Hello,

Welcome to the windy season! The HECHO team has been hard at work empowering Hispanic leaders to use their voice and platform to bring conservation results to legislative bodies across the Southwest and in Congress. We’ve been busier than ever, growing our team, managing a variety of critically important policy and advocacy projects, cultivating the Hispanic Conservation Leadership Council (HCLC), and staying on the top of the latest administrative changes that impact our states and communities.

Earlier this month, Policy & Advocacy Manager Jose Gaona and Advisory Board Member Rebecca Chavez-Houck made a round of meetings on the Hill, including meeting with Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, to advocate for smart conservation policies that impact our communities. They also had a chance to meet with many of our conservation partners in D.C., including the Outdoor Alliance and the Teddy Roosevelt Conservation Partnership.

Prior to that meeting, I joined many of our HCLC members at the State Capitol in Arizona, where we discussed the future of the Colorado River over lunch, before being honored with a proclamation of support in both the House and Senate Chambers of the Arizona Legislature, joined by our close partners and allies in the House and Senate.

Also, this month, we launched a series of radio and digital ads in Arizona and New Mexico, urging our lawmakers to get serious about climate change and support critical reforms to the oil and gas leasing system. A new series of digital ads will go live in Arizona early next month.

We’ve also been busy planning in-state events in New Mexico that will take place this May, where we will be joined by our New Mexico HCLC members, conservation partners, and other Hispanic leaders to screen our new short film featuring the voices of Upper Rio Grande users and building community, strategy, and relationships to help protect this critical watershed. You can register here.

Our New Mexico Senior Field Coordinator Max Trujillo has been instrumental in helping lead the Caja del Rio National Monument campaign, co-organizing a clean-up of the Caja del Rio landscape, organizing local Hispanic voices to support the effort, and meeting with elected officials to educate them about the campaign and gain their support.

I continue to stay strongly engaged in the Oak Flat copper mining issue, working closely with our colleagues at the National Wildlife Federation and our Tribal partners in Arizona to develop a strategy to educate the Arizona public about the looming threat to billions of gallons of water and sacred sites and gaining support for the Save Oak Flat Act.

Here’s what else we’ve been up to:

HECHO is currently interviewing for new field coordinator positions in Arizona and Colorado, as well as a new Communications Manager and Director.
HECHO staff members Randall Navarro and Bianca McGrath Martinez attended the Colorado Partners in the Outdoors Conference.
We’re in talks with new corporate partners to develop new partnerships that will feature HECHO, its members, and its mission.
Arizona State Sen. Rosanna Gabaldon wrote a Blog for HECHO about the importance of conservation in her life and her career.
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland recently visited Castner Range with U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, in support of a national monument campaign at Castner Range that HECHO strongly supports.
We released a statement congratulating our new Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown.
We released a statement applauding recent reforms to the federal oil and gas leasing program that you can view here.
We held a meeting with the office of U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly to talk about Senators Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) and Catherine Cortez Masto’s (D-Nev.) recently introduced a bill to promote economic development by expanding funding available under the Economic Development Administration (EDA). The Increasing Our Nation’s Value through Economic Support and Tourism “INVEST” in Our Communities Act will increase the access to funding available from the EDA across the country. HECHO will be following up with HCLC members on opportunities to engage in conversation about the bill in the weeks to come.
New Mexico Senior Field Coordinator, Max Trujillo, in his role as a San Miguel County Commissioner, has taken a leadership role helping to coordinate relief efforts to a large fire that broke out in northern New Mexico.

There is no shortage of work for our team during a very critical time for our nation and the future of our communities. We thank you for your support and encourage you to stay safe and make sure that your campfires are always completely extinguished!

Camilla Simon

Executive Director

Remembering a Conservation Champion

It is with great sadness that HECHO bids farewell to one of our longtime friends and supporters. On Wednesday, March 30, Genaro Ruiz passed away in Phoenix, AZ. Over the last year, we have had the extreme pleasure of getting to know Genaro as not just a supporter but as a man that was passionate about his family and his work at the Rio Salado Audubon Center.

Before his passing, Genaro was gracious enough to accompany members of HECHO’s staff and board to the Arizona State Capitol for the reading of a proclamation acknowledging the role that Hispanic/Latino leaders play in the state’s public land and water conservation efforts. His genuine enthusiasm for HECHO’s work and his support in our ongoing role in uplifting Hispanic voices will be dearly missed and forever remembered. To read more about Genaro and his life, please see his tribute by the Audubon Society.

ICYMI

New Mexico Stream Access Victory

The New Mexico Supreme Court recently ruled that a Game Commission rule that allows landowners to restrict access to water that flowed through private property is unconstitutional, opening hundreds of river miles to anglers, kayakers, and others who want to enjoy New Mexico’s waterways. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the New Mexico Wildlife Federation and the partnering organizations for staying the course in the battle to keep our streams in public domain. Read HECHO’s statement here.

Fire Season is Here

Now is a great time to educate the general public in the West who enjoys camping, hiking, and other outdoor activities about the extreme danger of wildfires, Recently, we’ve experienced devastating wildfires across New Mexico, Arizona, and Colorado, many of them caused by human activity. To prevent the loss of life and property, we must do more to educate the public about the dangers of unextinguished campfires. Read more here.

Resources & Opportunities

HECHO receives wonderful engagement opportunities that we’d like to share with our readers. If an opportunity speaks to you, click the link to learn more.

NM ORD is Hiring | The New Mexico Outdoor Recreation Division (ORD) is hiring a marketing coordinator. If you’re passionate about championing New Mexico’s outdoors, consider applying now! This is a two-year position that will oversee a new grant program directed at communities looking to increase outdoor access and all ORD communications work. Learn more here.

The Conservation Alliance is Hiring| The Conservation Alliance seeks an Operations Manager to work directly with the Executive Director and Program Directors to manage all financial functions of the organization including accounting, billing, reconciling, budget development and tracking, and financial operations.

Join the HCLC! | Are you a Hispanic elected or community leader that would like to join HECHO’s growing Hispanic Conservation Leadership Council? We’d love to talk to you and help lift up your voice and support your work in your community. Please email Bianca to inquire more about being a member of the first-of-its-kind, HCLC.

Thanks for reading!

And thanks for being part of the HECHO community. Together we can elevate Hispanic voices in public lands policy.