The incredible and empowering community engagement and involvement of our Sierra Nevada AmeriCorps Partnership (SNAP) members never fails to impress. Adriana Becerra has been able to bring together her host site, Sequoia Riverlands Trust, and an organization she’s passionate about, Latino Outdoors, to offer experiences to her community that she missed out on while growing up.
A native of Visalia, California, Adriana is the Outings Leader for the Fresno Chapter of Latino Outdoors. She helps plan and lead events for the Latinx community throughout the Central Valley, including rock climbing, hiking, and taking part in Latino Conservation Week.
Latino Outdoor’s mission to “inspire, connect, and engage Latino communities in the outdoors and embrace cultura y familia as part of the outdoor narrative” is a mission that Adriana resonates with. Growing up, she didn’t have the chance to go camping, hiking, or spend much time recreating outdoors. Now, she feels that Latino Outdoors provides her a way to serve her community by taking them on outings she wished she could have enjoyed while growing up in the Central Valley. One of Adriana’s goals is to strengthen the partnership between Latino Outdoors and her SNAP host site, Sequoia Riverlands Trust, and invite her community to the preserves to enjoy these public spaces that are right in their backyards.
At the end of August, Latino Outdoors and Sequoia Riverlands Trust will host a partner event at Kaweah Oaks Preserve. Latinos Run Fresno will meet at the Preserve to learn about the importance of nature preserves and how individuals can help their local environment. The event will end with Latinos Run Fresno’s Justice Run series and Latino Outdoor’s Leave No Trace Principles awareness workshops. Participants will enjoy a day of comunidad and a beautiful jog around the preserve. Adriana hopes that her job and volunteer opportunities help the community see their connection to the outdoors as necessary and will bring awareness to the importance of natural spaces and nature preserves.
