Today, the Senate confirmed New Mexico Rep. Deb Haaland as Secretary for the Department of Interior within the Biden Administration’s Cabinet. In response to the confirmation, Hispanic Access Foundation’s President and CEO Maite Arce released the following statement:

Not only has Rep. Haaland made history by becoming the first Native American to hold the position of a Cabinet Secretary, but she also has a history of championing conservation issues important to Latinos, such as promoting environmental justice, protecting public lands and waters, preserving cultural heritage and addressing the climate crisis. 

Coming Soon

The Colorado College State of the Rockies project's 2025 Conservation in the West Survey was conducted by New Bridge Strategy and Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin, Metz & Associates. Polling in eight western states explores voters' bi-partisan opinions in each state and of the Rocky Mountain West. The survey polled registered voters in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. Voters responded to questions concerning conservation public lands, energy, water, wildlife, wildfire, and other pressing challenges in the Mountain West.

• Full Spanish Language Presentation / Poll Numbers
• Hispanic Access Foundation's Press Release
• Latino Voter Statistics 2025

For additional resources, such as state summary reports and topic reports, from Colorado College State of the Rockies, please visit: https://www.coloradocollege.edu/other/stateoftherockies/conservationinthewest/2025.html

La Encuesta de Conservación en el Oeste 2025 del proyecto Colorado College State of the Rockies fue realizada por New Bridge Strategy y Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin, Metz & Associates. Las encuestas en ocho estados del oeste exploran las opiniones bipartidistas de los votantes en cada estado y en Rocky Mountain West. La encuesta encuestó a votantes registrados en Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Nuevo México, Utah y Wyoming. Los votantes respondieron preguntas sobre la conservación de tierras públicas, energía, agua, vida silvestre, incendios forestales y otros desafíos urgentes en Mountain West.

• Presentación completa del idioma español / números de la encuesta
• Comunicado de prensa de Hispanic Access Foundation
• Estadísticas de votantes latinos 2025

Para obtener recursos adicionales, como informes resumidos estatales e informes de temas, de Colorado College State of the Rockies, visite: https://www.coloradocollege.edu/other/stateoftherockies/conservationinthewest/2025.html

In response to the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, HAF's President and CEO Maite Arce released the following statement:

"The diaspora of Latino communities in the United States represents many races, cultures, and languages. Together we share the love of this -- our nation. We respect its laws and deeply appreciate its freedoms and political process where our voice can make the difference. After seeing the dreadful events in our nation’s Capitol, a place that we often convene our community’s leaders to demonstrate to them the power of their voices and the importance of their participation in public policy, we are deeply saddened at the display of disrespect for the very process that has brought us the freedoms we enjoy today. We are constantly reminded that our work in advancing equity is more important than ever."

For 10 years, Hispanic Access Foundation has been creating bridges of access, developing Latino leaders and elevating their voices. To mark this occasion, we are bringing together a decade of partners, leaders and beneficiaries as we celebrate our past successes and lay out our vision for the next 10 years. 

After finishing her sabbatical, Margarita Flores felt detached and shy, even after becoming the first leader in the West Coast to be appointed as a Life Director and Associate Pastor. It wasn’t until she came across HAF’s Hispanic Leadership Network that she felt determined to learn more about what other leaders were doing across the nation and empowered to make a difference. 

By the end of September, millions of acres had burned in America’s West Coast, killing at least 35 people and causing extreme air pollution that threatened the health of millions of residents. In Oregon, two of the most vulnerable communities to the wildfire crisis were in Medword, where 3,200 structures and homes were in harm’s way and residents were immediately evacuated.