At Chispa Arizona, we work alongside our indigenous relatives to protect and preserve our public lands, and to increase access for those communities that have been kept out of them.
Public Lands are areas of land that are managed by the government and financially supported by public funds such as our taxes. When most people hear the term Public Lands, they think of places like Grand Canyon National Park, but city and county parks are public lands too, as are hiking and cycling trails, open spaces, recreational areas, preserves, national forests, wilderness areas, and historic sites and cultural monuments.
Arizona is home to 22 federally recognized indigenous nations. At Chispa AZ, we acknowledge that we are uninvited guests on stolen, unceded lands and we fight for their protection alongside our indigenous relatives!
We support our indigenous relatives who have been calling for the protection of sacred lands such as The Great Bend of the Gila and the Grand Canyon. Public lands are crucial for the preservation of history and for understanding the rich diversity of our state’s stories, and the experiences of indigenous, Latinx and other communities.
We call for full funding of the Heritage Fund at $10 million each year. Arizona legislators must prioritize funding for the Heritage Fund in the annual state budget. The Heritage Fund supports state and local parks projects in Arizona and historic preservation of culturally significant sites.
We call for inclusive and accessible parks and open spaces. Our communities belong on public lands! As we plan ahead for new parks and green open spaces, we must ensure they go where they are needed most: low-income and communities of color.
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