Grand Canyon to celebrate Latino Conservation Week with free event

GRAND CANYON, Ariz. — Grand Canyon National Park is inviting Latino families and youth to visit the park and explore their public lands during Latino Conservation Week July 17-21.

An initiative of the Hispanic Access Foundation, Latino Conservation Week or Disfrutando y Conservando Nuestra Tierra is a week-long program dedicated to creating opportunities for Latino families and youth to engage in the outdoors and raise awareness of important local and national conservation issues. The event is now in its fourth year.

“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. HAF and its diverse partners — including national and community-based groups — appreciate the support of the National Park Service and the National Park Foundation.”

Grand Canyon’s Latino Heritage Intern Aileen Palma said hosting an event to encourage the Latino community to engage with National Parks and public lands is an important step in promoting preservation and stewardship.

“By providing ranger programs in Spanish, we are not only increasing Grand Canyon’s educational outreach but also creating an environment where Latinos feel welcomed and engaged,” she said.

Visitors can interact with Spanish-speaking rangers, Youth Conservation Corp representatives and Latino Heritage interns from noon-4 p.m. July 21 at the Grand Canyon Visitor Center Plaza to learn about the variety of activities available at Grand Canyon National Park. During this time, visitors can also learn about how they can support the conservation and protection of natural resources and public lands. The daily history walk, critter chat, geology glimpse, condor talk and evening ranger programs will also be presented in Spanish. Locations and times for these events can be found by visiting the Grand Canyon Visitor Center or Grand Canyon’s Facebook page. This event is free, accessible and open to the public.