Defiende Nuestra Tierra, a Latino outreach program through Wilderness Workshop, partnered with EcoFlight to highlight the Wild for Good initiative, a campaign focused on advancing lasting protections for landscapes in western Colorado.
During a recent aerial tour organized by EcoFlight, a nonprofit organization that takes people on educational flights to help communities and organizations better understand natural landscapes and the conservation challenges they face, participants were able to view several of the areas included in the initiative.
Alejandro Jáquez-Caro, Latino community organizer for Defiende Nuestra Tierra, explained that Wild for Good is “an initiative focused on securing lasting protections for important wild landscapes across western Colorado.”
The focus is on 10 landscapes: Greater Dinosaur, Roan Plateau, Colorado River Valley, Continental Divide, Homestake Valley, Red Table Mountain, Crystal River, Thompson Divide, North Fork Valley and Dolores River Canyon Country.
During the flight, participants viewed Sylvan Lake, a site Defiende Nuestra Tierra visited for ice fishing activities last winter, Red Table Mountain and the upper Colorado River — which is included in the Wild for Good campaign. They also observed Castle Peak, which Defiende Nuestra Tierra noted “is part of some of the highest-elevation lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in Colorado.”
Jáquez-Caro said the aerial perspective helps people better understand the connections among ecosystems and communities.
“It shows how watersheds, wildlife habitat, migration corridors, recreation areas and communities are connected throughout western Colorado,” Jáquez-Caro said.
He also noted that approximately one-third of Colorado’s land is public, allowing people to enjoy activities such as camping, fishing, hiking and other forms of outdoor recreation.
During the tour, Jáquez-Caro discussed the potential impacts of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, championed by President Donald Trump.
According to Jáquez-Caro, the act “limits the BLM’s ability to reject applications to lease public lands for oil and gas development, even when concerns have been raised by local communities.”
He also highlighted changes related to federal leasing policies.
“The Trump administration amended the Mineral Leasing Act, reducing royalties on federal leases from 16.67% to 12.5%,” he said.
“By reducing the amount companies pay to extract oil and gas on federal public lands, this measure could reduce government revenue by millions of dollars, revenue that helps fund public services,” he added.
Jáquez-Caro said both Defiende Nuestra Tierra and Wilderness Workshop have closely followed these developments.
“It has been a priority for us to pay attention to those processes,” he said. He also encouraged community members to get involved in public participation opportunities.
The initiative also seeks to foster a broader conversation about the meaning of wilderness areas.
“When we talk about wilderness areas, we mean lands that remain undeveloped,” Jáquez-Caro said. “Often people think humans have never been there before.”
Jennifer Balmes, Wilderness Workshop’s marketing and philanthropy director, emphasized the importance of recognizing human history in these landscapes.
“It is important to honor the protection of these lands. These lands have always been shaped by the presence of the Ute people, preserving both the landscape and their history,” Balmes said.
Balmes explained that the Ute people have been present in the region for hundreds of years and have contributed to the stewardship and conservation of these lands.
Defiende Nuestra Tierra emphasized the importance of advancing new protections for natural areas that do not yet have official designations.
“We shouldn’t just be on defense, we need to be on offense,” Jáquez-Caro said.
Wilderness Workshop and Defiende Nuestra Tierra are working to advance initiatives such as Wild for Good in order to “designate more lands with wilderness protections.”
The organization invites community members to join the effort to support permanent protections for wild places that currently lack official designation.
Their website states that “Permanent protection for the public lands and waters we care about is the best way to ensure these places remain Wild for Good.”
For more information about the initiative and opportunities for community participation, visit wildforgood.org/es/actua