THE LEAFLET

Each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15, by celebrating the histories, cultures, and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. Why September 15? It’s the anniversary of independence for Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September 18, respectively.

Our work is much more than just planting trees, it takes many people working across many fields to restore, enhance and protect our city and its trees. We plant trees with the intention that they’ll be around for much longer than we will – so we also need to ensure there are dedicated and invested people to care for them.

Our longest-tenured Tree Planting Crew Member Alex Palacios is contributing to both sides of that equation. He plants trees as part of our crew and he is making sure there will be a cadre of folks to care for our urban forest.

Alex came to us from The Latin American Youth Center (LAYC) Conservation Corps where he took some of his first steps into Urban Forestry. Since then Alex has attended networking events representing Casey Trees. These events are a way for current students to mix and mingle with like-minded employers, learn more about potential future opportunities in the conservation/sustainability sector and hear directly from alumni of the program – like Alex! 

Alex noted that it was “good to engage with other environmentally focused groups, meet some new faces and tell them about our work, and share my story that might resonate with others.” 

While climate news continues to make headlines every day and the outlook seems increasingly bleak, it’s encouraging to see the next generation of people coming together in conservation to tackle big goals. With that in mind, we had to ask Alex if he had any advice for the soon-to-graduate members of the Corps. His response, “Pay attention. To everything. There is so much to learn from so many people and it’s all out there if you pay attention.” We couldn’t agree more!

Looking to inspire the next generation like Alex? Check out our TreeWise Booklets in Spanish – available for download during National Hispanic Heritage Month! Fill out the fields and click below to download.