| Hello,
As August winds down and we settle into new routines, we’re embracing the cooler mornings and evenings, and celebrating summer’s last long weekend, Labor Day. We hope that you and your family have plans to enjoy some time off, or to spend some time outdoors!
During August, our team took our second summer break to recharge ahead of what we’re expecting to be a busy fall season. We’re keeping a close eye on what’s happening in Congress while we continue to advocate for important investments to be part of the final budget reconciliation bill– these are long-term investments that will protect our nation’s public lands and waters for generations to come, create jobs, and advance environmental justice. Learn about the budget reconciliation process in our breakdown blog that will explain them and how you can help make sure your representatives know why this is so important!
In our last newsletter, we celebrated the largest private land donation from the Trust for Public Land to the American people in San Miguel County, New Mexico. The donation is in Cañon Ciruela, adjacent to the Sabinoso Wilderness. In case you missed our feature in the Los Alamos Daily Post, you can watch this short documentary by the New Mexico Wildlife Federation highlighting the ways that the donation will expand public access in New Mexico.
Like many other conservation groups, we’re anxiously awaiting the Department of the Interior’s report reviewing our nation’s outdated oil and gas system. New Mexico Voices for Children recently created a video showing how our existing oil and gas leasing system forces communities to choose between paying to clean up oil wells and dealing with serious pollution. Watch the two-minute video here.
Central to our mission at HECHO is amplifying our cultural connections to the outdoors. In July, we shared a blog feature highlighting Carlos Lopez, a former City Councilmember and current outdoor gear business owner in Trinidad, Colorado. Read about the legacy Carlos is building on by clicking here.
Below is a quick round-up of what we’ve been up to:
- Last weekend we were excited to partner with Latino Outdoors Colorado, and Colorado Parks and Wildlife to host a day of family fishing at Lake Lehow in Littleton, Colorado. Scroll down for pictures or click here to see our album!
- On August 25, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham announced an executive order titled “Protecting New Mexico’s Lands, Watersheds, Wildlife, and Natural Heritage” that would protect 30% of New Mexico’s land by 2030. New Mexicans are deeply connected to the landscape, and traditions that many enjoy like fishing, hunting, ranching, and wood gathering depend on the protection of and access to public lands and waters. We’re excited for the major step Governor Lujan Grisham has taken to protect New Mexico’s lands, watersheds, wildlife, and natural heritage. Read more by clicking here.
- Earlier in August, several counties in Utah scrambled to pass resolutions condemning the nomination of Tracy Stone-Manning to lead the Bureau of Land Management, inserting themselves into D.C. politics without taking the time to look at the facts. HECHO’s Policy and Advocacy Intern, Andres Fierro Morales wrote a powerful op-ed published in the Cache Valley Dailycalling for the Cache County Council to consider Stone-Manning’s 30-year career of public lands success stories, and the best interests of community members who live, work and recreate in Utah. Read it here.
- HECHO advocates came together during the first week of August to contact their senators to allocate funding for the Department of the Interior after a news report suggested that the Department of the Interior, public lands, and wildlife would be left out of the $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation package that also excluded money for Tribes. To be alerted when important opportunities to advocate for our land and water come up, consider joining the HECHO Advocacy Network. Click here to get started.
- HECHO met with U.S. Congressman Blake Moore, who represents Utah’s first district to share our work and to learn about how we can support the conservation initiatives Congressman Moore has been advocating for. We look forward to collaborating with Congressman Moore’s office for the conservation of our public lands and waters.
Thank you for supporting HECHO.
Sincerely,
Camilla |
