Los Angeles Latinos applauded news that President Barack Obama will protect the San Gabriel Mountains as the nation's newest national monument on Friday, proving once again that our community concerns extend beyond the issue of immigration.

PURPLE MOUNTAINS MAJESTY: The White House said on Wednesday that President Obama will make his 13th national monument designation on Friday, protecting 350,000 acres of California's San Gabriel Mountains. 

President Obama designated nearly 347,000 acres of California's San Gabriel Mountains a national monument on Friday, vowing that he is "not finished” preserving the nation’s wilderness.

While celebrations can take different forms, several Latino youth from the Indio, CA area got back to basics in early Nov. 2014 as they hiked and camped throughout the California desert and wilderness -- Joshua Tree National Park and Mojave National Preserve -- to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the California Desert Protection Act and the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act.

We've all heard the stories about how a lack of health insurance can force someone to ignore small health issues, until they end up in the emergency room with a more traumatic, and sometimes untreatable, problem. This is happening frequently with the country's uninsured Latina population.

As an Orange County resident, I have firsthand experience of the effects of light pollution. When we have the chance to see stars they are few and far between. However, I recently had the opportunity for the first time in my life to go stargazing. While peering at the night sky in Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico, I finally understood why we need to protect some of our nation’s public lands.

For many, economic opportunities like employment or cost of living can have significant bearing on where we choose to live. But, the results of the new Colorado College State of the Rockies Project Conservation in the West Poll tell a different story.

The Latino Conservation Alliance – a group of six national Latino organizations dedicated to promoting conservation priorities in our communities – has sent a joint letter to Chairman Lisa Murkowski and Ranking Member Maria Cantwell, of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, encouraging the committee to recommend the reauthorization and full funding of the Land and Water Conservation Fund.