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National Parks to Celebrate Latino Conservation Week: Events Celebrate Latino Narratives and #FindYourPark

WASHINGTON – Visit a national park during the 4th Annual Latino Conservation Week and listen to music under the stars, learn about historical Latino figures or see cultural dances! Many events are happening at national parks across the country from July 15 to July 23 to create opportunities for Latinos to express their passion for the outdoors. Launched by Hispanic Access Foundation in 2014, the nine-day event is designed to break down barriers to the Latino population's enjoyment of public lands, encourage new opportunities for, and outreach to, this community to use public lands, and inspire the next generation of environmental stewards.

The Hispanic Access Foundation is teaming up with the National Park Service and the National Park Foundation to spotlight events taking place in national parks or with NPS staff. As part of the #FindYourPark and #EncuentraTuParque movement, and this year’s Parks 101 series celebrating the 101st year of the National Park Service, the parks' participation in Latino Conservation Week invites everyone–especially the Latino community–to discover their own national park experience and explore lesser-known park stories.

Events taking place in national parks during the week include "Bilingual Tour, "Echoes of Resilience/Voces de Valentía" at Manzanar National Historic Site, a Latino Conservation Week Celebration at Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas, an interpretive program in the Giant Forest at Sequoia National Park in Northern California, and a bike tour at Chamizal National Memorial.

"Latino Conservation Week fosters the Latino community's passion for the outdoors and helps introduce them to new sites and opportunities to enjoy and protect our national parks," said Maite Arce, president and CEO of Hispanic Access Foundation. "Through collaboration, we can encourage more Latinos to access and enjoy these locations, which is critical to building future stewards and advocates for these treasured spaces. There are numerous groups -- including the National Park Service and the National Park Foundation -- at the national and community level that help make this week a success.”

The series of events will also include programs that highlight the work of students in the Latino Heritage Internship Program. The program is a joint effort by the National Park Service, Hispanic Access Foundation and Environment for the Americas to give Latino college students the opportunity to intern in national parks and National Park Service offices. Latino Conservation Week activities supported by interns encourage learning and fun for the whole community. Some of these activities will be held in Lowell National Historical Park Massachusetts, San Juan National Historical Park in Puerto Rico, San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, and Lake Mead National Recreation Area east of Las Vegas, Nevada.

The organizations will use social media to share Latino Conservation Week events with people around the world, using #FindYourPark, #EncuentraTuParque, #LatinoConservationWeek, and #LCW2017.

More information about activities taking place in national parks during Latino Conservation Week is available online at EncuentraTuParque.com and FindYourPark.com.

Arkansas

Arizona

California

District of Columbia

Florida

Georgia

Maryland

Massachusetts

Nevada

Puerto Rico

New York

Texas

Virginia

ABOUT HISPANIC ACCESS FOUNDATION
Hispanic Access Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that improves the lives of Hispanics in the United States and promotes civic engagement by educating, motivating and helping them access trustworthy support systems. For more information, visit www.hispanicaccess.org, twitter.com/HispanicAccess, and facebook.com/HispanicAccessFoundation.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION
The National Park Foundation is the official charity of America's national parks and nonprofit partner to the National Park Service. Chartered by Congress in 1967, the National Park Foundation raises private funds to help PROTECT more than 84 million acres of national parks through critical conservation and preservation efforts, CONNECT all Americans with their incomparable natural landscapes, vibrant culture and rich history, and INSPIRE the next generation of park stewards. In 2016, commemorating the National Park Service's 100th anniversary, the Foundation launched The Centennial Campaign for America's National Parks, a comprehensive fundraising campaign to strengthen and enhance the future of these national treasures for the next hundred years. Find out more and become a part of the national park community at www.nationalparks.org.