Outdoor Allies: Ángel Peña
Photo credit: Brian Sokol
Ever wondered how you can do more for public lands but you aren’t sure where to start? Outdoor Alliance’s Outdoor Allies series explores how other outdoor adventurers got their start in advocacy work and their advice for how you can harness your passion for the outdoors into advocacy for the land and water you love. A first generation American, Ángel is a proud father of three, an avid memory maker with his friends and family and President of the Nuestra Tierra Conservation Project. Angel has been part of and led overwhelmingly successful efforts to protect landscapes and places that help capture the full American story. As President of the Nuestra Tierra conservation project Angel works to ensure that Frontera (border) communities have access to the outdoors—and that our history, values and people are reflected in public lands management through education, advocacy and empowerment.
Tell us about your relationship with the outdoors – what do you like to do outside?
My family worked outside when I was young, and my grandfather owned a landscaping business so being outside was always associated with hard work. Camping and “recreating” wasn’t often on the agenda. It wasn’t until I had moved to New Mexico and become a father myself that I even learned what “public land” was. We could make memories, ones that last, by simply going outside and looking for a new adventure. Something about hiking a little too far, or camping when it’s a little cooler/hotter than you would like, just for that one view, that really makes for the best memories. All to say, I like to do anything outside as long as it includes my family, friends, a camp fire, and some good food.
What first got you into the field of advocacy work?
I was an archaeologist, fresh out of undergrad conducting wilderness characteristic inventories across southern New Mexico when I realized how much history, in the form of pre-historic ceramic sherds, spread across the landscape. The Borderland is steeped in heritage, culture, tradition and the landscape helps tell that story of a beautiful people that continue to love and live on this land. At that time, Southern New Mexico was being led by a politician who was attempting to sell off our land to the highest bidder. It was then I learned the power of people, the power of a diverse community unapologetically standing up and demanding for change. A few years later, the Organ Mountains Desert-Peaks National Monument was created and was my first advocacy campaign.
Tell us a little about Nuestra Tierra. How did you get involved?
The Nuestra Tierra Conservation Project was created in 2017 by a group of Latinx/Hispanic conservation advocates whose experience has shown them the need to provide communities of color with sustainable opportunities for community engagement, access and education around public lands and waters—rather than initiatives that tokenize their voices. I have been the President of Nuestra Tierra since we officially formalized.
What are the big issues that you’re working on right now?
Public lands and waters are often seen as a defining feature of our nation’s shared heritage and character. However, throughout our history, exclusion, oppression, and injustices have traditionally shaped the operations and policies of land management agencies and have created barriers to access so we work at the state, and national level to identify new ways of doing business.
Recently, The Nuestra Tierra Conservation Project led the charge to create the New Mexico Outdoor Equity Fund during the 2019 New Mexico Legislative Session. After spending countless days and hours with New Mexico youth on public lands: hiking, fishing, rafting, hunting and talking about cultura and conservation, we realized New Mexico youth and its communities needed access to their lands. Nuestra Tierra continues to work with youth, a community of equity advocates, outdoor educators, and the state government to ensure that the Outdoor Equity Fund is implemented and administered in a truly equitable way, spread across a diverse geography in New Mexico.
“Public lands and waters are often seen as a defining feature of our nation’s shared heritage and character. However, throughout our history, exclusion, oppression, and injustices have traditionally shaped the operations and policies of land management agencies and have created barriers to access.”
What do you wish more people knew about getting involved in advocacy work?
The future of our public lands depends on the support and engagement of all people. The conservation community must continue actively and authentically engage in a diverse range of communities in new and meaningful ways to build support for our public lands and shape the direction of our future public lands and nature resources policies.
What do you hope the future of public lands and the outdoors looks like?
Our national public lands must reflect the demographic and ethnic diversity of our people. I hope our public lands are colorful, and welcoming to all.
Lightning round:
An advocacy hero of yours: Carmelita Torres hands down!
On your reading list: Harry Potter (current reading with the kiddos), Nation of Immigrants
Long-time favorite piece of gear: Easy one, The Dive Master Jr, Livingston fishing lure