The video of George Floyd’s murder by Minneapolis police officers is atrocious. He called out for breath. He called out to his mother. No one helped him. Prior to his murder, Breonna Taylor was murdered by police in her home. Amaud Arbery was out jogging and was shot to death by vigilantes. Christian Cooper was birdwatching in Central Park and a white woman called the police on him. 

In response to the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers and the protests in American cities that have taken place over the last several days, Hispanic Access Foundation’s President and CEO Maite Arce released the following statement:

Latino conservation groups say battling the pandemic goes hand in hand with fighting climate change, because poor air quality exacerbated by climate change makes people more vulnerable to COVID-19.  

The National Park Service (NPS) – Conservation and Outdoor Recreation (COR) Program supports community-led natural resource conservation and outdoor recreation projects across the nation. HAF and the NPS COR program have partnered to provide long-term professional fellowships for Latino young professionals interested in pursuing careers in fields related to public land management, program coordination, outdoor recreation, and community engagement.

Today, Hispanic Access Foundation released its 2nd annual “Congressional Conservation Toolkit: A Guide to Land, Water and Climate Issues and the Impact on Latino Communities,” The toolkit explores issues around public lands, water and climate, and identifies the health, economic and cultural impact on Latino communities, while highlighting policy recommendations.

Now more than ever, it is essential to demonstrate the importance of public lands and waters to the Latino community in the US, as well as the policies necessary to maintain them. The COVID-19 crisis has shown how badly we need close, accessible, and abundant public lands and waters for health and wellness. Each section of this toolkit covers the health, economic, public opinion, and cultural implications of the policies that protect our public lands, in addition to the threats that climate change and regulatory rollbacks pose. This toolkit also shows growing concern about the climate crisis and its effects on Latino populations.

Our nation’s greenhouse gas emissions and resulting climate change are leading to higher temperatures, record-setting heat waves, and drier and more arid conditions in the West. These conditions matched with underfunded forest management, outdated land use policies and practices, and more people living in fire-prone areas has led to catastrophic wildfires that affect more people. Since 2000, an average of 73,200 wildfires burned an average of 6.9 million acres, a figure which has nearly doubled the average annual acreage burned in the 1990s (3.3 million acres). In 2017 alone, wildfires burned 10 million acres. In addition, a new study has found that approximately 85% of wildfires are caused by human activity and one in three houses in the US resides in the wildland urban interface (approximately 44 million homes).

Due to COVID-19, Hispanic Access Foundation has changed the Community Event Fund into unrestricted funds that Eclesial Leaders in the Hispanic Leadership Program can use where they believe to be necessary and most helpful. The award amount is $500.

Debido a COVID-19, Hispanic Access Foundation ha cambiado el Fondo para el Evento Comunitario en fondos sin restricciones que los Líderes Eclesiales en el Programa de Hispanic Leadership pueden usar donde creen que sea necesario y de mayor ayuda. Se otorga una beca de $500.

In advance of Memorial Day weekend – the unofficial start of the summer season – a newly formed coalition of outdoor groups created the Recreate Responsibly initiative to share ways for Americans to stay healthy while enjoying public lands, parks, trails, waters, and other outdoor areas. During the COVID-19 pandemic, more Americans are spending time outside because of the mental and physical benefits that fresh air and nature provide. As state officials reopen outdoor spaces, people want guidance on how to reduce the risk to themselves and others while enjoying time outside.

I think I’m better prepared than most to weather this transition in our lives.

Not only because I’m relatively privileged, continue to have two wage-earners in our household, with a dog and a backyard and abundant green space nearby to enjoy spring in our small family unit.

That’s certainly true, and immensely helpful, and a gift I wish I could bestow on others. But I have another rather strange asset that has unknowingly prepared me for this, mentally and emotionally.