Trailheads

In 2014, Linda Sosa was working in Colorado, serving as a community leader for Hispanic Access Foundation (HAF), when she noticed a simple but profound disconnect: a beautiful lake sat right near her neighborhood, yet many local residents had never set foot on its shores.

“People within her community lived five to ten minutes away from this amazing outdoor space, but they had never been exposed to it, or they felt that it wasn’t a space for them,” says Luis Cruz, community engagement manager for HAF.

Sosa asked the foundation for a modest grant to cover gear and transportation so she could take a few residents fishing for the first time. What began as a single outing for a handful of people became the spark for a national movement. The foundation’s leadership realized that Latino families nationwide wanted to get outside but didn’t know where to go, how to find the right gear, or how to stay safe while exploring. In response, they launched Latino Conservation Week, a nine-day celebration hosted each September built around community-led events that break down barriers and celebrate outdoor stewardship. Now a nationwide celebration, the initiative offers a major opening for the outdoor industry to engage a massive, rapidly growing demographic of future participants and consumers.

Developing Latino Leaders 

While Latino Conservation Week is the foundation’s strongest bridge to the outdoor industry, it’s really one part of a much bigger effort to empower Latino families. “At our core, we really hope to cultivate Latino leaders all over the United States in hopes that they strengthen their communities,” says Karina Meza, chief of communication for HAF.

The foundation’s work is built on three core pillars that address the essential needs of Latinos: protecting the environment and nature, fostering economic stability, and ensuring public health and well-being. By tackling all these areas at once, the foundation makes sure Latinos have more than just a seat at the conservation table—they’re also getting the health and financial support they need to really thrive.

To achieve this, the foundation focuses on leadership development over simple event planning. Rather than hosting one-off activities, the organization takes a long-term approach by partnering with local advocates.

“We say that we walk alongside community leaders to build their confidence, expand their networks, and connect them to the right resources so that they can increase their access to systems of power,” says Meza. With the help of HAF, community advocates gain access to policymakers and the funding sources needed to advocate for their own neighborhoods.

This philosophy has proven remarkably effective, as evidenced by the growth of Latino Conservation Week. What began 12 years ago as a localized effort of just 9 events has grown into more than 230 events across 23 states, engaging upwards of 12,000 participants annually.

The beauty of the event is that it isn’t a one-size-fits-all program; instead, the activities are as diverse as the communities hosting them. In some areas, this might look like a guided kayak tour or a “burrito and bonfire” night under the stars. In others, the focus might be on stewardship and education, such as coastal cleanups, bat-watching excursions in the Midwest, or helping families build pollinator gardens in their own backyards.

While many of these events are centered on recreation, others are specifically policy-oriented. These might include roundtables with elected officials or advocacy days where community members share their perspectives on conservation issues.

An Event for the Whole Family

Beyond organizing diverse activities, the foundation sets intentional goals for Latino Conservation Week to create a lasting impact, specifically by involving the whole family. “This is a multi-generational initiative,” Cruz explains. “As much as we want youth to be part of nature, we also want the parents, aunts, uncles, and grandparents to be part of this.” When the whole family gets involved, outdoor recreation becomes a shared tradition rather than a one-off trip, says Cruz, adding that a family-first approach is also practical because young participants rely on adults for practical things like transportation.

Equally important is the foundation’s goal of removing barriers that prevent people from visiting wild lands. “For a lot of our communities, this might be the first time doing an outdoor activity, so demystifying the outdoors and making it less scary is also part of Latino Conservation Week,” says Cruz.

To help families feel comfortable outdoors, local events include basic education on various activities. Participants also have access to gear and other helpful resources. In some communities, this has meant partnering with local transportation agencies to provide bus routes directly to trailheads, making sure that a lack of a vehicle doesn’t stand in the way of a day in nature. By addressing barriers and logistical hurdles, the foundation transforms the outdoors from an intimidating or inaccessible space into a welcoming environment.

A Boost for the Outdoor Industry 

Helping Latino families feel more at home in the outdoors isn’t just a social goal—it’s an opportunity for the outdoor industry to tap into a new wave of participants and customers. This demographic already accounts for nearly 20% of the U.S. population, a figure projected to reach 30% by mid-century. This demographic power is reflected in the latest data from Outdoor Industry Association (OIA). According to the 2025 Outdoor Participation Trends Report, Hispanic participation in outdoor recreation is surging, growing by nearly 12% in a single year.

This group of participants is also relatively young. “The median age for the Latino population is about 30,” says Margaret Lamphier Meier, HAF’s corporate partnerships manager. She notes that by engaging Latinos now, brands and retailers could secure loyal customers for the next several decades. As the fastest-growing segment of the outdoor participant base, the Latino community represents the most significant opportunity for long-term growth in the recreation and tourism economies.

Recognizing this, several major brands have actively engaged with the foundation to build deeper connections with Latino consumers. REI has been a recurring sponsor of Latino Conservation Week and provided HAF with grants, while Columbia Sportswear has provided in-kind donations to equip the foundation’s conservation interns for fieldwork. Cotopaxi has hosted community events at its retail locations, and Patagonia has long-standing ties to the foundation’s conservation and storytelling efforts. These brands understand that engaging this community is not just about social responsibility—it’s a strategic investment in the future of the outdoors.

To help retailers and brands get started, the foundation provides partner toolkits packed with advice on bridging language gaps, overcoming cultural differences, and building genuine connections. With these tools in hand, businesses participating in Latino Conservation Week can broaden their customer base and engage a new generation of adventurers.

There’s a lot of talk among retailers about the need to attract younger consumers and get more people walking through the front door. However, the challenge is often knowing where to start. Latino Conservation Week serves as a ready-made framework for stores to welcome a broader audience and prove that the outdoors belongs to everyone. Getting more people on the trails is really about removing the roadblocks that make the outdoors feel out of reach.

“One of the main points is the idea of access,” says Cruz. “Access not only to our natural places, outdoor spaces, our public lands, but also access to information and opportunity.”

To meet members of the Hispanic Access Foundation, be sure to attend the first-ever Partner Social on June 17th at Switchback Spring in New Orleans.

Click here to learn more about our Switchback Partners and click here to access a webinar featuring a group of our partners who are driving change across the outdoor community.