Mesa City Councilmember Francisco Heredia represents District 3.
Mesa is the third largest city in Arizona with a diverse population of over 518,000 people. As this number increases, it is urgent that we prioritize solutions to curb the impacts of the climate crisis so that we can build the safety and resilience our communities deserve.
The City of Mesa is taking action to make sustainable improvements for our residents, and have released a Climate Action Plan to protect and conserve Mesa’s environment and natural resources.. To bolster this effort, we need to make investments that tackle the climate crisis, and have tangible benefits for Arizonans. Fortunately, Congress is working on a bill, the Build Back Better Act, that would make a difference for our city and state that will mitigate wildfires and protect forests and watersheds, address drought impacts and land and water issues, and act boldly on the climate crisis, and we need Senator Kelly and Senator Sinema to support it.
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By: Coconino County Supervisor, District 2, Jeronimo Vasquez
For as long as I can remember, the outdoors has been an interwoven element of my life. For my family, it was something that we were always mindful of and it informed so many of the values that I continue to carry in my life today. I also come from a family of educators and they instilled in me the importance of education, community, and youth programming. Looking back now, my career aligns with so much of the teachings they shared with me.
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By Arizona State Representative Alma Hernandez
I was born and raised on the South Side of Tucson. My father grew up on a farm in Van Nuys, California and my mother emigrated from Nogales, Mexico. I’m the youngest of three, and proud to carry the strength and resiliency of my ancestry and my community. The district that I’m from and also represent is predominantly Hispanic and low-income. Our community is beautiful, with vendor-lined streets and a strong sentiment of care.
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I have always carried a deep connection to the outdoors. I was born in a rural town in Michoacán, Mexico which is where my indigenous identity is rooted; and I grew up in Fort Bragg, California, a small town nestled between the vastness of the Pacific Ocean and the great Redwood Forest. It wasn’t uncommon for friends and I to walk to the quiet beaches after school or on a weekend morning. In middle school, I joined a climbing and hiking club which would often explore the adjacent streams and rolling hills of Jackson State Forest. In high school, I ran cross country. Through that sport I was lucky enough to spend afternoons running on coastal trails, and at times traveling inland to run through vineyards, and around serene lakes. I very much enjoyed my time connecting to nature in the area of California that I grew up in. Even today, I find that when life gets a little too hectic, nothing grounds me quite like nature.
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I grew up in the very busy metropolitan city of Bogota, Colombia, and the majority of my time was spent going to the mall or school. Once in a while, my family and I would take trips to the countryside to see beautiful scenery and enjoy the wonderful biodiversity, but as a kid, I was more interested in my Nintendo than engaging with the nature around me.
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Congress’ proposed $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation bill is a bold investment in America. It follows the already historic $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure plan, known as the INVEST in America Act, and plans for wider-ranging investments. Chief among these are investments to address climate change that build upon the infrastructure developments planned under the INVEST in America Act. In particular, the investments under the budget reconciliation bill will provide the country with much-needed help for critical restoration and resilience projects aimed at reducing drought and forest fires, and would support meaningful progress on environmental justice while creating millions of jobs.
Read MoreI grew up in Trinidad, Colorado – an old western town settled as a stop on the Santa Fe Trail. As a result, it has been a mining community and a cattle town. I’ve always appreciated its history, the grit it must have taken to survive and thrive. Because of the way Trinidad was settled, and the industries that began here, it was a microcosm of different cultures.
In the late sixties, my father arrived from northern New Mexico after receiving a full-ride scholarship to the University of Denver School of Law. He was the first in his family to pursue and graduate with a law degree. Soon after graduating, my parents moved to Trinidad. My father was deeply respected and was even elected to two terms as District Attorney. He also served as County Attorney for Las Animas County before he and my mother opened several businesses in Trinidad. They embraced life here and were beloved by their community. Their appreciation of Trinidad was something they made sure to pass on to my siblings and me.
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I grew up in Corpus Christi, Texas, which is right on the Texas Gulf Coast. I came from a family that did not have a lot of money, so we did a lot of outdoor things like car camping, fishing, and hiking. The hunting we did was for our own livelihood. My father made it a priority to instill an appreciation for all the things the land offers us, clean air, clean water, and wildlife. These values have informed the conservation practices that have carried on into my life, that I have passed to my own children, and that I look forward to sharing with my grandchildren.
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Land based traditions have been a part of my life since before my inception. On my mother’s side we have deep roots in agriculture in Northern Mexico. On my father’s side we have generations of farmers and ranchers in central Mexico as well as a few generations of loggers in Arizona. In my family story, the land is what brought us together. As the owner of Suarez Forestry LLC, it keeps us working together.
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In Guatemala, conservation is just a part of the culture. You are one with the land, and you only use what you need. My family carried these values and we took them with us to every state we lived in, from New York to Florida, and Arizona.
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As a military family, we moved frequently before my father was once again stationed in Spain, where I was born and raised. Though we lived in cities during our time there, Madrid and Zaragoza, my childhood is peppered with memories from visiting the pueblo, Prado del Campo, where my mother’s family is from. Spending summer and easter breaks there, my deep connection to the outdoors began to grow.
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Growing up in Douglas, Arizona is like having a foot in two worlds. Because it straddles the United States and Mexican border, my upbringing was unique in that I grew up on what I considered an international avenue – my favorite tienditas on one side, my family on the other, and then the desert, the saguaros, watching us all.
Living in a border town means understanding economic privilege from an early age. I recognized the divide that existed, and the role that politics played in our lives. I was painfully aware of the privileges that being a U.S. Citizen awarded me, and I questioned why my neighbors weren't able to experience what my family could.
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I live on four-acres of land next to the Coronado National Forest. I love living in the boondocks. When I’m home I sit outside and have a 360-degree view of nature. I listen to the birds and it clears my mind. It gives me solace to be out here by myself. It’s relaxing, but most of all, it’s inspirational.
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My siblings and I spent our summers on the East side of New Mexico on my grandfather’s ranch. Our family called it La Garita. Those trips and my upbringing in southwest New Mexico gave me my first introduction to horses, and the beginning of a deep appreciation for the Gila National Forest that was almost in our backyard.
My mother was the eldest of 15 siblings, and she would often share with us what it was like growing up on the ranch, doing chores and pausing to take a break while my grandfather would break a watermelon on his knee for them all to share together. My family has always had a strong tie to the land, because as ranchers, nature is your livelihood…..
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HECHO spoke with Viviana Reyes of Flagstaff, Arizona to learn about her personal connection to the Grand Canyon, her favorite memories there, and why she believes the Grand Canyon should be protected from uranium mining.
HECHO: What is your personal connection the Grand Canyon
Viviana Reyes (VR): As far as my personal connection to the Grand Canyon, I was born and raised in Arizona. I grew up in Phoenix, and, as a child, the Grand Canyon was one of the only places that we were really able to visit. For one, it’s in our home state and it was really close. And, also, it’s kind of an affordable place to visit in the sense that we would just kind of get together as a family and drive. One of the first times I got to visit was with an uncle and it was super breathtaking and beautiful. I remember thinking that it wasn’t real, that it just looked like a picture, like a postcard almost.
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HECHO sat down with Lynn Cordova of Arizona to learn about her connection to the Grand Canyon, and why she believes the Grand Canyon should be protected from uranium mining.
HECHO: Why do you think it’s important to advocate for national parks against the threat of uranium mining?
Lynn Cordova (LC): I think national parks are important, and we, as a society, need to have places to visit and unwind. As you probably know and read my story about growing up, and growing up low income, I didn't have a ton of exposure to public lands. I lived in Colorado, and it's a beautiful state. There are tons of mountains and hiking trails, but I rarely got to experience that because, often times, it was a matter of my mother not having enough money to even get us to the mountains. If we did, it was the closest foothills we could get to and that was our version of a picnic or camping.
Now that I'm older, and since I have yet to visit the Grand Canyon, it’s on my bucket list— especially since I now live in Arizona. I want to ensure that it's going to be available for me to visit. But if uranium mining occurs, I’m worried about the potential of water contamination in the area, and who knows what other repercussions could happen from that. It’s important to ensure that it doesn't happen so that everyone can visit the Grand Canyon.
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My family has a long history in the Pojoaque Valley of New Mexico. Both my mother and father’s side of the family has been a part of this county for generations, dating back to the early pre-Hispanic settlers in the area. Growing up in New Mexico, I was immersed in the traditional farming community and grew up with the ranchero lifestyle.
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I’m proud to be an 8th generation Arizonan. My family has traced our long history in Arizona back to the 1740s. Both my maternal and paternal grandparents were farmworkers, tending the fields. My father was a farmworker as well.
My family settled in Pima County after an uncle bought a plot of land and invited his brothers to join.
Arizona is what I know best. I was brought up in South Phoenix, and moved after gentrification pushed us out. Afterwards, my family moved to Golden Gate Barrio. I find comfort in familiarity and today, my children go to the same elementary school I did.
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My story begins similarly to others who have history in Arizona. My parents started work on the border of Arizona and later moved to Bisbee, a city with a rich mining history as well as my birthplace. Eventually, my family and I settled in Tucson. Arizona as a whole has so much to offer and so much that I love. At the top of the list is the biodiversity the state is home to. You can be in one place, surrounded by desert and red rock, and then drive a few hours north and be engulfed by forest. I especially appreciate the variance during the winter, where I can still enjoy the outdoors without having to compromise my desire for warmth.
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