“As a pastor at Living Covenant Church, I always remind our team–not only do we have to serve our generation, but we have to prepare the next generation to protect God's creation,” said Pastor Moses. “Modeling speaks louder than words–I can't just preach if no one has seen me take action.”

Action is exactly what he has taken. For the past few months, Pastor Moses has taken leadership in his community to advocate for establishing Castner Range as a national monument and its inclusion in President Biden’s “Conserving and Restoring America the Beautiful” plan to conserve at least 30 percent of our lands and waters by 2030, which will conserve 30 percent of the nation's lands, waters, and ocean.

“One small step, like protecting Castner Range, can cause a big impact,” said Pastor Moses. “It's like a mustard seed that looks so small but can grow into a big tree where birds nest and lay their eggs and families come to enjoy the shade.”

In January, Pastor Moses hosted a group hike uniting Latino in his community to learn more about Castner Range’s rich history and how protecting it can give public lands access to its nearby communities. Since then, he’s been featured in local media publications for his advocacy efforts and in March, he will be meeting with Congresswoman Veronica Escobar, who introduced the Castner Range National Monument Act (H.R.2752) to designate Castner Range as a National Monument in early 2021.

“We need to protect Caster Range and help make it part of our daily routine in this part of El Paso for exercise and mental health, as I was able to while growing up,” said Pastor Moses. “I am encouraging President Biden to hold his promise to protect 30 percent of our lands by 2030 and establish Castner Range as a national monument through the Antiquity Act so it can become more accessible to its nearby communities, and we can help children grow up in a healthy environment.”