Latinos Kick Off Conservation Week at Arizona Monument

Cassandra Becerra's childhood was filled with fishing trips, desert hikes, and playing in the dirt. Her family didn't have much money, but they had something priceless: Arizona's public lands.

Those memories led her to become Arizona State Director for Mountain Mamas, a nonprofit protecting the environment for future generations. On Saturday, she stood at Ironwood Forest National Monument near Tucson to kick off the 12th annual Latino Conservation Week.

The nationwide initiative, created by the Hispanic Access Foundation, encourages Latino communities to connect with nature and protect America's wild places. This year's launch location carries extra meaning.

Ironwood Forest National Monument protects 129,000 acres of Sonoran Desert. Since 2000, it's served as a haven for research and a buffer against mining expansion.

But the Trump administration has signaled it may reduce the monument's size to allow more development. The threat feels real after two Utah monuments were drastically reduced in July, opening them to mining and drilling.

"We've been caring for these places we've called home for so long," Becerra said. "Latino Conservation Week encourages us to participate at a greater capacity to protect our environment and natural resources."

The week features hikes, cleanups, and educational sessions across Arizona and the country. Getting people outdoors is the first step to getting them involved in conservation, organizers say.

Christine Flanagan, president of Friends of Ironwood Forest, remembers walking in the desert with her grandmother at age six. Her grandmother pointed to the hills and told her never to let anyone say she wasn't allowed there.

"We all must join together and understand that this is our land," Flanagan said. "As public land owners, we need to start acting together like we own this land."

The Ripple Effect

Latino Conservation Week reaches far beyond one monument or one community. When families spend time outdoors together, they pass down knowledge across generations and keep cultural connections alive.

Rebecca Perez from the Wilderness Society warns that once wild places are industrialized, they can't be easily restored. "Public lands belong to all of us, not special interests," she said.

The week's events prove that environmental protection isn't just policy work—it's personal, rooted in childhood memories of fishing trips and desert walks that shape who we become.