01 Jun Blast to the past. Ride the time machine to the First State with Mario!

Hiya everyone! In case y’all didn’t see the introductory vblog, I am Mario, an intern with the Latino Heritage Internship Program with Environment for the Americas (a partnership with the National Park Service). I graduated from Colorado State University in May 2022. I earned a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources Management and a Bachelor of Arts in Languages, Literature, and Cultures with a concentration in Spanish. As a first-generation American veteran, this was a momentous accomplishment. Out of the many career goals I have, one never changes. That goal is to be that familiar face that energizes the Latinx people to not only enjoy the outdoors, but to also be inspired to be future stewards of Madre Tierra. It is about

Landing point of the Swedish at Fort Christina

connecting a marginalized community to the great American outdoors and having a seat at the table of public land management committees. We can achieve this by bringing western science and Traditional Ecological Knowledge to achieve the synchronization of the main goal of mindful resource usage. What better place to connect the people than America’s greatest idea, The National Park Service? This summer I will be working at First State National Historical Park. Now, if you are new to the National Park Service names and don’t know what this means, no worries; that’s why I am here. Let’s break that name up! Delaware was the first state to ratify the United States Constitution in 1787. It is a historic park because of its vast history seen across its six sites. Its history starts in 1631 when the Dutch land in Delaware to find the Lenape people already living in this “newly found” land. In 1776, the name Delaware was born when it separated from Pennsylvania and the British Empire. In 1845, on The Dover Green site, Samuel Burris and other

Plaque on Ramseys overlook of the Brandywine Valley unit.

abolitionists that aided the underground railroad were sentenced. This was the same site where the ratification of the 19th Amendment was delayed. To the northernmost side, we have Brandywine Valley. This land was donated to preserve and conserve the cultural significance of the territory. This land was inhabited by the Lenape people as a seasonal fishing village. As you can tell, my dear readers, First State National Historical Park certainly lives up to the name. I hope this was a savory peek into this site that you will come and check out yourselves!