Latino Conservation Week is an annual initiative created by Hispanic Access Foundation, designed to support the Latino community getting outdoors while learning about and participating in activities that contribute to the protection of natural resources nationwide. This year, Sierra Nevada Alliance expanded this effort more widely across the Sierra Nevada region.
With the help of partners at Hispanic Access Foundation, SNA was able to host two events in Lake Tahoe, provide funding to Latino Leadership Council’s event, and amplify events and happenings during Latino Conservation Week. From Tahoe to Bishop, Reno to Fresno, events were well received in the region, providing a space for the Latino community to enjoy the outdoors.
With the generous support of a grant from HAF, SNA held two events in Lake Tahoe. Luis Rubio-Aguilar, a Mexican-American outdoor guide with years of experience in Lake Tahoe, led a bilingual nature excursion, teaching participants about berries, mushrooms, and herbs in Lake Tahoe. Participants were then treated to lunch on the beach, followed by a guided paddle board and kayak session on beautiful Lake Tahoe. With Luis’s guidance, SNA was able to offer free, family-friendly bilingual programming to our community here in the Lake Tahoe Basin.
Down in Auburn, the Latino Leadership Council hosted a family-friendly discussion on ways to enjoy and protect our natural resources with an emphasis on the environment within the local community. Sierra Nevada Alliance was proud to support this event with Latino Conservation Week grant funding from Hispanic Access Foundation.
In the Eastern Sierra, the Eastern Sierra Interpretive Association and the City of Bishop held a wildly successful Hispanic Heritage Festival. Attendance numbers were estimated at 600 people with a wide representation of the Bishop Community. Organizers say the event was joyous and are already looking forward to next years event.
Before the start of Latino Conservation Week, the Tahoe Daily Tribune ran a story about SNA’s events in Tahoe, detailing Luis’s background and connections to the events. Read it here. KUNR reporter Maria Palma also interviewed Louis Medina of Eastern Sierra Interpretive Association for her show Al Aire. The interview highlighted the City of Bishop’s event during Latino Conservation Week, as well as a few other regional events. Listen here.
Sierra Nevada Alliance is grateful to our partners for helping spread the word about these events, with a particularly resounding thank you to Hispanic Access Foundation for organizing this annual initiative – their hard work pays off. We also want to thank our local businesses that assisted in our Tahoe events: Adrift Tahoe and Central Market in Kings Beach, and South Tahoe Kayak and Paddleboard and Sombrero’s in South Lake Tahoe.
Thank you to Sierra Business Council, who donated Lake Tahoe Water Trail Map & Access Guides to help paddle participants learn about stewardship of the lake and shoreline natural resources, lake access sites, and water safety.
