Latino Outdoors is a national organization that wants to create space in conservation and outdoor recreation specifically for the Latinx community. They are looking to start a chapter in Wyoming.
Cassie Castillo, the Laramie ambassador, said the people she works with feel left out of the hiking and camping world. She’s working with the Wyoming Latina Youth Conference at the University of Wyoming in October to build more visibility for the organization.
“Our stories have long been, I wouldn't say ignored, but they haven't been highlighted. And so this is our way of taking some of that back and making sure that we have that space so that our stories are reflected in this outdoor culture,” she said.
Castillo said the idea behind starting a chapter is to build a community of Latinx people in Wyoming. She said often she’s the only person of color in these outdoor spaces.
“That need[s] to redefine what it means to be outdoorsy. We're coming together so that we can create more space for Latinx identities to engage and partake and be welcomed in the outdoors in the different capacities that are part of our culture, are part of our legacy, inheritance,” she said.
Last weekend, Castillo led a Latinx camping trip in the Sinks Canyon near Lander. The group learned about first aid and how to act around local wildlife like snakes. The event was sponsored by Wyoming Parks and Recreation. Attendees come from as far as Denver.