HAPPY HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH, Sept. 15 – Oct. 15!
During this monthlong period, Friends of the Inyo is sharing social media and blog posts about Hispanics who have made significant contributions to conservation and environmental justice.
Juan Rosas is a community activist based in the Inland Empire and is involved in many coalitions working to protect and improve access to public lands. Rosas has more than 15 years of experience as a founder and a director of several nonprofits in Southern California. Moved by his deep convictions that every person should have access to housing, food, healthcare, education, and recreational spaces, he has dedicated his life’s work to bringing funding and awareness to these issues.
Through his current role as a Conservation Program Associate at Hispanic Access Foundation (HAF), Rosas works to elevate diverse Latino voices and leaders to support communities of color to advocate for the environmental issues that directly affect their daily lives. His work intersects stewardship of the land, conservation advocacy, and outdoor recreation opportunities.
Rosas’ mission-driven work is also deeply rooted in his faith (he was an ordained minister before he joined HAF) and includes recruiting new members from all faith backgrounds across the country through the faith-based alliance Por La Creación (For Creation), which is composed of U.S. Latino faith leaders and works to encourage Latinos to take active engagement, as stewards of God’s creation, in protecting the nation’s natural resources.
He is an active member of the Inland Deserts 30×30 Working Group, of which Friends of the Inyo is also a member. Through his dedication to equity and access, Rosas was recently appointed by our state’s Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot to California’s 30×30 Partnership Coordinating Committee. This group of leaders from across the state serves to create effective communication and coordination among all groups that participate in the 30×30 Partnership to protect 30 percent of California’s lands and coastal waters by 2030, including tribal partners, state and federal agencies, and non-governmental organizations.
Learn more about Rosas on the following pages from the Hispanic Access Foundation’s Website: