Public Lands are a Part of My Cultural Identity

Amy Dominguez lives in Utah and is the communications coordinator for Hispanics Enjoying Camping, Hunting, and the Outdoors (HECHO).

I’ve been enjoying public lands since my friends and I decided to camp in Utah’s West Desert for a quick getaway in college. I loved it so much that since then I’ve visited almost all of Utah’s vast public lands and national parks. Last year I had an especially memorable experience when I drove with friends to Red Canyon for a long weekend. We hiked, explored and played board games at the campsite late into the night. Representation is so important to me, and to get to experience this trip with friends who are persons of color like me was invaluable. I don’t think I’ll ever forget it.

As a Latina woman, public lands are critical to my community because outdoor experiences allow us to connect to our ancestors and connect to madre tierra. In the Mayan book of creation, there is so much detail about how the creation of trees, mountains, valleys and wildlife were a proud accomplishment of our creators. Public lands are a part of our cultural identity.

It is our duty to conserve and protect public lands for future generations. Public lands are home to many wildlife species, but as development continues to exponentially expand, wildlife becomes displaced and ecosystems become unbalanced. We all need to speak out to make sure our public lands are conserved for future generations to enjoy.

So many of our country’s parks and public lands written about in these love notes would not exist but for the Land and Water Conservation Fund. It’s why Congress should fund the program permanently. Follow the movement along at #FundLWCF. Learn more here.

…………………………………………………………………………………….

Would you like to write about public lands that you cherish? Please email Mary Jo Brooks at brooksm@nwf.org for guidelines.