Kansas City Youth Overcome Fears and Enjoy Nature
"How big will the piranhas be?"
Submitted by Outdoor Afro Brandon Pope, CIG, Education Specialist at the Anita B. Gorman Conservation Discovery Center. His blog exemplifies the need for relevant outdoor leadership to help youth feel more comfort and at ease to explore nature for the first time. Click to enlarge the wonderful pictures below:
Birding Basics
I always remind people that there are many ways to engage with nature. I have found bird watching to be a very satisfactory pursuit in that it compels me to engage with nature in an observant and deliberate way. Here is an article by Outdoor Afro contributor Max Wood, who shares the basics of how to get into bird observation and ways to create a bird sanctuary of your own
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Bird watching (formally known as birding) is an exciting hobby for anyone with a general interest in the outdoors and wildlife. Whether you’re an avid birder traveling around the world in search of new and rare birds or a simply a casual outdoor enthusiast on a weekend hike, you’ll find that birding offers a unique combination of excitement and tranquility. After learning the basics of birding and identifying just a handful of local birds, I promise you’ll be hooked!
First, it’s important to find a good area in your region for bird watching. Ideally, the area will consist of a diversity of natural habitats untouched by human activities (although many interesting birds can be found in urban areas). The greater the diversity of habitats, the greater the diversity of bird species you’re likely to observe. For example, a walking path that starts in an open meadow, winds through a forest, and ends along a stream (called a riparian zone) would be ideal for birding because each of these three habitat types is home to a unique group of birds. Many local parks, nature preserves, outdoor education centers, and bird sanctuaries are likely to have such an area. If you’re region has a local Audubon organization, this is another great resource for finding a good birding spot.
In addition to location, birding watching is also heavily influenced by the time of year. This is because different groups of birds are present in a particular area during different seasons. In North America, birds can be divided into three main groups in this respect. Neotropical migrants are birds that come from Central and South America, Mexico, and the Caribbean during the spring and spend the summer breeding in North America, eventually returning south in the fall. Examples of such birds include most of the songbirds (e.g. warblers, tanagers, vireos). Other species of birds migrate from the north in the fall, spend the winter in Central of Southern North America, and then return north in the spring when it’s time to breed (e.g. Song Sparrow and Swamp Sparrow). Birds with this migratory pattern are known as winter residents. The third group consists of those that do no migration at all and instead remain in a single area all year round. Common examples of such birds, which are referred to as residents, are the Northern Cardinal and the Red-winged Blackbird.
This knowledge of where and when to look for birds is essential for successful bird watching. There are also a handful of techniques and tools that you’ll need to become acquainted with before hitting the trails. Most importantly, you should learn how to use binoculars and a field guide. Binoculars allow one to see the details of a bird’s shape and coloration that are often needed to correctly identify the bird. Binoculars come in a range of styles and are generally described in terms of two important parameters: magnification and size. The magnification describes how much larger objects appear in the binoculars compared to with a naked eye, thus a magnification of 8 means that an object will look 8 times larger when viewed through the binoculars. The size of the binoculars (which specifically refers to the diameter of the objective, or larger, lens of a pair of binoculars) determines two important factors: how much light is let in (the more the better) and how big the field of view is (with a larger field of view you’ll be looking at a larger area through the binoculars, and thus birds can be easier to locate). Binocular specifications are listed as a pair of numbers, such as 8X42. The first number, 8, describes the magnification power while the second number, 42, indicates the size of the binoculars. Generally, birders use either 7X35, 8X42, or 10X42 binoculars.
In addition to having a good pair of binoculars, it’s also important to have a good field guide for the area you will be birding in. Field guides provide important information that is crucial for identifying a bird in the field. Field guides not only indicate telltale features, such as the black cap of a male Wilson’s Warbler, but also provide important information regarding the calls and songs, habitats, regional distribution, and behaviors associated with each specific bird species.
About the Author:
I am a biologist pursuing a PhD examining avian neurobiology and behavior. I have conducted a wide variety of research projects ranging from cognitive and neurobiological laboratory studies to behavioral field experiments. As a writer for YourBirdOasis, a retailer of backyard birding supplies and an essential resource for burgeoning and expert birders alike, I have the exciting opportunity to share my knowledge of and passion for birds with many online communities. Visit YourBirdOasis for a huge selection of bird feeders, birdhouses, and everything else you'll need to set up your own backyard bird sanctuary!
SOS! Spotted on Sunday at the Sutro Baths!
Outdoor Afro Zoe Polk shared with us today a photo where she was Spotted on Sunday (SOS) at the Sutro Baths. From thier website, the Sutro Baths are:
"...a hallowed place in San Francisco, modern ruins on the edge of the continent. Crashing waves, labyrinthine structures, wild lilies, cliff-lodged cypress trees reaching towards the ocean, a thundering cave..."
Where were YOU spotted on Sunday in the outdoors?
Outdoor Afro Goes RVing!
THIS Weekend! - and you get to come too!
On Aug. 12th to 14th I will take Outdoor Afro to the foothills of the Sierra Nevada with my nephew and three children for a three-day camping trip at Ponderosa Resort in Lotus, California!
Camp-California.com and Ponderosa Resort are co-sponsoring my trip along with Auburn-based American River Sales and Rentals, which is supplying a teardrop trailer for our use. They are equally eager to learn of our experiences, and how they can expand their collective efforts to reach out to the African American community and get us involved in the Great Outdoors.
Another goal of this trip is to share an outdoor camp experience that still reserves a few creature comforts that the most tentative campers can appreciate. So I want to share how RVing or trailer camping is a terrific option for those who feel intimidated to try more rustic camping experiences.
Over the course of the weekend, we plan to do a day of white river rafting, thanks to our friends at American Whitewater Expeditions, and explore the surrounding California Gold Country. I also plan to test my culinary skills with some RV friendly recipes. From camp, I will tweet, blog and film all of our fun so that the Outdoor Afro community can follow our journey and share in our experiences.
See the full press releases HERE
We can't wait!
How many of you RV already?
Get Out. Get Green. Get Paid.
Recently, I had the pleasure of spending time on Maryland’s Eastern shore with colleagues, Akiima Price, Chief of Education Programs at the New York Restoration Project, David Greaves, the Black Employment Program Officer for the EPA, and Nick Clemons, a National Park Ranger at Assateague Island National Seashore. Hosted and organized by the Maryland Coastal Bays Program and Assateague State Park, Get Out! Get Green! Get Paid! was an important opportunity to connect with nearly 200 youth, ages 14-25, to help them consider a sustainable career and lifestyle within nature.
The Maryland Coastal Bays Program exists to protect and conserve the waters and surrounding watershed of Maryland’s coastal bays to enhance their ecological values and sustainable use for both present and future generations. Participants in the symposium included students enrolled in the Upward Bound program at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and those involved in conservation-related job programs including Coastal Stewards, the Maryland Conservation Corps, Maryland Conservation Job Corps, Youth Conservation Corps and the Chesapeake Conservation Corps.
While my colleagues and I began our weekend with presentations at the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore about our inspiration to embark on careers within the environmental field, what followed were two days filled with amazing local outdoor activities, such as fishing, kayaking, hay rides, air rifling, pontooning, exploring the coastal bays, swimming on the beach at Assateague, and best of all, great conversations and relationship building.
Carrie Samis, the Education Coordinator for Coastal Bays, really gets it, and designed a summit that was not just about talking the talk, but walking the walk. Unlike other experiences where I have come to present to a group only to leave the same day, time was planned over the weekend for my colleagues and I to get to know the program youth individually, and learn what mattered in their day-to-day lives in Delmarva, as called by locals (Delaware, Maryland, Virginia).
One Coastal Bays Steward, Tashonna Grant fast became my partner in fun, and in our time together doing recreational activities, I got a chance to observe and learn from her about pushing through obstacles. “I hate snakes,” she told me, but as we talked about the importance of wildlife in our daily lives, something clicked. And later when we had a chance to visit a nature preserve with a display of wildlife, Tashonna was among the first to handle one of the native snake species -- and giggled through the experience.
But as I got to know more Coastal Stewards, I learned Tashonna’s courage to engage with nature is typical for this group, but not without careful intention and effort. Even though many of the program youth come from underserved communities, the program goes the extra mile to engage families and trusted institutions over time, such as local churches, to help foster a pathway of trust that help program youth feel supported. Importantly, these youth gain valuable work experience, participate in professional and personal development opportunities, and receive a paycheck. I also learned that many of these students later secure positions with state and federal agencies, local parks and nonprofits.
Maryland Coastal Bay’s Program has also earned the deep respect of numerous local business, and community partners through its ongoing collaboration and critical bay and wildlife stewardship. And as a result, wherever our group went, we were treated like royalty!
My deep thanks go out to the Maryland Coastal Bays Program for such a moving program. Most especially for Carrie Samis and Nick Clemons for all their tireless coordination and enthusiasm, Dave Wilson (Executive Director) for great beaching and birding; the exceedingly hospitable folks at Fager’s Island, The University of Maryland, Eastern Shore, Hazel Outdoor Discovery Center, Assateague Island National Seashore staff, ALL the amazing youth, my awesome colleagues, and each person along the journey who contributed in big and small ways to make my trip to Delmarva a lasting and inspired memory.
Click below to see photos from the event!
Outdoor Afro Named Best Nature and Green Living Blog
This may be old news for those of you who follow our Facebook Page, but I am still so tickled to be honored by The Black Weblog Awards, an annual celebration of Black social media excellence -- Outdoor Afro was recognized for Best Green Nature/Outdoor Blog!
The Black Weblog Awards was founded in 2005 to give recognition to Black bloggers (and those of the African diaspora) which are normally largely overlooked by other Internet award events on and offline. Winners were selected by members of the public through an online nomination process and determined by popular vote.
“The Black Weblog Awards create amazing energy each year within the Black blogosphere,” said Gina McCauley, the Executive Director of the 2011 Black Weblog Awards. “It is that one time of year when we all pause to recognize the hard work and determination it takes to produce content and build vibrant engaging online communities year-round.”
This year in the first time in the seven-year history of the Black Weblog Awards, the winners were announced in a live ceremony in Los Angeles, CA on July 9, 2011 during the 2011 Blogging While Brown Conference. I was away on an outdoor adventure with my family and could not make it, but me and the kids managed to watch live on my Droid from the Santa Cruz mountains, and squeeled in delight at the announcement.
“I am delighted and excited that the Black Weblog Awards were presented with the Blogging While Brown Conference,” said Maurice Cherry, Founder of the Black Weblog Awards. “This was an amazing opportunity to showcase hard-working bloggers, video bloggers, and podcasters to an audience of tastemakers and influencers.”
Take a peek at the video coverage of the event, Outdoor Afro (NOT Outdoor Diva) is mentioned at 3:15...
Thank you all for your enduring support and respect for this unique message from the very beginning. I am deeply humbled and grateful.
5 Free Outdoor Activities To Do This Weekend
Getting outdoors does not have to require a lot of time or money, but they are the biggest reported barriers among Outdoor Afros. With these fun, and mostly free options below, you can get your outdoor fix on, without sacrificing an entire weekend or your piggy bank.
1. Hike - Check out the options near you via local city parks, rec/nature centers, and National Parks. Do pack a snack and plenty of water to take with you!
2. Stargaze – In some parts of the country, the evenings are the best time to be outside. Grab a loved one, and take a slow stroll near where you live, or drive to more remote areas for a better view with less city light competition.
3. Backyard Cook-Out – Grilling meats and veggies outdoors always feels like a treat, and is much less fuss and clean-up than kitchen cooking. Bonus points for eating outside on a blanket and inviting the neighbors over to share!
4. Ride a Bike or Skate – Time to pull out that bike or pair of skates you’ve had in storage for the last five years! Spray a bit of WD-40 to loosen up the rusty bits, and away you can go! Don’t forget water and a helmet!
5. Bird Watch – Contact your local Audubon Society for a list of birds local to your area. They may even have a pair of binoculars you can borrow too! Challenge your companions to find their “best” bird or count how many of the same species you find.
What other activities can you think of that are free and easy to do in the outdoors?
Back From Family Camp
I just drove in from my time in nature with the kids at Feather River Camp where we spend a part of every summer. On the way home, I reflected with gratitude on how adaptive the camp experience is. For a change this year, instead of high impact adventure, tie-dye shirt making, and day-long trips to nearby waterfalls, I chose instead to spend most of my time curled up under shade and enjoyed with new perspective my 20-year-old copy of the classic Their Eyes Were Watching God that links love to nature in ways I never before understood.
So this year at camp, I spent less time doing, and more time watching, noticing, and being. For instance, I identified new species of birds and bugs (yes, bugs). I stared at a doe at rest among the Ponderosa Pines for what seemed like forever, and I was still enough to observe without meddling the humorous social entanglements between my children and their camp friends. As a result, I am back home feeling rested, and revitalized instead of in need of another vacation.
I encourage more of you to take the chance this summer to get out with your loved ones and simply be in nature. It really is enough.
To learn more about accredited family camp options in your area, check out the American Camp Association website.
Raising Sand
I remember my southern mom always used the term, raising sand to describe someone having a fit. When I saw these images shared by facebook friend Aimee Allison, I almost wanted to shout in response to these stunning photos of real sand.
This is the same sand that lines our coasts and fills our childhood sandboxes. We feel its warmth between our toes, and shake it free from our shoes. The stuff of play and comfort, most often seen in utilitarian terms. In these photos, we imagine sand in a completely different way, magnified so that we can see the spirit of each grain. As unique as a snowflake.
I doubt I will ever look at sand the same again...
Learn more about the formation of sand and the source of these images,
taken by Gary Greenberg, PhD.
Outdoor Gear: You've Come a Long Way Baby!
It seems like these days we are all obsessed about having the latest and greatest in outdoor gear, and swear we just can't "live without" [insert gadget here] on our outdoor adventures.
The folks at Eastern Mountain Sports thought it would be nifty to look back at the old tools of the trade through some research, and used their results to put together this neat-o infographic.
What camping innovation can't you live without?
