This weekend, several Latino faith leaders and youth from Victorville, Apple Valley and Hesperia will hike Big Morongo Canyon Preserve as they explore the need to protect the California desert and how the Latino community can help lead the charge for its conservation.

Led by Por La Creación: Faith-based Alliance, which unites Latino faith leaders in an effort to develop stewards of God’s creation by educating and engaging this generation to leave a legacy for the future, this effort originated from the mounting concern that the cultural heritage,  landscapes and resources of the California desert face irreversible damage from ongoing threats – exporting groundwater from desert aquifers, air pollution, rapid community development and encroachments from renewable energy developments.

The leaders will also discuss Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s California Desert Conservation and Recreation Act and how it could protect the region’s quality of life and contribute to the local economy. The act would make additions to Joshua Tree, Death Valley, and the Mojave National Preserve; establish two new national monuments and wilderness areas in the desert; and protect existing access for hunting, hiking, off-roading, camping, viewing wildlife, and many other existing tourism and recreation activities.
 

THIS STORY WILL BE UPDATED FOLLOWING THE HIKE.