Hispanic Heritage Month begins this week and runs through mid-October, and conservation groups are encouraging people to celebrate by getting the family out to enjoy our public lands. In Southern California, for example, Hispanic Access Foundation is sponsoring a stargazing event in Frazier Park for Hispanic pastors on Sept. 30. .
This week you can visit a sacred mountain, help clean up a park, and more to honor Public Lands Day, which is this Saturday. Conservation groups are hosting a webinar tonight and a hike Sunday to promote national monument status for Avi Kwa Ame, a vast wilderness outside Laughlin in southern Nevada. Craig Bakerjian, campaign manager for the Avi Kwa Ame Coalition, explained the area s importance. .
Pennsylvanians are encouraged to visit and volunteer at one or more of the Keystone State s more than 6,000 local and state parks during Healthy Lands Week, an annual "rallying cry" for public stewardship of public lands, parks and open green spaces in Pennsylvania. Heidi Pedicone, director of programs for Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, said Healthy Lands Week is a great way to emphasize the work they do year-round with their cleanup program providing free supplies to volunteers. "Last year, for instance, we registered and reported over 4,000 events across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania," Pedicone reported. " .
Conservation groups are working to raise awareness of the fight to protect a pristine California desert landscape from development, near Death Valley National Park and Owens Lake. Conglomerate Mesa and Centennial Flats are treasured by local tribes and outdoor enthusiasts, but the area is also in the sights of a Canadian gold-mining company, which is seeking permission to build roads and drill 30 additional exploration holes, for a total of 120. Wendy Schneider, executive director of Friends of the Inyo, said the area is part of an important high desert ecosystem. .