Mar Muñoz-Visoso currently serves as the Executive Director of the Secretariats for Cultural Diversity at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in Washington, DC. Formally she served as the Director of Media and Communications for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. She also formally served as the Executive Director for Centro San Juan Diego, a community based nonprofit social service agency in Denver, Colorado. Mar was born and raised in Spain. She and her husband Rafael have three children. They live in Silver Springs, Maryland.

Velma Montoya, Ph.D. is an Economist and is retired from government service and university teaching. She served in the Office of Policy Development in the Reagan White House and is University of California Regent Emerita at the University of California. She currently serves as a member (and former Chairperson) of the California Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and on the Board of UCLA's Faculty Club where she represents UCLA's Faculty Women's Club.

Christine oversees Hispanic Access Foundation’s relationships with more than 150,000 Latino churches in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. She holds a bachelor’s degree in modern languages and a master’s degree in teaching. She has also earned certificates in faith, work, and economics; pastoral advocacy and poverty alleviation; and church pastoral skills.

Before coming to Hispanic Access, Christine taught Spanish at the junior and senior high school level for seven years. While teaching, she also led and coordinated outreach events and community service trips for the student body. Christine is active with the Masterpiece Institute, which was founded by her husband, Rev. Fernando Tamara, and with the Bread for the World network, with which she has conducted on-the-ground advocacy to congressional leaders in Washington, D.C. In addition, Christine serves with her husband as Associate Pastor for the Hispanic Ministry of Orange County First Assembly of God Church.

Christine up in San Jose, California and currently lives in Eastvale, California. She and her husband are raising their eldest son Caleb, their daughter Melody, and their youngest son Jason.

Why she works for Hispanic Access..

“Equipping, empowering, and engaging the Latino community is something I am passionate about. I knew that by working at Hispanic Access Foundation I would have the opportunity and support to do all of these things.”

In her spare time…

“I enjoy reading, walking, baking, and watching movies with my family.”

Her favorite book…

“Chasing Vines by Beth Moore. I enjoy this book because it inspires the reader to live a life that cultivates both fruitfulness and rest.”

A person she finds inspirational…

“One of my favorite inspirational speakers is Priscilla Shirer, daughter of Dr. Tony Evans who was the first person of color to author a Bible commentary.  Just like her father, Priscilla has authored many books specifically for women on topics regarding whole life leadership, overcoming insecurities, and the importance of persevering during difficult seasons in life.”

This report examines the importance of environmental issues for Latino voters. Over the past few years, Latino, conservation and environmental groups have all identified the importance of environmental issues for Latinos living in the United States. A 2015 New York Times article noted that Latinos demonstrate overwhelming concern for the environment. A 2014 research brief prepared by Latino Decisions for the Hispanic Access Foundation reported that clean air and water, preserving public lands, climate change, and promoting clean energy are all matters of concern for the rapidly growing Latino population.

Colorado’s population is experiencing rapid growth, putting increased pressures on the state’s public lands, which are beloved by the vast majority of its residents, a significant driver in the state’s economy and a main draw for people moving to the state. Additional threats from development and a movement to sell off these lands to the highest bidder – closing them to the American public – are putting Colorado at risk of losing the wild.

For many Latinos and other diverse urban communities, sites funded through the Land and Water Conservation Fund, often provide the only or most accessible means to experience the outdoors. From having places to connect with nature, spend time with family, enjoy outdoor recreation or explore cultural heritage, LWCF isn’t just about protecting pieces of land or providing specific resources for development, it’s about the connection we have with these places and what they represent for each individual and communities. These sites matter to people – and the loss of the program would be felt for generations to come.

On Tuesday, Mar. 12, in a historic demonstration of bipartisan governing President Donald J. Trump signed into law the John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management and Recreation Act, protecting millions of acres of land and hundreds of miles of wild rivers across the country, establishing five new national monuments and permanently reauthorizing the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF).

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Office of National Marine Sanctuaries and NOAA Fisheries recently signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the National Marine Manufacturers Association, the American Sportfishing Association, the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, and the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation to improve communication and engagement around sustainable recreational fishing and boating activities.

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 practices, and more people living in fire-prone areas have led to catastrophic wildfires that affect more people. Almost 59,000 wildfires burned over 7 million acres in 2021, and more than 10.3 million acres burned in 2020.

These conditions have severe consequences on public health and access to services, job security, and economic productivity. Latino communities are more vulnerable to experiencing these wildfire impacts, and Latino voters are not only aware of these impacts, but are ready for Congress to take action to address climate change, provide more funding for forest management, and ensure communities have access to the services they need to respond to wildfires.

Why is this important to Latino communities?

Latino Health

• Wildfire potential correlates with places with high Latino populations, in part because of the affordable housing crisis - homes are cheaper in wildfire-prone areas. Latinos are twice as likely to be affected by wildfires than others in the U.S. Socioeconomic vulnerabilities and lack of resources turn hazards into disasters and drastically reduce the ability for these communities to prepare and recover from wildfires.
• Latinos have the highest uninsured rates in the United States - 52% of Latinos do not have private insurance coverage. This means Latinos are less likely to have access to healthcare services to prevent and treat health threats caused by wildfires and smoke.
• The poverty rate among Latinos in 2020 was 17.0%, compared to the national poverty rate of 11.4%. This means that 1 in 6 Latinos do not have the economic resources to prepare, adapt, or cope with health issues associated with wildfires and poor air quality.
• Low-income Latino communities are not only exposed to higher temperatures and wildfire risk, but also worse air quality due to smoke.
• 12% of Latinos do not have access to a car, almost double the percentage of their white counterparts, and 27% of Latinos use public transit on a daily or weekly basis. Latinos are more likely than any other group to live in a multigenerational household with young and/or aging family members who can’t drive themselves to school, work, healthcare and other services. This limits their ability to prepare and respond to wildfires.

Latino Jobs & Economy

• The effects of wildfires range from access to emergency response, disaster relief, and physical and mental health services to job security, economic productivity, land use planning and affordable housing.
• Latinos make up the highest percentage of natural resource laborers. These high rates of outdoor employment leads to higher risks by Latino workers of being exposed to unhealthy levels of smoke and air pollution during and after a wildfire.
• Certain factors create additional barriers and challenges for Latino communities before, during, and after a wildfire. These may include distrust of government agencies, emergency responders or service providers; language and cultural barriers; access to information and alerts; or socioeconomic factors, such as access to transportation, adequate and affordable housing, income, and eligibility for insurance or government services.

Latino Public Opinion

• 69% of Latino voters in the West agree that wildfires are more of a problem than ten years ago.
• 84% of Latino voters are concerned about more frequent and severe wildfires.
• 80% of Latino voters support updating zoning and building codes for new homes and development near forests or other fire-prone areas so homes are farther from or can better withstand fires.
• 91% of Latino voters agree with increasing the use of controlled burns to safely reduce the amount of fuel for fires.

Higher temperatures and heat waves are leading to a disproportionate impact on Latino laborers. For many Latinos, staying indoors during high-heat days is not an option. Hazardous conditions are routine for farmworkers and include pesticide exposure, heat stress, lack of shade and adequate clean drinking water. Regardless of 100°F or higher temperatures, unhealthy air quality, and lack of proper protection, many farmworkers continue to work in these hazardous conditions to support their families.

The frequency of extreme heat days is increasing as the climate warms. It is critical that we provide Latino workers with the necessary resources to not just survive, but prosper in these adverse environments, while also limiting climate change to mitigate this increasing risk.