Por la Creación Faith-based Alliance (PLC), which develops stewards of God’s creation by educating and engaging this generation to leave a legacy for the future, has released its “Top 5 Conservation Priorities” and is encouraging Latinos nationwide to share their support for national monuments in response to the Trump Administration’s recommendations to reduce the size of multiple monuments and open up others to commercial use.

Following the Washington Post report that Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke is recommending that at least four monuments should be reduced in size and several other should be opened up for commercial activities -- in direct contrast to the 2.8 million comments submitted where 99 percent were in support of maintaining or expanding the existing national monuments -- Maite Arce, president and CEO of Hispanic Access Foundation, released the following statement:

Maite Arce, President and CEO of the Hispanic Access Foundation, released the following statement in response to yesterday’s announcement the Bureau of Land Management will suspend parts of the rule designed to reduce natural gas waste on federal public and tribal lands:

Maite Arce, President and CEO of the Hispanic Access Foundation, released the following statement in response to the U.S. Senate vote outcome that maintains the Bureau of Land Management’s Methane and Waste Prevention Rule, which curbs natural gas waste by requiring existing oil and gas operations on public lands to use the most up-to-date technology to capture wasted natural gas that is either released into the atmosphere or burned off and repair leaks from equipment:

Sure, we all know about endangered species, but did you know there are endangered rivers, too?

The Hispanic Action Foundation (HAF) alongside 17 leaders from other Latino advocacy groups, sent a letter urging members of the U.S. Senate to the protect the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Methane and Waste Prevention rule, which aims to curb methane pollution from oil and gas activities on our public lands and helps to protect Latinos across the country.

Many would agree that Congress has a moral obligation to listen to voters and protect our cherished outdoor heritage. Unfortunately, some in the U.S. Senate are attempting to overturn a popular rule that reduces the waste of taxpayer-owned natural gas on public and tribal lands. As if that wasn’t enough, overturning the rule would stifle the agency’s ability to enact similar rules in the future, permanently harming taxpayers and our health.

On Saturday, March 18th, we’ll be celebrating the one year anniversary of the Sand to Snow, Mojave Trails and Castle Mountains National Monuments with a pop-up photo exhibition at Division 9 Gallery that I am curating as part of my internship with the Hispanic Access Foundation.

In California, where the largest ethnic group is Hispanic, Latino voices were important to the creation of the Sand to Snow, Mojave Trails and Castle Mountains National Monuments. Latinos are now stepping up to make sure these monuments are kept intact. Twenty Latino groups have signed a joint letter to President Trump to emphasize their desire to see these locations, which they worked so hard to preserve, are not altered in anyway.

Nevada is a state of incredible natural diversity. The diverse landscapes of our state provide a lot more than just recreation and relaxation. These special places play a vital role in our economy, our culture and our history. Growing up in a family that camped, fished, hunted and hiked, I was raised to take from the land only what was needed and to not waste our natural resources. To do otherwise doesn’t make sense, and it is our moral obligation to ensure that future generations will inherit this outdoor heritage.