SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — Luis Rubio-Aguilar, an outdoor guide who has worked extensively in Tahoe, will lead free Spanish/English bilingual events on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 14 and 15. The events will include a nature hike, lunch and paddling session at El Dorado Beach and Kings Beach, respectively. You can sign up to join the events here. 

The events are part of the Sierra Nevada Alliance and Hispanic Access Fund’s collaborative Latino Conservation Week, which includes events across the state. The purpose of the week is to “support the Latino community getting into the outdoors and participating in activities to protect our natural resources” (per the event’s website).

In service of that mission, the two organizations are calling on the expertise of Luis Rubio-Aguilar, a Mexican-American outdoor professional who has worked extensively in the Tahoe area. 

Rubio-Aguilar’s two weekend events offer an opportunity for local families to be guided by an experienced outdoor professional, free of charge. For Rubio-Aguilar, the events are an opportunity to “make new connections, teach people about the benefits of the outdoors, and engage people who wouldn’t normally attend my events.”

“This program is meaningful to me because I am an immigrant from Mexico and I know the lack of funds and resources that Latinos encounter when trying to access or recreate in the outdoors,” says Rubio-Aguilar.  

Rubio-Aguilar’s passion for conservation and outdoor education led him to a career as a PSIA-certified Alpine/Ski Coach, summer camp coordinator and guide. Through his career, he has worked with youth from many cultures, identities and places, and has developed a strong track record shaping safe spaces for kids and families in Tahoe. 

Rubio-Aguilar has hosted events in partnership with the Sierra Nevada Alliance previously, and at least twice a month he hosts free community nature forays. He says he is limited by his own bandwidth, despite demand for more such programming. 

This is the first time Rubio-Aguilar has worked for the Latino Conservation Week, but there are hopes the programming will continue into the future. 

According to Annika Artle of the Sierra Nevada Alliance, “the Hispanic Access Foundation has been running Latino Conservation Week for many years, and with their help, we’ve been able to plan two events in Tahoe and help fund two more events in the region.” 

“We’re looking forward to hopefully doing this every year, and helping other regional organizations run their own events as well. We think it’s going to be a success, but of course we’ll see how it goes.” 

You can find more about Rubio-Aguilar’s events on the Sierra Nevada Alliance website and read more about the Hispanic Access Foundation here. 

Anna Kristina Moseidjord is a freelancer for the Tahoe Daily Tribune and Sierra Sun.