Latino Outdoors: Using Storytelling and Social Media to Increase Diversity on Public Lands

Abstract

In 2013, for the first time in United States history, more than 50% of children younger than age one were minorities. Latinos are the nation's largest-growing minority group, and by 2050 are estimated to comprise 28% of the total U.S. population. Despite the exponential growth of minorities generally and Latinos in particular, landmanagement agencies have been slow in responding to these major racial and ethnic demographic shifts, particularly within the context of outdoor recreation activities. The purpose of this article is to show how Latino Outdoors is providing diverse and family-focused outdoor-recreation opportunities by using storytelling and cuttingedge social-networking technology to build avenues for access to public lands and a Latino-centered message of environmental awareness and belonging. In the past four years, Latino Outdoors grew from one person to 180 volunteers, 44 of whom function as volunteer leaders, and two paid full-time employees, all of whom have together organized outings in 14 states across the country. Storytelling and social media work as mechanisms to communicate the value of nature and interaction with the natural environment as part of a modern Latino identity. Engaging with cultural and ethnic diversity, Latino Outdoors and its partners have built a national network that values and advocates for the wealth of experiences that the environment and recreation can provide to the over 57 million Latinos in the United States, who are underserved by public land-management agencies. Through its use of storytelling and its online presence, the organization is creating a space for new social and cultural meanings of the outdoors using counternarratives that question normative American

Equity in Access to Outdoor Recreation—Informing a Sustainable Future

“…Prior studies exploring outdoor recreation on forest lands have highlighted disparities in national forest visitation associated with traditionally marginalized groups [1,4,5,[9][10][11][12][13][14][15]. In lieu of inequities abating, as might have been expected in an increasingly diverse state following Gordon's hypothesis [37], we observed marked patterns of continuing inequities.…”

“…These solutions are of sufficient generality to potentially mitigate some factors that lead to ethnic-based inequalities in natural resource area recreation use [24,29,44]. Communication approaches may be particularly helpful in increasing awareness of opportunities and programs that may be of interest, as well as incorporating messages of inclusion and expanding the awareness of active engagement of diverse cultural groups in outdoor recreation [11,24,30]. Additionally, work has shown the value of targeting messaging paths that reflect cultural variations in information sources that are relied upon and trusted [44][45][46].…”

“…Additionally, work has shown the value of targeting messaging paths that reflect cultural variations in information sources that are relied upon and trusted [44][45][46]. Focused programming is instituting a message of outdoor recreation as a shared cultural experience among ethnoracial minorities to advance inclusion through various means, including the use of social media platforms [11], and involving representatives from members of minority groups to share culturally relevant messages [45,46] and experiences [21,30]. These efforts aim to improve equity through affirming a message that outdoor recreation is part of ethnoracial minority cultures, increasing messages of belonging, and contributing to outdoor recreation as a part of cultural identity [11,26].…”

The Central Arizona Conservation Alliance Programs: Use of Social Media and App-Supported Community Science for Landscape-Scale Habitat Restoration, Governance Support, and Community Resilience-Building

“…This facilitated communication and increased transparency has been found to ease tension around changing policy and increasing cooperation [30]. The sense of community and avenues for free discussion via social media can also support inclusion, outreach and education, can increase support for ongoing land management activities, and increase public engagement surrounding planning processes [31,32].…”

Outdoor Recreation, Nature-Based Tourism, and Sustainability

“…Communities of color have revealed variations in preferences for degrees of development and types of activities that are distinct from Caucasian visitors [46]. Whether these preferences continue to shift over time as a reflection of cultural changes, such as seeing activities as part of one's ingroup or culture remains to be seen [49]. Acculturation over the course of several generations may also affect outdoor recreation trends and preferences, as well as socioeconomic status, residential status, and other factors.…”