22 Jul Latino Conversation Week kicks-off!

As Latino Conservation Week kicks off, we have everything prepared and ready to go here at Lake Mead. We had the opportunity to go out and give a brief presentation about the rafting trip, to the group of volunteers that will be joining us this Friday. Some of the things we touched upon during the presentation were safety points, tentative schedule for the day, description of the volunteer activity, and opportunities available at Lake Mead. At first I was a bit nervous for the presentation and I was not sure what to expect. Only about half the group showed up, however, everybody that attended was very engaged with the presentation and asked many questions at the end. I was so amazed and proud of all of them! A good amount of young adults and teenagers are active volunteers in their community and definitely demonstrate a passion for the outdoors. Within the group of volunteers, we also have parents that will be participating with their children which, I believe will be a memorable family experience for them. I strongly believe that this will be not only a fun adventure for all of them but also, a great learning experience. Giving back to the community and protecting our environment is all very important and I am glad to see motivated individuals get together for this amazing cause. Hopefully, for the new volunteers this becomes the beginning of a new relationship between them and Lake Mead, and for the currently active volunteers that all their past experiences lead them to new opportunities. As I mentioned before in a previous blog, my first weekend here in town I had the chance to go on a raft down the Colorado River and I loved it. I wished for everyone to experience this adventure at least once in their lifetime.  I am certain that our group of volunteers will be awed with the beauty that they will encounter on their trip. My time Lake Mead has definitely been a great one, I fell in love with the park instantly. The only concerned I have had constantly, is wishing for my parents and family to one day have the opportunity to visit the park. Thankfully, my parents were able to visit this past weekend! I made it a priority to take them out to the park and share the knowledge I have been gaining here with them. Although, it was a very hot July weekend they put up with the heat because they were having the time of their life at the park and taking pictures nonstop. By far this has been one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever had, it was my parents first time ever visiting a National Park and I was part of that moment. With Lake Mead being 1.5 million acres big we did not have enough time to see the entire park, I mean I have been here for about eight weeks and I have not even seen half the park myself. One thing is for sure that this was an unforgettable experience together as a family. I could not have asked for a better start to Latino Conservation Week. I was even interviewed as well by a local Las Vegas Spanish radio station regarding Lake Mead and Latino Conservation Week. There are great events going on nationwide and thus far the events have had great outcomes. The excitement in me continues growing as the date of the rafting trip gets closer. Without a doubt, I am positive that Latino Conservation Week will continue growing more and more every year. I also hope that our event here at Lake Mead continues growing to allow everybody in the community the opportunity to get outdoors on the precious Colorado River.

CAF Las Vegas presentation

Rafting trip pre-presentation the volunteers

Q &A to the presentation