the get-go at the NPS office, which has been a great experience.

WASHINGTON – On Sunday, Oct. 14, the film “Leche y Miel” (Milk and Honey), produced in partnership with American Rivers, will make its Fourth Annual Official Latino Film and Arts Festival premiere. The festival showcases over 100 short films written, directed and/or produced by U.S. Latino filmmakers from diverse communities across the nation.