Starting Monday, June 24, Tucson Water will begin the Santa Cruz River Heritage Project, reviving a historic stretch of the river near downtown Tucson. Tucson Water will put as much as 2.8 million gallons of reclaimed water daily into a stretch of the river south of Sentinel Peak, which was of major importance to earlier residents and area tribes. The city and county already release treated water into a lower stretch of the river near Marana.

With the goal of creating opportunities for organizations and parks to engage Latinos and for Latinos to demonstrate their passion for the outdoors and protecting public lands, the 6th annual Latino Conservation Week will take place July 13 – 21, 2019 and is expected to be celebrated with over 150 events nationwide. Communities will have the opportunity to camp under the stars, go canoeing, take sunset walks, and hike with family among other activities as they engage in the outdoors and learn about stewardship.

Maite Arce, president and CEO of Hispanic Access Foundation, released the following statement in response to the Environmental Protection Agency’s new rule, titled the Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) rule, that would undo much of the Clean Power Plan, which placed the first and only federal limits on carbon pollution from existing power plants – the largest stationary source of pollution that drives climate change.

HAF is proud to have earned a 2019 Silver Seal of Transparency. Now our community members as well as 10+ million GuideStar users can find in-depth financial information about our organization. Plus, we have provided fresh information to 200+ charitable websites and applications that use GuideStar data, such as AmazonSmile, Facebook, and Network for Good.

Evelyn first worked with Hispanic Access Foundation as a Latino Heritage Internship Program intern at the National Parks of Boston in 2018. In 2019, Evelyn had the opportunity to work with Hispanic Access again as a Programs Assistant for the MANO Project. Interning with Hispanic Access inspired her to join the team as a Programs Associate, and she now works as a Digital Communications Associate. Evelyn also serves as the founder and team lead of Hispanic Access’ Our DREAMS Scholarship program, an initiative serving undocumented youth.

Evelyn is from Bakersfield, California and is a first-generation college graduate with her bachelor’s degree in American studies from The George Washington University (GW). A trailblazer, Evelyn was selected to be part of the inaugural Cisneros Scholars cohort at the Cisneros Hispanic Leadership Institute at GW. Through her time with the institute, she became passionate about serving Latino communities. An advocate for social justice, Evelyn served as a 2017-18 Trabajadoras Senior Fellow under the Labor Council for the Latin American Advancement, and as a 2018 Young People For Fellow. Having learned so much from these fellowships, Evelyn continues to advocate for Latina wage equity, empowerment of young Latinas, and ensuring access to resources for underserved communities.

Why she works for Hispanic Access…

"I believe in the mission and the work we do nationwide with Latino communities. As a Hispanic Access MANO Project alum, it was nice to pay it forward by mentoring other interns working for the National Park Service. Now in my new role, I love being able to share the stories that matter the most."

In her spare time…

“I love to go to concerts, travel to new places, find good places to eat, go to museums, attend shows like comedy or theater, and, when I am in the mindset, read a good book.”

Her favorite book…

“I don't like to share this with people, but I love Wuthering Heights. Somehow, I always find something new when I re-read it. It's probably the one book I have read at least 10 times, if not more. The plot, drama, and romance are all so good.”

A person she finds inspirational…

“I believe Dolores Huerta is an inspirational person because she did so much for farmworkers nationwide and continues to fight for Latino communities even though she is now in her nineties. She often went unrecognized, but, of course, continues to do the work because she knows the power our community has.”

Maite Arce, president and CEO of Hispanic Access Foundation, released the following statement in response to Rep. Jeff Van Drew’s (D-NJ 2nd District) introduction of the LWCF Permanent Funding Act to permanently and fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund. This bill serves as the House companion bill for the bipartisan legislation, S.1081, introduced in the Senate by Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV).

The Latino Heritage Internship Program (LHIP), a partnership between HAF's MANO Project and the National Park Service is designed to train young people in the skills of cultural, historical, and natural resource management. The program raises awareness of our national parks and historic sites, their accessibility and the need for the Latino community’s involvement in their preservation. This summer 16 HAF interns will work alongside NPS historians, interpreters, archaeologists, architects, and curators on cultural resources projects in different park units, offices and historical sites throughout the nation. 

On May 28, Asian and Pacific Islander Americans in Historic Preservation, Hispanic Access Foundation, and Latinos in Heritage Conservation were joined by 43 groups and 67 individuals in submitting a joint letter to the Senate Committee on Appropriations to support the Underrepresented Communities Civil Rights Grant program with a $30 million appropriation for Fiscal Year 2020.

Maite Arce, president and CEO of Hispanic Access Foundation, released the following statement in celebration of tomorrow’s 113th Anniversary of the Antiquities Act, which has been instrumental in protecting and including the history and contributions of Latino and other diverse communities in our public lands and historical sites.

Leaders in the Senate recently introduced that chamber’s first bill to address climate change in eleven years. It is called the International Climate Accountability Act and it aims to combat climate change and to make climate action a centerpiece of federal energy and environmental policy.