FIRM has been awarded a grant made through the Children and Urban Parkways program of the Resources Legacy Fund. This grant will fund advocacy work around equitable access to the River West portion of the San Joaquin River Parkway specifically for the Southeast Asian community. Many Hmong and Laotian families in the Central Valley actively engage in fishing, hunting, camping and other outdoor activities. Most of these opportunities are on public lands such as certain portions of the San Joaquin River Parkway. An organization called the San Joaquin River Parkway and Conservation Trust, Inc., along with others, is trying to ensure that there is equitable access for all on these public lands. There is a new portion of the San Joaquin River Parkway, which is in planning stages to be developed in the near future. Due to the advocacy efforts of a different group, the access to these lands will be made very difficult for communities such as the refugee community in Fresno. This grant will fund advocacy work specifically in the Hmong and Laotian communities over the next year to try and ensure that all communities will have future access to these lands regardless of their background or socioeconomic status! Please stay tuned for updates about this important work!