Photos provided by Lucero Cabrera.
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Photos by Max Trujillo, NM Senior Field Coordinator.
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Photo by Daniela Zavala.
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Photos provided by Joshua Fabela.
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Photo by HECHO staff.
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Contact: Camilla Simon, HECHO, camilla@hechoonline.org, 503-975-6355
LAS CRUCES, N.M. [Dec. 22, 2021] – This week, the Biden-Harris Administration issued its initial report on the America the Beautiful Initiative, highlighting important steps to conserve and restore our nation’s lands, waters, and wildlife and to achieve more equitable outdoor access for American communities. Hispanics Enjoying Camping, Hunting and the Outdoors (HECHO) applauds the initial efforts taken by the Administration and encourages the President to take further, and more decisive action on protecting critical landscapes important to diverse communities across the country.
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HECHO was created to ensure that Hispanic and Latinx communities have a voice in the public-land management process. Since our inception, we’ve worked hard to make sure that Hispanic and Latinx leaders and communities have a seat at the decision-making table when it comes to energy development, the management of federal lands, conservation funding, and the permanent protection of important landscapes across the West.
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Today, President Biden restored Bears Ears and the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments, carrying out a campaign promise to protect more than 2 million acres of national public lands, and making good on his America the Beautiful initiative.
For time immemorial, Bears Ears National Monument has been stewarded by the Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, Ute Indian Tribe, and Pueblo of Zuni, who have been advocating for the protection of this culturally and archeologically significant landscape. Together, they are the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition, and they recently published a letter to the White House urging protection for the sacred site where religious ceremonies continue to take place. President Biden’s announcement comes on the eve of Indigenous People’s Day and evokes the importance of prioritizing Indigenous perspectives in the management of our public lands.
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This month we’re celebrating the 112th anniversary of the Antiquities Act, a law enacted and first used by President Theodore Roosevelt. Sixteen presidents (8 Republicans and 8 Democrats) have taken action to preserve our American heritage by designating places of cultural and historical significance as national monuments—places such as the Grand Canyon, the Statue of Liberty, César E. Chávez National Monument, Rio Grande del Norte National Monument, Organ Mountains Desert Peaks National Monument and the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument.
As we recognize this legacy of preserving these places that has lasted well over a century, we joined up with the new group Artemis Sportswomen for a conversation with two New Mexicans active in conservation. Max Trujillo from HECHO and Christine Gonzales from Artemis were kind enough to hop on the phone and share their experiences with public lands and conservation and reflect on the importance of why we protect the places we love.
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