This week is a great chance to enjoy the great outdoors – with more than fifty free events, up and down the state of California, as part of Latino Conservation Week.

People can go paddle boarding, hiking, take nature walks, attend film screenings and more.

Juan Rosas is a conservation program associate with the Hispanic Access Foundation – which organizes the event with the help of dozens of community, non-profit, faith-based, and government organizations and agencies.

He said the program dispels the misconception that Latinos don’t care about the outdoors.

“A lot of the Latino community do live in nature-deprived areas,” said Rosas. “So, to be able to take them hiking and fishing, camping – have virtual events, webinars, educational resources that they can firsthand experience – is the goal of Latino Conservation Week.”

An event on Saturday, July 23 will promote the proposed Western Riverside County National Wildlife Refuge.

Rep. Ken Calvert – R-Corona – and Rep. Mark Takano – D-Riverside – recently reintroduced a bill in Congress to officially create the new urban refuge. They say the idea is to improve access to nature for millions of people living in Southern California.

Find out more about all the events online at ‘LatinoConservationWeek.com.’

This year’s event slogan is “Disfrutando y Conservando Nuestra Tierra,”which mean

“Enjoying and Conserving Our Land.” According to Rosas, this annual event has really caught on, growing significantly over the years.

“It started in 2014 with nine events,” said Rosas. “And this year, in year nine, it looks like we’re just nearing 200 events that are going on, all around the United States. So, we’re so excited.”

Many of the events touch on environmental justice themes, since so many Latinos in California labor in manufacturing and agriculture – industries that often pollute the air and water in nearby communities.

Written by Suzanne Potter for El Reportero. 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Along with the RV Industry Association (RVIA) and other organizations, the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (ORR) praised Thursday’s (July 21) announcement by the Biden Administration on the revival of the Federal Interagency Council on Outdoor Recreation (FICOR).

It's an attempt to make this all feel more organic. The U.S. Forest Service, Aspen Institute, and the Wilderness Workshop's Defiende Nuestra Tierra are bringing together Latino community leaders, food, live music and family activities and games on July 23 at Two Rivers Park in Glenwood Springs.

The U.S. Forest Service this week issued the following press release on Latino Conservation Week festivities Saturday at Two Rivers Park in Glenwood Springs.

SALT LAKE CITY — A weeklong push to celebrate and expand Latino involvement in the outdoors and conservation efforts is wrapping up this week — but Utahns still have time to take advantage of river cleanups, star gazing parties and more.

Latino Conservation Week is almost over, but there are still plenty of opportunities to celebrate around Los Angeles.

SOUTHERN UTAH — The weekend is almost here, and that means it’s time to look for adventure – whether it’s something fun, inspiring, educational or entertaining. Take advantage of our snapshot of Southern Utah events and activities to enjoy with family and friends, and keep the adventure going all weekend long!

Public Records Primer, Native American Summit, Latino Conservation Week.

WHISKEYTOWN, Calif. - Whiskeytown National Recreation Area is hosting three days of free activities as part of Latino Conservation Week.

A weeklong celebration of Latino contributions to land conservation and connecting the Latino community to the outdoors concludes with a party at Two Rivers Park in Glenwood Springs on Saturday.