National Parks Conservation Association and Nature Valley Announce New Video Series Celebrating Spaces and Stories Within Nature

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) and its partner Nature Valley are announcing a new video series that celebrates and brings awareness to the historical and cultural heritage of our Hispanic and Latino communities – while generating greater access to nature by preserving public lands and national park sites.

The series features three videos highlighting transformational park experiences by national park advocates in Texas and California. These stories are told through the lens of recreation, accessibility and representation, and family heritage. Each story is further brought to life through a unique piece of artwork reflective of each advocate’s experience and emblematic of the park site special to them.

The first video in the series released today features community member, Josie Gutierrez, and her experiences within San Antonio Missions National Historical Park. Josie’s story serves as an example of how park access allows people to connect to nature through recreation, while also providing a space to find peace and relaxation in the outdoors. Also revealed in the video is an art piece created by Cristina Noriega, a painter and muralist born and raised in San Antonio, commissioned to embody Josie’s experience at the San Antonio Missions. Subsequent videos highlighting additional national park advocates and their profound personal experiences within park sites will be released over the coming months.

“Our national parks tell the stories of America,” said Theresa Pierno, president and CEO of National Parks Conservation Association. “They teach us about our history, our culture and the power of place. By sharing these powerful first-person stories, as we have done in this video series, we hope to introduce more people to America’s national parks and the richness of the experiences people have within these protected places. And we hope they are inspired to create stories of their own.”

Partners since 2009, Nature Valley recently donated $200,000 to NPCA to support the permanent protection of park sites that celebrate and bring awareness to the historical and cultural heritage of our Hispanic and Latino communities. These funds advance NPCA’s work around access, equity and representation within the outdoors to ensure our parks tell comprehensive stories of our nation’s rich history and culture, while providing all Americans the opportunity to see themselves in our parklands.

“Nature Valley is committed to ensuring nature’s energy is accessible to all, starting with education and awareness,” said Katie Wong, head of ideas and partnerships for General Mills. “Our partnership with National Parks Conservation Association advances this mission by furthering the permanent protection of places and spaces that honor the historical and cultural heritage of Hispanic and Latino communities who shaped our public lands by amplifying their stories.”

To view the first video in the series and learn more about NPCA and Nature Valley’s partnership and its impact, visit www.npca.org/naturevalley. Viewers can also follow along on NPCA’s Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and TikTok as videos are released through April.

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About National Parks Conservation Association: Since 1919, the nonpartisan National Parks Conservation Association has been the leading voice in safeguarding our national parks. NPCA and its more than 1.6 million members and supporters work together to protect and preserve our nation’s most iconic and inspirational places for future generations. For more information, visit www.npca.org.

About General Mills: General Mills makes food the world loves. The company is guided by its Accelerate strategy to drive shareholder value by boldly building its brands, relentlessly innovating, unleashing its scale and being a force for good. Its portfolio of beloved brands includes household names such as Cheerios, Nature Valley, Blue Buffalo, Häagen-Dazs, Old El Paso, Pillsbury, Betty Crocker, Yoplait, Annie’s, Wanchai Ferry, Yoki and more. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, General Mills generated fiscal 2021 net sales of U.S. $18.1 billion. In addition, the company’s share of non-consolidated joint venture net sales totaled U.S. $1.1 billion.