Spotlight Story

12 October 2022

Gregg Flores: An Outdoors Storyteller for his Comunidad



Category: Spotlight Story

From an early age, Gregg Flores spent a lot of time outdoors recreating, fishing, and hunting in his hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Growing up with limited resources, the outdoors became Gregg’s playground where he spent his days playing in ditches. This instilled in him a love for the outdoors. The day his father taught him how to fish with nets, Gregg knew fishing would become his passion.

As Gregg got older, he took a camera with him to take pictures of their adventures. For his family, anyone and everyone was invited to come along and see what they could capture while spending time exploring the unknown. He looked at it from not just in the lense of capturing a photo but telling a story and eventually began taking videos in addition to photos. Capturing these fun, family moments during the excursions became his second passion.

Fast forward to today, Gregg has captured stories as a professional filmmaker for eight years now. His stories have evolved to tell the stories of his Latino peers, food, culture, family traditions and values. Gregg has noticed that in most conservation spaces, non-Latino voices are often the majority.

“I am proud to tell these stories because these stories are not being told in the conservation and outdoors spaces. Our voices are not part of these conversations. I am extremely proud of my heritage and if I get a chance to tell the stories of my people, I am going to do just that.”

His most recent project, “Frontera a Frontera” is a film series in partnership with Hispanic Access Foundation, Continental Divide Trail Coalition, REI, and Outdoor Alliance. The film series showcases the strength and breadth of Latino collective connections to the landscape surrounding the Continental Divide Trail in the past, present, and future by shining a light on faith and heritage connections; outdoor access and recreation; cross-border connectivity; and environmental justice. “Frontera a Frontera” premiered during Lands and Nature Day at the second annual Our Heritage, Our Planet Film Week.

Gregg hopes that people viewing the film series appreciate the uniqueness of each voice. From featuring a pastor who grew up in the outdoors and is now advocating for the designation of a national monument in El Paso to a woman who weaves using traditional methods done by her ancestors, these are stories that have often gone unnoticed.

“For me, I am pinching myself that I get to do this for a living, I take it very seriously because it is so special. I try to capture the real voice of these people and tell the world their stories because they are actually taking care of the outdoors. They are going above and beyond to volunteer their time and money to make sure that the resources are cared for, protected, and can be available for future generations.”

Hispanic Access is inspiring, training, and working with leaders like Gregg Flores, who have a stake in their community and have the drive for positive change. To help support and continue this work, please consider making a Charitable Donation

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