"This glue of equity that holds [the Parks Now Coalition] together is very special because we are coming from a common place of understanding that not everyone has access to parks. And that's what we're really looking at changing." — Marcos Trinidad
For many, “nature,” “outdoors” and “open space” aren’t the first words that come to mind when thinking of Los Angeles. But that was never the case with Marcos. From as early as kindergarten, he connected with nature along the Arroyo Seco, one of the tributaries of the LA River. “I remember running and jumping on leaves, kicking and stepping on them to hear that crunching sound,” Marcos reminisces. “What really stood out was the smell of Sycamore, the smell of the leaves and just how big and beautiful these trees really are.” This early memory ultimately inspired him to help people see Los Angeles as “a nature-rich location.”
Located just a few miles northeast of Downtown Los Angeles in the city’s fourth-largest park, Audubon Center at Debs Park is an environmental education and conservation center. The Center offers a range of programs, like bird walks, nature-themed arts and crafts, and volunteer opportunities in a number of pocket parks along the LA River. It takes a holistic approach to serving the local community. “We invite folks to come out and highlight issues in our neighborhood and see how it has an impact on the environment,“ explains Marcos. “Homelessness, affordable housing, domestic violence, substance abuse… All these issues that conservationists traditionally stay away from, we embrace because those are the issues our community members are dealing with.”
Like Marcos, his children are learning to appreciate their connection to nature. “It's a reminder of why I do this work," says Marcos. "It's why I work in conservation. Why I advocate for parks and why I continue to build and restore the connection between people and their land.”
To learn more about Marcos and the work Audubon Center at Debs Park is doing to advance access and equity in our parks systems, visit https://debspark.audubon.org/