This year, Richardson Bay Audubon Center and Sanctuary participated in Latino Conservation Week (LCW), a national celebration of activities that shine a spotlight on the Latino community’s strong conservation values and provide access for Latinos (and others) to get outdoors to enjoy and learn about how to protect our natural resources.

To celebrate the sixth year, we did a 2-day community event featuring a campout, salsa dancing, star gazing, games and prizes, habitat restoration and kayaking. The event provided the Latinx community members with an educational opportunity to connect with their local waterways and outdoor spaces. This initiative is run by the Hispanic Access Foundation and numerous groups, growing rapidly from 9 events in 2014 to over 150 events in 2018. 

On the Friday night, we played icebreaker games, heard an educational talk from the Point Reyes National Seashore talk by a Hispanic Access Foundation Intern, and took salsa dancing lessons together on the deck overlooking the bay.

On Saturday, one group did habitat restoration work at the center and a second group went on an interpretative kayak trip along Sausalito’s waterfront viewing the local wildlife. With the help of Sea Trek, we gave 21 of our participants the chance to kayak on our beautiful Richardson Bay. Most of them had never even been kayaking before! While paddling, we saw Brown Pelicans, Cormorants, and Gulls foraging as well as habor seals resting on the docks. 

One of the main reasons LCW was created is to target underrepresented communities, and low-income families who wouldn’t have the chance to participate in this type of event unless it is free. We partnered with Canal Alliance, a nonprofit that seeks to break the generational cycle of poverty for Latino immigrants and their families by lifting barriers to their success, to reach out to families for this event. 

Fabiola Torres, Community Engagement Coordinator of Richardson Bay Audubon Center and Sanctuary, was inspired to organize this event from her own upbringing. "As I was growing up, I had the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors with my family without limitations. This way, I fell in love with the outdoors and became an advocate for nature and its beauty. I would like to provide the same tools that were given to me to others, so that they may also find the joy, curiosity and passion for the outdoor world.”

One of the main reasons LCW was created is to target underrepresented communities, and low-income families who wouldn’t have the chance to participate in this type of event unless it is free. We partnered with Canal Alliance, a nonprofit that seeks to break the generational cycle of poverty for Latino immigrants and their families by lifting barriers to their success, to reach out to families for this event. 

Fabiola Torres, Community Engagement Coordinator of Richardson Bay Audubon Center and Sanctuary, was inspired to organize this event from her own upbringing. "As I was growing up, I had the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors with my family without limitations. This way, I fell in love with the outdoors and became an advocate for nature and its beauty. I would like to provide the same tools that were given to me to others, so that they may also find the joy, curiosity and passion for the outdoor world.”

We thank the following groups for making this event possible: Hispanic Access Foundation, Latino Outdoors, Point Reyes National Seashore, Sea Trek, Sierra Club (donated camping equipment for the event), and Canal Alliance (allowed us to participate in their food pantry to recruit participants for the event).

Full article can be found here.

Fort Larned NHS – Fort Larned National Historic Site celebrated Latino Conservation Week with a very special and very fun Living History Event this past weekend. The Fort provided interpretive programs to connect the public with the story of Latinos that spent time at the Fort during their commercial travels on the Santa Fe Trail from 1859 to 1878. The event also emphasized the importance of environmental stewardship by creating a gigantic Monarch Butterfly habitat. Kids of all ages launched one thousand Butterflyweed Milkweed Seedballs into the prairie as a Mariachi band played.

“Fort Larned wanted to have this remarkable event because we want our youth to enjoy their beautiful outdoor historic spaces,” said organizer Sienna Cordoba from the Latino Heritage Internship Program. “These public lands belong to all of us.  Once we have visited these amazing and off of the beaten path places, seen the wildlife, learned the history, we know we must act to protect these lands, the air and water for future generations.” Twenty-five kids became brand new Fort Larned Junior Rangers Saturday!

Mariachi Los Reyes from Wichita and the Ballet Folklorico from Great Bend High School combined Living History forces with the Fort’s Blacksmiths and Officers’ Wives to portray a vibrant and diverse 1868 for visitors.

Naturalist Barry Jones, Park Ranger Ellen Jones and the Barton County Conservation District led educational nature conservation activities. 

“It was very exciting for the District to be invited to be a part of the event and get a chance to work with a minority group, and we hope to get more opportunities to do so,” Barton County Conservation District Manager Sara Martinz said. 

Kids broke open geodes and owl pellets, made pollinator and butterfly crafts, and learned a lot about what we can do to protect our local environment.

“It was a fabulous representation of Hispanic culture,” said Park Ranger Celeste Dixon from Fort Larned National Historic Site. “We were very excited to be able to highlight our connection to Hispanic history in this area.”

Full article available here. 

Join us Sunday July 28th, 12:00-2:00 pm for free activities and crafts in our Discovery Classroom. Come explore the lives of beavers that call our Refuge home.

All ages welcome, crafts and activities perfect for kids and families. Hosted indoors in our Visitor Center with games, prizes, beaver dress up and spotting scopes set up. All written material will be available in English and Spanish with bilingual staff.

Drop In Exploration Day: Busy Beavers is indoors with suggestions for trail routes and advice on where to see beavers available from staff. No registration required for this drop in program, stay as long or short as you like within the two hour time frame.

Latino Conservation Week is an initiative that began in 2014 by the Hispanic Access Foundation (HAF). This year, the week is celebrated from July 13 to the 21. The goal of the week: “Disfrutando y conservando nuestra tierra,” which translates to enjoying and conserving our lands.

The week was created to support the Latino community getting into the outdoors and participating in activities to protect our natural resources. During the week, community organizations hold events and activities that provide an opportunity for Latinos to show their support for the conservation of wildlife.

This goal aligns directly with our mission at Lee Richardson Zoo, which is: Lee Richardson Zoo connects people with wildlife, inspiring appreciation and understanding of the natural world through conservation, education, and engaging experiences. To engage our Latino guests, we are hosting bilingual keeper chats throughout this week, Monday through Friday at 2:30 at the rhino habitat.

The chats are given by Lead Keeper Pablo Holguin who can speak with guests in both Spanish and English about the animals in his care including the importance of wildlife conservation.

Have you ever wanted to know how much a rhino weighs or how much they eat? How fast they can run? What about what kind of experience you need to be employed at the zoo?

Keeper chats are an excellent way for zoo guests to learn more about the animals at Lee Richardson Zoo and speak one-on-one with animal care staff about their jobs. Everyone is invited to take part in these chats whether you are a person of Latin American descent or not.

Latin America includes Hispanic America and is predominantly a group of countries who share a history of being colonized by Spain, Portugal, and other European countries where Spanish, Portuguese, and French languages are dominant. This group includes Mexico, most of Central and South America, the Caribbean, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Puerto Rico. The wildlife in this area of our planet is as diverse as the people sharing their habitats.

From deserts to rainforests, these animals are uniquely adapted to their native habitats. A portion of our zoo is known as the South American Pampas and includes such species as Chilean flamingo, maned wolf, alpaca, Patagonian cavy, and giant anteater! Visit the Marie Osterbuhr Aviary to catch a glimpse of species native to Central and South America including the scarlet ibis, roadrunners, as well as the basilisk lizard, just to name a few.

Whether it’s enjoying a bilingual keeper chat at 2:30 at the rhino habitat or taking a stroll through the South American Pampas and aviary, all are invited to join us in celebrating Latino Conservation Week this week at the zoo! For more information, contact the zoo at 620-276-1250 or email us at zoo.education@gardencityks.us.

Emily Sexson is the conservation education manager at the zoo.