ABOUT

Our Mission

is to ensure that historically and deliberately excluded communities have access to the outdoors and that their history, values, and people are authentically reflected in public land and water management decisions.

OUR BEGINNINGS

In 2017, a group of friends from Las Cruces, New Mexico came together and realized that there were not enough opportunities for people like them— Latino people living in the borderlands—to engage with public lands. As long-time conservation advocates of color, they began to realize that their experiences of feeling tokenized in conservation and outdoor recreation spaces were not solitary. They recognized a critical gap in mainstream conservation spaces and decided that they wanted to make a difference in their community. They began hosting events in their community, cookouts, camping trips, river rafting trips to get their community outdoors to learn about public land and waters; this is how Nuestra Tierra Conservation Project began. They decided they wanted to start a non-profit to continue addressing this gap in mainstream conservation, and in 2019 Nuestra Tierra formally earned 501(c)(3) non-profit status. Though Nuestra Tierra is still a relatively young organization, the organization has already spearheaded successful state and national campaigns such as the establishment of the New Mexico Outdoor Equity Fund, starting the national Outdoor F.U.T.U.R.E Initiative, and establishing two new monuments under the Monumental Shift Coalition. Though Nuestra Tierra’s work has expanded to promote national level conservation initiatives (like the 30x30 and Justice 40 initiatives led by the Biden-Harris presidency) Nuestra Tierra’s work remains strongly place-based, with firm roots in the southern New Mexico borderlands. Today Nuestra Tierra continues to push the envelope on what conservation in the 21st century looks like.

Our Vision

Through community building, policy and advocacy, and youth empowerment, Nuestra Tierra works at the intersection of environmental conservation and social equity. 

  • Community Building

    Building community is central to Nuestra Tierra’s work. Local communities aught to lead conservation efforts, because their local knowledge and expertise often leads to more sustainable and long-term outcomes. Whether its through restoring the La Mancha wetlands in Las Cruces or bringing together a a coalition of partners to conserve a landscape like Castner Range National Monument in El Paso, TX, community building is a foundational step in all of our conservation efforts that has proven to be highly successful. To us, conservation and community building go hand in hand.

  • Policy & Advocacy

    Nuestra Tierra ensures that historically underserved communities take part in public planning processes that impact public land and waters. We help draft and advocate for legislative policies that address inequitable access to the outdoors and its management on a state and national level. As part of a growing network of progressive conservation advocates, we are committed to redefining the 21st century of conservation; conservation is not just about land, it is also about people. At the forefront of this shift in the conservation movement, Nuestra Tierra strives to makes sure policy makers understand the importance of community led conservation.

  • Empowering Youth

    Investing in the next generation of conservation leaders is crucial towards furthering the conservation movement. We are dedicated to eliminating the barriers low-income youth of color face in accessing natural spaces. We support the Outdoor Fund for Underrepresented Tribal, Urban, and Rural Equity (F.U.T.U.R.E.) act, which is a national level fund that supports organizations that get youth outdoors. We also run the David Soules Conservation Memorial Scholarship, which provides college students interested in conservation with a humble stipend towards their studies each year.