Yosemite Conservancy launches Protect Your Wild campaign
YOSEMITE, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – A new initiative has been launched and Yosemite officials announced on Wednesday that they hope it will engage millennials and Gen Z in outdoor conservation during National Park Week.
Officials say the initiative, Protect Your Wild, challenges people to consider how they protect the wild inside of themselves and out in the world.
“We want to help get more bodies of all shapes, sizes, skin tones, and abilities into the outdoors,” said Kimiko Love Martinez, Yosemite Conservancy’s Chief Marketing & Communications Officer. “Public lands are for everyone. And we want to support people in reconnecting with that sense of connectedness to the Earth; to remind people that they are an integral part of nature, not separate from it.”
According to park officials, many visitors to national parks, Yosemite in particular, already include a wide range of ages, ethnicities, socioeconomic statuses, and more.
To amplify the Protect Your Wild campaign, officials say Yosemite Conservancy has partnered with influential voices in the #DiversityOutdoors movement to share how they protect the wild in themselves and the community.
Some of these influential voices include Amanda Capable, founder of EveryBODY on Trails; Luz Lituma, co-founder of Latinx Hikers; Jose Gonzalez, founder of Latino Outdoors; Brittany Leavitt, CEO of Brown Girls Climb and an Outdoor Afro alumni, Ambreen Tariq of Brown People Camping; Zoe Peterson and Kelby Jecker of @the_AdventureAddicts, and more.
“We want you to protect the wild around you — and in you,” Love Martinez said. “When you build a love for self and see yourself as part of nature and wild places, you want to protect it.”
There is also an interactive “What’s Your Outdoor Personality Type?” quiz as the staple of the campaign, with personalized tips on how to “Protect Your Wild” for each personality type, ranging from Weekend Warriors to Forest Bathers, History Buffs to Flora and Fauna Lovers and more, according to officials.
