League’s new podcast spotlights experiences of underrepresented communities in nature and conservation
Save the Redwoods League launched an outreach program in 2019 to cultivate meaningful and reciprocal relationships with communities that have historically been marginalized or underrepresented in the redwoods. When the pandemic hit in early 2020 and halted the League’s in-person programs, our Outreach Program Manager Leslie Parra was heartbroken for the communities with which she works. From Indigenous tribes and rural redwood communities to girls and women to young people of color, it was clear that many of these communities would be disproportionately affected by the health and economic impacts of COVID-19, and limited access to the outdoors would only make matters worse. Parra was determined to figure out how to effectively continue community engagement in a pandemic with no end in sight.
Enter I’ll Go If You Go, the first Save the Redwoods League podcast. Through conversations with emergent outdoor leaders and our partners, Parra is building community and illuminating how Californians from all walks of life think about and experience nature and conservation—in the redwoods and beyond. Among the first guests are Miguel Marquez, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ranger who was raised by the redwoods of Oakland, California; Farrahn Hawkins, a community development enthusiast and former Yosemite National Park ranger discussing what it means to create a sense of place; Toni Maggi-Brown, a Redwoods Rising apprentice illuminating his experiences out in the field and the role creativity plays in conservation and outdoor education; and Karla Amador, who started the 52-Hike Challenge to encourage others to reclaim their sense of self through connecting with nature.
Why is the podcast called I’ll Go If You Go? Because when we explore together in community, the experience is even more powerful. Together we can reimagine redwood parks experiences and conservation to be welcoming and resonant to all—and in the process, inspire the forest stewards of the future.
Listen to I’ll Go If You Go now
This feature appears in the beautiful printed edition of Redwoods magazine, a showcase of redwoods conservation stories by leading scientists and writers, as well as breathtaking photos, and ways you can help the forest.
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