Saturday, Sept. 12, Arizona conservation groups assembled at Ironwood Forest National Monument to commence the 12th annual Latino Conservation Week.
The Pima County Board of Supervisors proclaimed Latino Conservation Week on Sept. 10. Created by the Hispanic Access Foundation, it is a national initiative for Latino communities to “experience the outdoors, celebrate their cultural connections to nature, and take action to protect natural and public lands,” per a press release.
Environmentalism comes naturally to Latino communities, according to Cassandra Becerra, Arizona program manager of Mountain Mamas, a women’s environmental organization.
“We are able to do this work because it’s our calling, but also because we’ve been doing this for a long time and our families have taught us to care for these lands,” said Becerra, who is from Mexico and has spent most of her life in Tucson.
Becerra said this year’s schedule allowed environmental advocates to “take a break and celebrate.” The theme was “Rooted in Nature, Thriving in Community.”
Eleven environmental groups from Tucson and Phoenix came together to organize the week of festivities, which included a Fuga Bike Ride; Green Drink Mixer at Tucson’s Museum of Contemporary Art; dance party at Slow Body Beer CO.; hike in Tucson Mountain Park; mushroom ID and service project at Mount Lemmon; and the “Sunnyside Foundation Burrito Run” at Mission Manor Park.
The Sept. 12 event was held at Ironwood Forest National Monument, 25 miles northwest of Tucson and a short jaunt from Marana. The national monument spans 190,000 acres of desert land and is home to endangered species, titular ironwood trees and three important archaeological districts that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The region preserves centuries of Tohono O’odham, Hohokam and Spanish history.
The location provided easy access, a serene backdrop and a reminder of what is at stake for public lands.
Becerra said that the national monument is facing “immediate, local threats” such as mining company ASARCO targeting 11,000 acres of its land. Federal funding and staffing cuts and a proposed rescinding of the Roadless Area Conservation Rule could also jeopardize the region’s future.
The gathering began with a press conference, during which the attendees — all women by happenstance — shared wisdom. Speakers discussed the importance of preserving Ironwood Forest and “ensuring Latino communities have a voice in decisions affecting the places where they live, work, recreate and connect with their families,” the press release said. Then, Friends of Ironwood Forest led the group on a brief hike, curtailed due to sweltering morning temperatures.
After the event, clouds gathered overhead and temperatures dropped as Becerra and three others mitigated a flat tire emergency.
“I feel like mother nature has really saved me in my personal life,” Becerra said.
“This press conference kicked off a very important topic for the Latino community. These places are our home, they are our backyard, and I feel like Mother Earth was listening to the words that all of these folks were sharing.”
As a storm raged overhead, Becerra discovered a jagged piece of pottery sitting in the soil. She took a moment to admire the shard and then left it there.
“We don’t know where it was from, but it was definitely a piece of our native history,” Becerra said. “One of the reasons we talked about protecting Ironwood is because of its history, and a part of that history is the Hohokam people.”
