2019-2022
After fires severely impacted the Yakima Valley and Wenatchee areas in 2014 and 2015, it became apparent that Latinx residents did not have access to resources necessary to prepare for, respond to, or recover from wildfire. In 2019, several organizations, including Washington Resource Conservation and Development Council, the Washington Fire Adapted Communities Learning Network, The Nature Conservancy, and international Latinx sustainability and capacity building non-profit, Sachamama, developed a pilot Latinx community engagement project.
The goal of the project was to develop a framework to engage the Latinx community in wildfire adaptation. More than 1,000 individuals and organizations, including businesses, local school districts, the Wenatchee Chamber of Commerce, Univision, and local radio stations, engaged in conversations around this effort. Through a series of listening sessions, Sachamama developed strategic partnerships with four place-based organizations: Latino Community Fund, CAFÉ, Parque Padrinos and Nuestra Casa. Together, these organizations planned and hosted a series of workshops to empower the Latinx community to act on climate adaptation efforts.
This model, known as the Climate Innovation Lab, nurtures connections with local fire adaptation practitioners, equips local leaders with knowledge about wildfire adaptation, and provides them with leadership tools to plan and implement local solutions based on community needs. Over 24 of these workshops or “labs” were conducted, resulting in the creation of an online video series on wildfire preparedness and recovery with complementary facilitation resources developed by the WRCD, Sachamama, and Zen Rock Consulting for residents and community leaders to kick-start similar efforts in their community.
In total, 84 community members took part in Climate Innovation Lab workshops, which resulted in increased civic engagement. Participants advocated for Wenatchee and Sunnyside leaders to adopt city-wide wildfire preparedness day/month proclamations to increase outreach to and engagement with Latinx residents. At a state level, this work led to the initial stages of a wildfire legislative agenda primarily led by Front and Centered and the Latino Community Fund, two organizations on the frontlines of economic and environmental change for climate justice.
CAFÉ, Nuestra Casa, and Latino Community Fund have integrated FAC work into their programs of work. CAFÉ launched “CAFÉ por la Tierra”, Nuestra Casa adopted a “Ciclo Verde” environmental program, and Latino Community Fund now runs a Wildfire Resilience Program. They continue to engage residents and stakeholders in their respective communities to promote and coordinate wildfire preparedness efforts.
