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Martin Luther King, Jr. Day: Not What it Used to Be

It’s important to remember that Martin Luther King Jr. led a movement that was results driven with little rest toward a vision of equality and justice to benefit everyone. In the spirit of King’s work, celebrating his birthday as a day of service to address the practical, environmental, and spiritual needs of our community makes every bit of sense.
In 1994, Congress designated Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a National Day of Service to recognize the legacy of King in a new and active way. It is often referred to as “a day on, not a day off,” and organizations around the country have since lead efforts on the Holiday to help Americans transform their communities for the better.
While we have had nearly two decades of service emphasis on his birthday recognition, it is only in more recent years that this thrust has gained enough public momentum to resonate with a critical mass. No longer can people dismiss the day as a “black holiday” – as a commitment to bettering our communities must be a universal value.
2010 was my very first day of official MLK Day of Service with my children, where we took part in a local coastal clean-up effort in Oakland, California with dozens of committed folks of all colors in pouring rain. I finished the day cold and tired, yet grateful to know my young children will grow up with the value of service intertwined with the King Holiday, and I am now glad for the ways Outdoor Afro can encourage this vision for others.
I urge you to find ways to get involved if you have never done so before.  There are ways for all interests and abilities to take part.  If you already have plans, then consider getting your children, neighbors, and other loved ones into the mix.
You’ll be glad for the ways you can make a difference.
Learn more about opportunities in your community!

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by OutdoorAfro

Every Child Should...

 

Discover California's Past

Splash in the water

Play in a safe place

Camp under the stars

Explore nature

Learn to swim

Play on a team

Follow a trail

Catch a fish

Celebrate their heritage

According to the California Roundtable on Recreation and Tourism, "Numerous studies document that children who do these things are healthier, do better in school, have better social skills and self-image, and lead more fulfilled lives."
In 2011, please join Outdoor Afro in helping all children, no matter what state they live in and their adult caregivers, exercise these rights through activities such as camping, hiking, biking, birding, and other outdoor activities in both structured and unstructured ways.
Each month, Outdoor Afro will focus on a different aspect of these opportunities.  I encourage you to share your photos and videos that show how you connect with nature and community and can inspire others.
In what ways will you commit to helping a child in your life connect with the outdoors?

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by OutdoorAfro

January’s Bird of the Month

By Douglas “Birdman” Gray, Outdoor Afro Contributor
While I love birds and birding, if I'm honest with myself, I find that I'm a bit jealous of birds sometimes. The reason for my jealousy is the fact that, "Birds have wings...and tend to use them."
On occasion, I have wished for the ability to spread my wings and fly away somewhere. Somewhere warm, cozy, and with beautiful scenery. During this time of the year, I'd like to take flight from Indiana and its Midwestern winters and fly south. Southern Texas and other parts of the American Southwest are very appealing right now. Central and South America would also be on my short list of places to take flight about now.
All this brings me to the Bird of the Month, the Vermillion Flycatcher.

I've seen more Vermillion Flycatchers this year than I ever have before, but I've never seen one in Indiana. That's why I watched with excitement as folks were reporting seeing this flycatcher in Marshall County, Indiana. I’m sure I would have “chased” this bird myself, like so many others, if I hadn’t seen plenty of these birds earlier in the year. (So this is actually my first BOTM in which I didn't actually see the bird with my own eyes. But the bird in the accompanying photo is the actual bird seen. Thanks Rob Ripma!)
Flycatchers are an interesting group of birds. What I find most interesting about them is just how uninteresting they can appear. They are usually drab, dull, and dry. Well that’s usually the state of “most” flycatchers. There are many flycatchers that show up in Indiana, and “most” are so drab, so dull, and so dry that it’s very challenging telling them all apart. Giving them all separate names may seem to be a bit of a waste to some. Flycatchers can be almost impossible to differentiate, even amongst the most expert of birders. (The most reliable way to tell them apart is by their singing.)
OK, let me make a full circle and get back to the Bird of the Month. The male Vermillion Flycatcher is one of the few striking flycatchers. It’s one of the dazzling exceptions in the world of flycatchers. Out of the typical drab, dull, and dry world of most flycatchers comes this strikingly brilliant, scarlet red bird. While this bird is a very rare visitor to Indiana, reading the stirring and exciting words of folks seeing this bird for the first time made me glad that “Birds have wings…and tend to use them.”
I don’t know why this bird ended up in Indiana. I hope the bird was able to use the same wings that got it here, to safely return to where it came from. Maybe it was from Southern Texas or some other part of the American Southwest. Maybe it was from Central America or even South America. Places I’d rather be right now. I just wish I had wings to do what it did. (Strange enough, I’ll be birding in Duluth in a few weeks. Maybe this bird and I have more in common than I suspect.)

Douglas “Birdman” Gray has been birding almost all of his life. He grew up on a family farm near Clarksville, Tennessee, where they grew crops ranging from apricots to wheat, and most things in between. They also raised chickens, guineas, pigs, horses, and a cow named…….Apples. Doug’s grandfather identified the birds they would see daily on the farm.
Doug now resides in Indianapolis and works in Parenteral Engineering with Eli Lilly and Company. Most of his current birding takes place in Indiana, with a concentration on Central Indiana, where he leads bird walks for “Backyard Birds”. Doug can be reached at 317-255-7333.

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by OutdoorAfro

ACA Forms Educational Alliance with Outdoor Afro

Outdoor Afro was fortunate to make contact with the American Camp Association (ACA) at the Grassroots Gathering hosted by the Children and Nature Network last summer, and after several enthusiastic conversations about connecting diverse communities to the outdoors, Outdoor Afro and ACA decided to form a new educational alliance. Outdoor Afro believes the camp experience, particularly family camp, can be an important gateway to connect children with nature, create lasting environmental stewardship, and inspire a healthy future.
The American Camp Association is a community of camp professionals who, for nearly 100 years, have joined together to share knowledge and experience and to ensure the quality of camp programs. ACA is dedicated to enriching lives through the camp experience. They believe that all children, regardless of their family’s financial capacity, deserve the opportunity to attend camp.
"We are pleased to partner with Outdoor Afro," said Peg Smith, ACA’s CEO. "We share a commitment to bring the benefits of first-handexperiences with the natural world to diverse populations."
Outdoor Afro will support ACA’s efforts to better reach diverse populations with information about the camp experience. And in February of 2011, Outdoor Afro will host a talk at the ACA National Convention called: Cultivating and Recognizing Diversity in Family Camp to examine strategies camps can use to support cultural relevancy in the camp experience.
As part of this partnership, ACA is offering the Outdoor Afro community of readers a free, one year membership to their association.  Use the following link:  http://www.acacamps.org/membership/counselors. Use the code COUNSELOR-2010 for the free membership, a value of $200.

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by OutdoorAfro

The Bracebridge Dinner

When visiting the Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite National Park years ago with my sister Delane in the summer, we both noticed the promotional materials for the winter Bracebridge Dinner and absentmindedly added it to our bucket list as an experience to have at least once in our lifetime. So imagine my pleasant surprise, when I learned my Bracebridge moment would come this year!

Outdoor Afro friends Frank and Audrey Peterman were invited, courtesy of the Deleware North Company, to take part in this historic Christmas Pageant penned by John Muir, as Visiting Squire and Lady. They generously provided a table for their guests to enjoy the experience, and Outdoor Afro was so glad for the invitation! Dr. Carolyn Finney was also in the mix, so we decided to make the pilgrimage together by car to Yosemite from the San Francisco Bay Area.
Without a shade of difficulty on the road, we descended into the Yosemite Valley in all its winter splendor with a fraction of the crowds. Light snow had fallen on the ground and around every bend of the road was a perfect visual frame of nature hard to harness within words.

The experience of Bracebridge is where "music, nature, and peace are united" in the austere and historic Ahwahnee Hotel that pays homage to native culture and its natural surroundings.  After an hour of pre-dinner caroling and picture taking in The Great Lounge (no cameras were allowed inside), the trumpets blew and guests were allowed to process into the festivities in the Great Hall and transported into eighteenth century England. As the program began, I felt so much pride to see Frank and Audrey enter as part of the cast. They brought so much elegance (and diversity!) to the show and their hosted table where we sat was positioned right near the couple at the foot of the stage.

The eight-course meal was served over four hours by the Squire’s serving party, with each course announced with enthusiasm and pageantry by The Manor Parson, serenaded by song: The Fish! The Peacock Pie! The Boars Head! The Baron of Beef! And in between the delicious courses the court jester and cook routinely poked fun at unwitting audience members with some hysterical results – including a gag on yours truly!
After hours of laughter, and revelry, the Squire Bracebridge and his family lead the final procession from The Great Hall and into modern times, and as they did, we Bracebridge guests rose our glasses over full bellies to celebrate with gratitude the joy of the Season and coming of the New Year.
Outdoor Afro is deeply thankful to Frank and Audrey Peterman, the Delaware North Company, and the fabulous folks of table 19 for including us in a memory of a lifetime!
Click to read more about the Bracebridge Dinner and its history, also check out Frank and Audrey’s delightful narrative of their wonderful experience.

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by OutdoorAfro

EcoSoul Wisdom: Re-Imagining the River

By Outdoor Afro Contributor, Phoenix Smith, MSW

Sometimes, if you stand on the bottom rail of a bridge and lean over to watch the river slipping slowly away beneath you, you will suddenly know everything there is to know -- Winnie the Pooh

Wade in the water, Wade in the water children. Wade in the water. God’s gonna trouble the water-- African American Spiritual

It has been noted that the esteemed African American ancestor Harriet Tubman sang this spiritual as a warning to runaway slaves. This song signaled a need to change paths and move into the water, to go with and trust in the flow of the river. We can learn from her lesson today.
Where I live, in the San Francisco Bay Area, the rains have returned after a long season of dryness and drought. Although rain comes in sheets today, the drought remains.
Usually I lament the coming of the rains as it has signaled less time in nature, but I’ve now come to appreciate the rains differently, knowing that a “flow” has returned, and whatever droughts I have experienced can be healed like the water that flows in the river.
The creeks and rivers are now full of rushing water and of life. When I am still and listening near the river, hearing her rushing water, feeling her mist on my face, I am restored.
The simple act of being still at the river allows me to listen deeply and I stop and ask what does the river have to say? In the freedom of the flow I hear,: Do I flow full of life like the river, or do I resist?  In my practice, I seek guidance by asking questions of the natural world as I embark on making big changes in my life, and aligning myself with my highest purpose.

I start with the most basic questions: What’s the word river? What’s ‘up mountain’?  How’s it going dear hill? In response, something amazing happens. The river, the mountain, and the hill respond: “Ah, I’m glad you finally recognized me, didn’t your mama teach you to greet your Elders?”  When I heard this the first time, I stopped in my tracks, and looked around to see if someone was fooling around with me, but there is no human there. Just wisdom. So now I sit by the riverbank, ask questions, and listen to the message for the day.
“What has happened to your flow? “She asks. I remain silent. shocked that the river knows I’ve felt a little sluggish lately. And so she says, “I have only one course and that course is to the truth, to beauty, to life, to love. But I don’t always flow, and more often than not I’m not flowing or I’m very sick because of human neglect, and abuse and ignorance.  I hear her saying, “Please remember me and thank me when you take a sip of cool clean water, as I am no longer flowing everywhere --thank me when you are flowing in your life. Consider me when you are not.”

J. Phoenix Smith, MSW is the founder of EcoSoul a leader in the movement to foster a deeper connection between nature and intergenerational healing for personal and community wellness, sustainability and transformation. She is an Ecotherapist who utilizes ancestral wisdom, mindfulness based practices, and nature to cultivate peace and well-being. www.ecosoulwisdom.org

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by OutdoorAfro

Equinox and Rebirth

Even though we lived in the city, my father remained true to his southern roots and was devoted to growing all types of things from the soil. And he consulted his Farmer's Almanac and later the Weather Channel regularly to inform his urban gardening plans. I have to admit that I did not grow up with a spoken consciousness about the solstice. But considering the bounty of his garden each year, I know my father respected the solstice as a time of transition into a season of dormancy necessary for the new growth in his garden.
Last night marked an historic moment in the earth's sky. For the first time since 1544, the earth aligned directly with the sun and moon, which cast a shadow on the moon's face. This all happened on Winter Solstice, which is the longest night and shortest day of the year. For many, darkness is associated with negative things, but we also know that darkness is the birthplace of dawn -- of light.

Nature is a generous teacher and model for how we might live our lives. Those flowers in my father's garden regenerated and bloomed after a period of barren stillness in winter.  So too, can we retreat into contemplation of those things we want to be born into our own lives for the new year, and we can allow anything that no longer serves our highest good to die away.
In this rare solar event as light recedes, perhaps we can take a moment to imagine the world we want to live in. What thoughts, ideas, or circumstances no longer serve you? How might we bloom differently or commit to change in the world to prepare for the sun that is certain to rise?

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by OutdoorAfro

Never Too Late to Learn How to Ski!

Zoe of the San Francisco Bay Area (CA) wrote in to Outdoor Afro today to share a glimpse of her outdoor adventures this winter. She told us she began cross country skiing just two years ago, and fell in love with the sport!

She writes, "I am an attorney in the [San Francisco] Bay. I moved to the Bay from New York City two years ago because the parks and outdoor spaces are more accessible than in NYC and it was easier to have a work life balance and eat great healthy food here. I haven't looked back since I left!
Zoe's other favorite outdoor activity is camping in Lake Tahoe and Yosemite.
Thanks for sharing Zoe! What are some of the ways you are enjoying the winter weather?
Send us your winter loving photos and a short blurb so we can share here to inspire others!

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by OutdoorAfro