Lauret Savoy: "The Colors of Nature"
Reposted from To the Best of Out Knowledge
Lauret Savoy believes too many nature writers focus on pristine wilderness and neglect the gritty reality of the places where people actually live - in cities, for instance, maybe even near toxic waste sites. And writing about these places means grappling with difficult questions about race and poverty. Savoy talks with Jim Fleming about her book "The Colors of Nature." LISTEN
You can read two chapters from the book:
“Belonging to the Land” by David Mas Masumoto from The Colors of Nature (Minneapolis: Milkweed Editions, 2011). Copyright © 2002 by David Mas Masumoto.
“Burning the Shelter” by Louis Owens from The Colors of Nature (Minneapolis: Milkweed Editions, 2011). Copyright © 2002 by Louis Owens.
Shared courtesy of Milkweed Editions.
Hug a Tree This Weekend
I never considered myself a tree hugger before, but 150 year-old "Grandfather Beech" changed my mind!
This tree is a resident favorite at Atlanta's Outdoor Activity Center, which houses the West Atlanta Watershed Alliance and Keeping it Wild two organizations that are doing tremendous good to connect Atlantans with nature and conservation right in their own backyard. While holding this tree, I felt the wisdom of its years and the calm of the surrounding forest. If you have never done so before, try hugging a tree this weekend -- then tell us what it did for you!
Outdoor Afro in Atlanta this Week!
Rue Mapp of Outdoor Afro is excited to present in Atlanta this week at Keeping it Wild and at the American Camp Association's (ACA) National Convention! ACA is an education partner of Outdoor Afro, and together they have designed curriculum for their e-institute entitled: Cultivating Camp Relevancy for Diverse Audiences - check it out!
Both events are designed to energize the field of outdoor recreation and camp management around how to engage more diverse audiences with the outdoors.
Click on the image above for more information for the Keeping it Wild appearance, and click here to learn more about ACA.
A Skier
Zoe Polk of San Francisco, CA is seen at Spooner Lake, NV enjoying the first snow of the season!
Making Mini-Afros Into Nature Superheroes: Pacha's Pajama's
Creative Director and Co-Founder of BALANCE Edutainment Aaron Ableman shares information on their inspiring flagship initiative--Pacha’s Pajamas! Let’s turn all the mini-Afros into Nature Superheroes!
I once heard it said that you are what you eat. Well, it's also true that you are what you listen to and what you watch on YouTube! In fact, I was with a classroom of 4 year olds the other day and half of them could quote the entire verse of a Jay-Z song, with degrading lyrics and all. Then, I asked them to describe a Pine Tree and they shook their heads in silent confusion. What an emblem of a larger human condition! In a recent study, it was reported that children spend 7-13.5 hours per day on screens, lost in the vapid content of today's entertainment free-for-all. In a world that broadcasts crisis and destruction, it's not hard to imagine why children are failing out of classrooms, mired in violence and experiencing disease at greater rates than ever before.
Listen to a track of Pacha's Pajamas here! Call Heard Round The World (Feat. Mos Def)
At Balance Edutainment, this is the problem that we've set out to solve. We intend to #Occupy Pop Culture with stories, music and games that uplift children and families on critical environmental issues. To do so, however, we need to meet children where they're at. And, as anyone who's anyone knows, most kids are addicted to games, music, and media. With Pacha's Pajamas, our flagship initiative, we intend to use an urban fairy tale about a little girl, who through her dreams, becomes a Superhero for Nature. We will reach mainstream audiences with this meaningful story about saving the planet on our favorite TV and radio stations.
Cycling Along the Underground Railroad
In honor of Black History Month, the Adventure Cycling Association will announce the Underground Rail Road route this week! And Outdoor Afro is excited to share the news of this inspired 518-mile alternate Detroit route.
The 2,000 miles Underground Railroad Bicycle Route (UGRR) was established in 2007, beginning in Mobile, AL and ending at Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada. Adventure Cycling has since been committed to developing alternative routs and spurs in order to involve more people and communities in this historic ride.
This newest Detroit Alternate invites cyclists to enjoy historic landmarks between Oberlin, OH and Owen Sound, including Oberlin College (among the first institutions of higher learning in the United States to accept African-American students in 1835) and the remains of Starkweather Homestead, the site where Underground Railroad conductor George McCoy farmed and raised his family. The route also passes through Motor City where cyclists can stop and check out the Motown Museum, housed in Berry Gordy Jr.’s two-family flat at 2648 West Grand Boulevard, Detroit!
Adventure Cycling is a non-profit geared toward encouraging and supporting cycle-based travel and engagement with America’s historical landscapes. Please check out more historical information and details about the Detroit Alternate , as well as Adventure Cycling’s other historic trails at adventurecycling.org
Also, from February 22-28, Jim Sayer, executive director at Adventure Cycling will be appearing at regional events in Detroit, Ohio, and Pittsburgh, to promote the new route. You can find more information about those events here.
Happy Black History Month and happy cycling!
Hiking Hawaii's Magnificent Volcanoes
Contributed by Outdoor Afro Lesly Simmons who shares with us her recent, inspiring adventure in Hawaii in words and photos.
The name Hawaii usually conjures images of beautiful beaches, palm trees and thoughts of lounging by a pool, fruity drink in hand. But hiking to a frozen lake at the top of the biggest mountain in the world, which also happens to be a volcano? The thought never entered my mind until I did just that during a recent trip to the big island of Hawaii with my husband Jole.
Before embarking on the trip we did enough research to know there were some amazing hikes on the islands of Hawaii and Oahu, where we planned to visit. We packed our hiking shoes anticipating we would find ourselves in hiking distance of a secluded waterfall only accessible after traversing a tropical rain forest. But instead, our trusty guidebook led us to the seclusion of Lake Wai’au, more than 13,000 feet up Mauna Kea volcano.
On its own Mauna Kea is a sight to behold—it’s the largest mountain in the world, and often has snow at the top in winter. Temperatures can vary wildly between the chilly summit and the coastal towns of Hawaii, less than an hour’s drive away. It’s very possible to hike the volcano in the morning and spend the evening drinking piña coladas on the beach in the afternoon.
We only learned about Lake Wai’au thanks to the guidebook we picked up in the airport before we took off from San Francisco, the Rough Guide to Hawaii (highly recommended, it was worth it for the information on the lake trip alone). The frigid lake, set at just about 13,000 ft., comes from a layer of permafrost beneath the summit of the volcano.
Taking the drive up Mauna Kea requires a stop at a visitors center at an elevation of 9,000 feet to adjust to the altitude, which gave us a chance to explore some of the natural terrain of the volcano above the base layer of vog (fog made of volcanic ash from neighboring volcano Kilauea). After thirty minutes we began our ascent, a bumpy 20-minute drive up mostly unpaved roads through breathtaking vistas that came into view as we rose above the clouds.
The view from the summit of the volcano is like nothing else we’d ever seen—amazing silver and white observatories framed the immediate area around the summit, and in the distance other peaks of the volcano rose up, ringed by fluffy clouds and perfectly blue skies. And we had the entire place to ourselves.
On the way back down we parked off the main road and started off, scrambling over a rocky patch to reach the clearly defined path between two peaks ahead that lead to the lake. It was quickly clear that this lake was going to be more than the ten minutes the guidebook said, but we went for it. When we reached the first ridge and didn't see the lake or anything looking like it could be one, we had to reassess our plans. But we decided it made most sense to keep going and see what we would find around the hills ahead.
Thank God we did, because within about five minutes later, the lake was in sight. We paused for a second to contemplate that fact that here, at the top of an ancient volcano that few people get to visit, we were seeing a secret lake that even fewer people knew existed. My guess is almost none of the dozens of visitors that go up to the summit every day have any idea that this marvel was close by, and I feel so blessed that I was able to see it. It definitely made my poolside cocktails later on that much sweeter!
Lesly Simmons is a social media strategist and traveler in San Francisco. She's already planning her next trip to Hawaii for more amazing hikes to secluded treasures.
The Way Home: Returning to the National Parks
“You shouldn’t have to convince people to go to paradise,”
--Shelton Johnson, Ranger, Yosemite National Park
Although our national parks belong to all Americans, it’s a sad fact that very few people of color ever set foot in some of our country’s most beautiful places. Take a journey to Yosemite National Park with the Amazing Grace 50+ Club, a Los Angeles-based senior church group whose members are looking to reverse that trend.
Click to learn more about efforts to bring more diverse visitors to the parks
Outdoor Afro Welcomes Séla Steiger to the Team
As most of you know, Outdoor Afro has been run on solo steam these past couple of years since it began, and I now am quite grateful to have the help and support needed to sustain and grow this wonderful network.
So I am proud to welcome intern Séla Steiger (24) who brings a wonderful mix of outdoor experience and perspective that is certain to enrich our work here at Outdoor Afro. Séla will be primarily responsible for supporting social media communications and events. Please read her very first Outdoor Afro blog post below then give her a warm welcome! - Rue
Hello Outdoor Afro Community! I am so very glad to join you and introduce myself!
I am Sela Steiger, a Bay Area native and life-long (in all my 24 years!) nature lover. Spending my summers as a youth in Yosemite with my parents who were National Park Rangers, I have basically grown up in a tent; camping, backpacking, and generally exploring the Sierras. I have also spent winters in Tahoe learning to ski, days hiking or mountain biking around Oakland/Berkeley's beautiful foothills and lakes, swimming in the Russian River, and checking out the amazing California coast!
From 2005-2009 I was transported to Oberlin College, a very different landscape. There I managed to get in touch with my rural roots, experiencing defined seasons for the first time as well as the treacherous “lake effect” (Oberlin is about 12 miles South of Lake Erie). On the warmer side of things, I recall many beautiful summer nights lying in the grass, chatting and laughing amidst the crickets. My studies also brought me to Morocco and Spain where I lived abroad for four months in 2008. During those months I sat for many train rides with my eyes glued to the window, and I still remember my awe and inspiration taking in the rich and exotic scenery of these marvelous countries.
I realize, as I write these words, that being myself in nature and enjoying the outdoors has always been an integral piece of my identity and self-discovery. As I recall these wonderful outdoor memories, I can’t help but think about the many that have yet to unfold!
I am so happy to meet and greet you all! I hope to contribute my knowledge of the outdoors to the Outdoor Afro community and share my passion for adventure. I can’t wait to connect with like-minded folks like you all!
Two Environmental Education Narratives from the Bronx
Contributed by Alex Kudryavtsev, a native of Russia and PhD Candidate at Cornell University.
Alex conducts a participatory research project in the Bronx and elsewhere on how urban environmental education programs develop a sense of place in youth. I am also glad to work with Alex as part of EECapacity, an EPA-sponsored project led by Cornell University's Civic Ecology Lab to support ways EE can be more relevant to urban communities.
Both Julien's and Andre's narratives (as an educator, and a student, respectively) illustrate how they appreciate, fight for, and educate communities about urban natural aspects, environmental justice, urban outdoor recreation, and green infrastructure in the Bronx.
What other urban environmental education success stories do you know about?