Latino Conservation Week has to be one of the best parts of the summer by far. Being able to set up an event in conservation which is something I am passionate about and for my people is amazing. This summer I helped with two different events for Latino Conservation Week. The first event was a nature walk with invasive plant removal and the second event was a picnic in the park.

     The first event I helped host was with McHenry County Conservation District. We, unfortunately, did not have a single person show up to participate in the event and we were all workers. This wasn’t a failure, but a lesson on what to do next time. The second event I helped host was with Conversación de Conservación. This event turned out better. More people showed up and had a good time.  We had a taqueria that made lots of food and had an area where people could fish. The kids loved the fishing area and spent most of their time there. Everyone else socialized together in nature and talked about issues in our areas about the environment. It was nice to see people care about the environment and we can come together to stop it. The vibes at the second event were better and are something that would definitely work again.

     Helping with both events is a plus for me because it helps show me what we should do next time and what would work best for us. We can use this information to make our next event even better. The most important thing about this event is giving the Latino communities of the area a space to come interact and feel wanted. Especially in the area, I work in as diversity is not the greatest. Hopefully next year I can help these two groups set up and host more events for Latino Conservation Week and make it even better than this year.

Agency: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Program: US Fish & Wildlife Service - DFP

Location: Hackmatack NWR