Reaching a community: Latino Outdoors New Mexico strives to bring 'nature and stewardship to the forefront'

Those moments when it becomes clear that an impact is being made can be simultaneously touching and humorous — especially when it comes to the younger generation.

For Laura Flores, one of these moments occurred while she was leading a hike through the petroglyphs as a volunteer for Latino Outdoors New Mexico. During that trek, there was an epiphany that Flores won’t soon forget.

Reaching a community: Latino Outdoors New Mexico strives to bring 'nature and stewardship to the forefront'

“We took at least 25 folks. There were just little kids running around. They were looking at lizards everywhere. They were looking at the birds that were flying around. They were helping identify the local plants,” Flores recalled.

“One of the little boys runs up the Petroglyph hill, he was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is better than video games.’ It was like, ‘Did you just say that? Is that real life?’ That just made my heart so happy.”

Founded in 2013, Latino Outdoors is a national nonprofit organization that “supports a national community of leaders in outdoor recreation, conservation and environmental education.” Its reach continues to grow and currently includes more than 200 volunteers in more than 30 locations and 20 states.

Flores has essentially been at the ground floor of the New Mexico branch. She learned about the organization when her wedding photographer posted about it, and she was immediately intrigued.

“I was like, ‘That sounds really incredible,’ ” Flores said. “I would love to build community. I would love to be outside. I went on hikes, I have gone camping before, but I really wanted to deepen those skills.”

While Latino Outdoors New Mexico existed in a lesser capacity in previous years, it began to really pick up steam around 2019. Flores, who began as a volunteer, accepted a full-time role as regional coordinator this past June. Her work is supported by a team of Outings Leaders that includes Shelby Bazan, Maria Leonor Rodriguez, Jeff Chavez and Vanessa Barela.

As someone who taught elementary school in the state for 15 years, the career shift was something of a natural transition.

“What’s beautiful about Latino Outdoors is it’s a lot of 101: It’s Camping 101, Hiking 101,” Flores said. “We’re not asking to do anything you don’t feel comfortable doing. But if you want to go on a hike, let’s try it. If you want to go camping, let’s try it.”

During her tenure as an educator, Flores was shocked to learn that some of her students were unaware of state landmarks such as the Rio Grande. She believes that getting young people exposed to all the outdoor wonders that the Land of Enchantment has to offer can help to create a more positive impression of the state overall.

“I grew up here in New Mexico, and it was always the same conversation: ‘Ugh, I can’t wait to leave New Mexico. There’s nothing to do here.’ Just always bashing,” Flores said.

“I wish instead of thinking about what New Mexico doesn’t have, we talked about what New Mexico does have. We have outdoor activities such as hiking, rafting, camping and exploring the bosque. There’s birding. I think because folks don’t always have the resources to explore that, they can end up going down a different path, and I’ve seen that in my own community, in my family,” she added. “Maybe navigating into drugs and alcohol, where an outdoor program could have put them on a different trajectory. I do this because I want to absolutely bring nature and stewardship to the forefront, but I just want to make sure my community feels loved and cared for and has that connection to culture and to history and feels very valued every day.”

While kids are certainly a primary point of emphasis, Latino Outdoors New Mexico is multigenerational (parents and grandparents are encouraged to attend events) and is open to anyone in the community. The organization provides updates through social media on its Facebook and Instagram pages, and interested parties can also follow Latino Outdoors on Eventbrite to get notifications regarding upcoming events. The New Mexico branch holds a minimum of one outing per month, but there are often more than that.

Flores is especially excited about an extravaganza at Barelas Community Center Park for Latino Conservation Week on Sept. 21. The event will include numerous booths for outdoor organizations, face painting and a bike rodeo. Other hands-on activities, such as a casting clinic, are still in the works.

More volunteers are always welcome at Latino Outdoors, as is feedback from those who attend the various outings.

“Jump on board for something that you are interested in or something that you are not even sure you’re interested in,” Flores said. “Come, have some food. Tell us what your interests are, and we can make an outing for that. Or, come and eat the food and hang out in the community.”