Latino Conservation Week was a very special opportunity for me. It gave me the space to plan and execute my own programming with a ton of support from my supervisor and the whole staff. I started out by making a poster highlighting different Latine people in conservation around the world that I brought to our free fishing nights and other events we held during LCW. The poster was intended to encourage Latine people to pursue involvement in the conservation field and remind everyone else that we have always been involved in conservation even if we have not been in the mainstream as much as White American conservationists. I also created a social media campaign highlighting the work of the conservationists to a larger audience online.
Along with discussing the work of other people in conservation I was able to create some events getting people involved in outdoor recreation and conservation! On Saturday the 17th I was able to have a local Latina artist come out and do art at the refuge, which gave visitors a unique opportunity to connect with the refuge through art. On Sunday the 18th we had a community organization called Asociación Puertorriqueños en Marcha visit the refuge for a kayak adventure! A group of teenagers from their organization came out and paddled with us and got to experience the refuge in a whole new way. For most of them it was their first time visiting the refuge and first time on kayaks so it was a really beautiful experience for us to all have together. The next activity I planned was a visit to Asociación Puertorriqueños en Marcha’s playground campus for a bug survey with some of their younger students! We had a great time showing them that they have some incredible creatures and elements of nature right around them even in the city. I had such a great time planning LCW events and I am so grateful for the opportunity to create my own programming.
Last week we had a staff day where we went into the neighborhood just beyond the refuge and had a meeting with community leaders. The purpose of the meeting was for the refuge staff to learn more about where the community thinks we can be an asset to them and how to proceed with our community engagement with their feedback. This meeting reminded me that without knowing what the community wants and needs, our community work is futile. We can’t come up with events and hope people show up, we need to listen to what people want to see and they will attend. The lessons I learned from the staff day will stay with me in all the work I do in the future.
On a very different note I was able to have some super fun experiences with other people from HAF in the last month. I went on the East Coast camping trip and met other interns who had similar passions for being involved in conservation and having fun in the outdoors. I also hosted Guillermo Alvarez, another HAF intern, at my refuge for two days which was so fun because I got to see how our programs aligned and learn from him and what he has been working on this summer. I can’t wait to see what doors my internship with the Hispanic Access Foundation will open and look forward to seeing where the other incredible peopleI met end up as well.
Agency: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Program: US Fish & Wildlife Service
Location: John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum