In honor of Latino Conservation Week, take a short hike around Gateway Nature Park. Gateway is a 17-acre park just outside of Harvard. The park features a mowed trail, bridges across Rush Creek, wetland habitat, several groves of oak trees and the oldest resident in the county, a 400-year-old oak tree!

This hike is limited to 12 people in order to observe social distancing protocols.

Please reserve your spot by emailing Lisa Haderlein at lhaderlein@conservemc.org.

We look forward to seeing you there!

In celebration of Latino Conservation Week, the Friends of Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge invites Latino families (and all other individuals and families) on a self-guided tour of the first site in our new Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge, the Turner Tract in Genoa City Wisconsin, just 3.25 miles north of Richmond, Illinois.

Take this self-guided tour from Sunday, July 19- Sunday, July 26.

The Turner Tract is a beautiful parcel which features mature oak woodland, restored prairies and wetlands. The self-guided tour will take you on a 0.6 mile looped trail through a very pretty woodland and along a restored tallgrass prairie. It will take around 30 minutes to complete. On your walk enjoy the sights and sounds that both habitats have to offer. Look closely for any blooming wildflowers tucked within the tall prairie grasses and stand beneath the mature red oak trees in the woodlands. There are many interesting bird species to be seen and heard. If you hear a loud drilling sound, that is the pileated woodpecker that resides in these woods, a large bird that resembles WoodyWoodpecker!

Feel free to explore and discover new and interesting things - just remember to leave what you find for the next person to enjoy.To get to the site from Illinois, travel north on Route 12 and continue through Richmond into Wisconsin. Just after you enter Wisconsin, turn left onto County Road H and stay on H through Genoa City. As you are heading out of town, keep an eye out for a large brown Hackmatack Refuge sign on your left just past a row of houses. This sign identifies the location of a small parking lot to park in and an informational kiosk. Follow the narrow lane past a residence to the hiking trail.From Lake Geneva, take County Road H south and look for the brown Hackmatack Refuge sign on your right as you come into Genoa City for the parking lot.Additional signs will be available on the site to guide you along the trail, which begins just past the gate.

This is a self-guided tour and no registration is necessary. If you do go on the tour we would appreciate a quick note on what you thought of the tour. Drop Pete Jackson a line at beepjackson@comcast.net.

If you visit, it is critically important to follow guidance from the CDC and state and local public health authorities on social distancing, avoiding overcrowding, and exercising good hygiene. If a parking lot is full when you visit, please do not stop. We understand that the outdoors can help relieve stress, but these guidelines must be followed for our public health and safety

Thank you, and enjoy the hike!

For more information about Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge and the Friends of Hackmatack, visit these sites:- Friends of Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge website:https://www.hackmatacknwr.org/- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Hackmatack website:https://www.fws.gov/refuge/hackmatack/

You are invited to celebrate Latinidad en Conservación to clean up a shooting area. Public lands an hour from Salt Lake City (and closer to folks living around the southern point of the Oquirrh Mountains) are littered with trash: shotgun shells, target shrapnel, and left-behind cans and bottles densely scatter a landscape with much target shooting and nearby raptor habitat.

Please meet us for a spatially-distanced clean-up, great music, and the great feeling of leaving a place better than you found it!

RSVP at https://secure2.convio.net/suwa/site/SSurvey?ACTION_REQUIRED=URI_ACTION_USER_REQUESTS&SURVEY_ID=7005

This cleanup is co-hosted by Latino Outdoors of Salt Lake City and HEAL Utah. Follow the entire Cleanup Competition on HEALUtah.org.

How to get there:

From Salt Lake or Utah County, head to Fivemile Pass Recreation Area. Make a pit stop at the Recreation Area if needed, as toilets are not available at the clean-up site. Drive past the Recreation Area, and turn left onto the Pony Express Road. The Road is a well graded dirt road suitable for any vehicle. Drive down the road about 5 miles until you see a sign that says “Leaving Shooting Restriction Area,” then turn left onto the dirt parking lot at that sign.

From Tooele County, drive past Stockton and take a left at the Pony Express Trail historic marker onto highway 73. When the highway bends at the point of the Oquirrhs, turn right onto the Pony Express Rd. Drive down the road about 5 miles until you see a sign that says “Leaving Shooting Restriction Area,” and turn left into the dirt parking lot at that sign.

What To Wear & Bring:

Close-toed shoes are required. Weather will be sunny with no shade. Bring a large water bottle, a wide brimmed hat, and a long sleeve shirt to protect you from the sun and dust.

SUWA will provide: gloves, disposal masks, a hand washing station, hand sanitizer, and water.

Join us for virtual CENSOTERIA!

Lotería is a traditional game enjoyed by many in the Latino community. To add some fun tor Latino Conservation week, we will use a special themed deck. The theme being the Census making this a “Censoteria” game!(Census + Loteria= Censoteria)

Participants can expect not only to have fun but to learn a little more about the power of Latino civic engagement. By celebrating Latino Conservation week, participants will connect virtually with outdoor enthusiasts, learn about the importance of the Census and civic participation.

This “Censoteria” game will have a slower pace than traditional Loteria in that after each card pulled the hosts will share information on that card. We estimate the game to last about 2 hours. With an optional Q&A after the game to get to know the hosts a little more. Moreover you are encouraged to connect with the host organizations after the game to learn more about their environmental advocacy work.

All are welcomed. We encourage you to bring snacks and a drink to add to the experience of game night.

LEARN MORE AND RSVP at https://censoteria2020.eventbrite.com/

Join us for Latino Conservation Week as the Hispanic Access Foundation, Latino Outdoors, and the National Park Service come together to discuss careers at NPS, conservation, Latinidad and so much more.

The panel will be moderated by LO Seattle Outings Leader, Allen Cardenas. Participants will get to learn about the stories that got our panelists to where they are today, their perspectives on the field of conservation, how it can be improved, and how being latinx ties into all of this.

This event is open to the public and all are welcome to join and learn. Attendees will have opportunity to ask our panelists questions.

The panel will run from 3:00pm-4:30pm.The panel can be accessed using the link below and the password will be emailed to registrants the day of the event. We hope to see you there!

Agenda:

Discussion: 3:00-4:00pm

Q&A: 4:00-4:30pm

How to Access the Webinar: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4712109221608998412

Join Nature and Culture for a virtual journey to the Ecuadorian Amazon rainforest, home to the indigenous Shuar. The Shuar people represent one of the most prominent ethnic group in the Amazonian Region. Preserving an abundant and rich cultural legacy, the community’s religion and beliefs system is based on respect for the nature and for their ancestral lands.

Nature and Culture conservationist Trotsky Riera will share more about the Shuar's rich culture, fascinating traditions, and unmatched dedication to protecting their forest home.

ABOUT THE SHUAR- In Ecuador, Nature and Culture works with the indigenous Shuar to protect their ancestral homeland and create sustainable development projects so they can thrive culturally and economically. The Shuar culture is characterized by strong traditions and a unique vision of the universe, manifested through their language, food, myths, music, and dance. 

ABOUT OUR GUIDE- Raised in Zamora Province, Ecuador, Trotsky Riera Vite is one of Nature and Culture's local conservationists working to protect the forest he loves. Trotsky is an environmental engineer and specialist in habitat restoration and community engagement. He spent a year living and working with an indigenous Shuar community in Ecuador, and is currently developing a Shuar dictionary of flora and fauna.

Trotsky brings Nature and Culture's unique conservation model to life in Zamora, working in partnership with indigenous people, local communities, and the regional government. Since joining Nature and Culture in 2007, he has contributed to the expansion of Ecuador's National System of Proteted Areas; worked with the Shuar in the legalization, recognition, and protection of their ancestral territories; and supported the creation and management of the Maycú and Numbala Reserves in Zamora Chinchipe.

Join Sheep Mountain Alliance for a hike on one of Telluride's most adventurous trails--East Bear Creek!Meet at the big white tent on the west side of Town Park anytime between 1pm-4pm on Sunday, July 26th.

Sheep Mountain will have maps, trail info, snacks, a scavenger hunt, and gear prizes. Due to COVID-19, the hike will be self-guided.Please wear a mask, stay home if you feel sick, and socially distance. All materials during hike will be in English and Spanish.

We may have to social distance but that doesn't mean we can't enjoy the outdoors or take part in a local clean up! 

Latino Outdoors NYC will host its first NYC-wide virtual clean up on Sunday, July 18th as part of Latino Conservation Week. Join us from the safety and comfort of your neighborhood to show how you care for the natural spaces around you! You'll even have a chance to win a branded Hydroflask!

Everyone is welcome to participate, but we do ask that you adhere by your local city/state COVID-19 guidelines to ensure your safety and that of those who may be around you. Additionally, to participate, be sure to:

1. Review the Recreate Responsibly guidelines Latino Outdoors has put together (see attached)
2. Register online at https://bit.ly/30ed4Xx
3. Pick your favorite natural space to clean (park, beach, garden, your block, etc)
4. Grab a trash bag (or two), disposable gloves, and head out!
5. Tag @latinooutdoors_nyc and #LONYCVirtualCleanup on Instagram to enter our Hydroflask raffle!

"See you" Sunday! 

Join environmental advocate Alejandra Santaolalla, founder of Color with Luna, and Betsy López-Wagner, Principal and Chief Strategist at López-Wagner Strategies, for a special Latino Conservation Week conversation.

The duo will share reflections on their own work to create inclusive experiences and environments of belonging, using language that is more equitable and just, and some takeaways from a recent training they designed and ran for docents, program guides engaging with park visitors and guests in one of California's regional park systems. Together they'll discuss equitable communications, what fuels their climate activism and why it's more important than ever to establish community in the great outdoors and in the environmental movement.

Join us for a conversation to explore the several facets that pull us, as Latinos, toward nature.

From the faith perspective, we will hear about the call from Pope Francis for the faithful to Care for our Common Home. From the science perspective, we will hear about the interconnectedness of ecosystem and the balance that keeps everything in check.

Lastly, from the health & wellness point of view, how the simple act of being in nature has a positive physical and mental effect on us.