Latino preservationists listed a Dominican-owned bodega in Providence, Rhode Island, an east Los Angeles park that served as the gathering place for historic Chicano student walkouts, and five other locations as Latino heritage sites in urgent need of conservation.

Today, many of us have access to sweeping vistas and grand mountain ranges, plains, marshes, forests and deserts that stretch from coastal shores to coastal shores. We enjoy the privilege of visiting sacred places like Bears Ears and the Grand Canyon.

Numerous sites dot our American landscapes and cities that tell a story about our diverse past - places that embody the architectural, cultural and deep historical roots of the Latino community. However, sites that commemorate Latino heritage are disproportionately excluded when it comes to officially designated heritage and conservation sites. This report provides recommendations to address the lack of representation of Latino heritage sites among protected area designations, by proposing a more inclusive designation system as well as a list of Latino heritage sites that currently lack official recognition.

A new report, Place, Story and Culture: An Inclusive Approach to Protecting Latino Heritage Sites, released today by the Latino Heritage Scholars, an initiative of the Hispanic Access Foundation, emphasizes the need for the protection of seven Latino heritage sites that embody the architectural, cultural and deep historical roots of the Latino community currently in need of preservation. The scholars are a group of young Latino professionals focused on historic preservation and ensuring that Latino history is protected, shared, and celebrated as part of the U.S. narrative.

With the arrival of spring, Platte Farm Open Space, located in the diverse, working-class neighborhood of Globeville in north Denver, comes alive with native grasses, pollinator gardens that attract bees and butterflies, and wildflowers, such as Mexican hat, asters, poppies, and Gaillardia.

Access to the benefits of nature is a human right, but for many in the San Joaquin Valley, a healthy ecosystem and local green spaces are often out of reach. Historical patterns of habitat conversion and racial exclusion have fostered policies that pressured communities of color into neighborhoods without many basic amenities and have limited access to public lands. These same trends have also led to our region having significant adverse public health impacts and substantial loss of native animals and plants.

While 22% of California’s lands and 16% of waters are protected, this percentage does not provide the resilience needed to meet the ecological and social priorities of the 21^st century. In an effort to correct these trends, California and the federal government are following the lead of scientists, policy makers and community advocates by committing to conserve 30% of our lands and waters by the year 2030.

The effort known as 30 x 30 (30 by 30) kicked off in October when Gov. Newsom made California the first state to commit to the conservation goals set by international scientists. On May 6, the U.S. Department of Interior also released “Conserving and Restoring America the Beautiful,” a report on using locally led efforts towards achieving the U.S. 30x30 goal. This creates the unprecedented opportunity to protect the San Joaquin Valley from further impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss while supporting equitable access for local green spaces.

In the short 100 days since inauguration day, the Biden Administration has put oil and gas leasing on public lands and federal waters at the forefront of its climate agenda—from issuance of Executive Order No. 14008, “Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad” (EO 14008) to the appointment of Debra Haaland as the Secretary of the Department of Interior (DOI). This article covers the current status of federal oil and gas leasing, actions undertaken by the DOI, and what may lie ahead.

McHenry County Conservation District is inviting the Latino community to participate in "Latinx Restoration Workdays" this summer. Get outdoors and be a part of conservation work and environmental efforts.

LOS ANGELES – A statewide survey of California voters, commissioned by the nonprofit Hispanic Access Foundation and conducted by David Binder Research, finds that even in the midst of economic challenges posed by the pandemic, an overwhelming majority of voters overall (89%) and Latino voters (92%) believe investments should still be made to protect California’s land, water, and wildlife. The poll also found that Latino voter support for proposals to help achieve that investment and address the climate crisis outpaced that of the overall voting public.