| Hello,
We hope that you’re enjoying the spring weather and the blossom that often follows! From my vantage point, I can finally see our beloved backyard tree regaining its bright green leaves. It serves as a reminder to me that growth is possible with a little bit of sunshine, time, and patience.
At HECHO, we’re excited to share that a (virtual) seed we planted is also in bloom. We’ve worked hard over the past several months to revamp and reorganize our website, and it is LIVE! We hope that you’ll take the time to explore our new pages, and find the stories that inspire you to continue to advocate for the protection of our prized public lands. On our website, you’ll also be able to read about the recognition HECHO received this month in New Mexico and Colorado, honoring the work we do to ensure that Hispanic culture and perspectives are part of the conservation of our lands and waters.
Thursday, April 22 was Earth Day, and this year’s theme was “restore our earth.” Our team highlighted the ways in which we connect to the outdoors to honor madre tierra on our Facebook channel, and can be seen here in case you missed them. To view last year’s digital Cocktails & Conservation event celebrating 5o years of Earth Day and including a digital tour of the Grand Canyon, make sure to visit our YouTube channel.
We’ve been reflecting on intersectional environmentalism, and delving into the ways in which climate justice is deeply connected to the protection of people and the planet, examining the relationship between social and environmental injustice. Our own community is all too familiar with racist experiences, and we will denounce and reject it in all forms. This spring, a gunman opened fire and took the lives of six Asian women in Atlanta, and just last week the trial of ex-officer Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd resulted in a guilty verdict. Now more than ever, we must unite in rejecting racism, discrimination, hate, and violence. There is still much work to do in dismantling the systems that continue to devalue and cause harm to Black, Indigenous, and people of color communities. HECHO is committed to breaking down these systems, educating ourselves and our community.
Caring for people is part of caring for our earth.
Below is a quick round up of what we’ve been up to:
- We were excited to participate in the first inaugural Latino Advocacy Week, where we supported Latino communities, organizations, and families to become advocates for themselves in their own communities. With digital events like Advocacy 101, and Latinos in Ocean Conservation, we were able to have valuable conversations about protecting our lands and waters. We also interviewed Mayor of Antonito, Aaron Abeyta for a video that can be seen on our website. Read our recap about Latino Advocacy Week here.
- We supported Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernandez’s Cerro de la Olla Wilderness Establishment Act that would designate 13,103 acres within the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument in northern New Mexico as Cerro de la Olla wilderness. Read more about the Cerro de la Olla Wilderness Establishment Act in our full statement.
- This month HECHO submitted a letter to the Department of the Interior that included the signatures of 28 Western State and Local Elected Officials representing thousands of constituents calling for reform in the oil and gas leasing program. The letter also outlines key policy reforms that would lead toward better stewardship of our public lands. Deatils in our statement that can be viewed here.
- In March, HECHO hosted a Clean Energy Economy and Justice Roundtable, meeting with leaders from across the nation to discuss policy changes that would center the voices of Black, Indigenous, and people of color communities. The roundtable is follows six that were held in 2020 by the National Wildlife Federation to conceptualize solutions addressing climate change, health inequities, land use, water security, education, and civic engagement. The solutions presented in the roundtables have been included in policy recommendations to address the most pressing issues impacting frontline communities. Catch our recap here.
Sincerely,
Camilla |
