Noticing Nature on the Fourth of July
So good, we had to repost! Happy Fourth!
No matter how people feel about the outdoors, almost everyone feels inspired to get outside for the Fourth of July to enjoy the company of family, friends, and a grilled meal leading inevitably to an evening polytechnics display.
While spending time under the sun and stars this holiday, I encourage you to also take the time to recognize the displays of nature around you: the song of a bird, summer foliage, stars in the night sky, wind rustling through trees, the texture of cool grass, and warm sand between your toes.
To help promote connectedness to land and family in new ways, you can try activities such as using elements of nature to create an outdoor art project, encouraging elders to share their stories of time growing up in a nature, or making up outdoor scavenger hunts for both kids and adults. Deliberately noticing nature within your festivities creates an opportunity to uncover a new awareness that can bring forth a deeper appreciation of the surrounding natural world.
How might you make nature a part of your celebratory weekend?
Happy Fourth of July!
Backyard Cookout Recipe: Fish en Papillote
Reposted from ActivekidsClub
Last weekend my daughter and a friend did some balcony camping. For dinner that night we made fish cooked in foil packages outside. Cooking fish in foil with seasonal vegetables is a very smart and tasty way to cook fish. Less mess and fish cooked in the juices from the vegetables always end up perfect to eat. The French call this way of cooking “en papillote” which means in parchment, the method of cooking in which the food is put in a folded pouch and baked. Using foil in cooking is perfect for cookouts and camp food. Some of my favorite meals are fish cooked on an open fire with aluminum foil.
Because it is so fun for kids to make their own fish dish, it is also a great way to get them to eat fish.
You need:
500 grams Cod filet (or your favorite local fish)
Vegetables in season
We used: 1 Onion
10 Asparagus (already boiled)
Herbs
Chopped 2 Tomatoes
1 Lemon
100 grams Champignon Mushrooms
3 Spring Onions
This is how you do it:
Wash and prepare all vegetables. Chop and fry champignon mushrooms and boiled asparagus. Put
them in different bowls.Cut fish in pieces and put them on a plate.
Bring everything outside with foil, olive oil and salt.
First put the fish in the middle of a sheet of foil and cover it with your favorite vegetables and herbs. Add some salt, pepper, and olive oil and wrap your blend in foil. Place on your gas grill or near some hot coals from an open fire.
Give your kids a piece of foil and make sure all the ingredients within reach for them.
Visit Great American Backyard Campout for ideas and recipes
What Happened to the Stars?
Outdoor Afro contributor, Roger Porter reflects on how the night sky in his old Oakland neighborhood has changed, and the key role stars played for runaway slaves and in African antiquity.
There are theories that credit ancient Egyptian advanced knowledge of astronomy for helping to create the Great Pyramid of Giza, the oldest of the Seven Wonders, and known for 3,800 years as the tallest man-made structure in the world. It is said that the Egyptians were able to accomplish this feat by aligning the corners of the massive stone structure with the burning stars that served as the chief architect for the project.
When I was a little boy my family used to live on 90th Avenue in deep East Oakland, CA. There were eight of us: my brother, sister, mother, uncle, aunty, two cousins, and I living in an old pink two-story house. Even though the pink paint was peeling, the structure was falling apart, and we lived in the middle of a notorious ghetto, I still consider the years that I spent there to be the most joyous of my life.
Summertime was the best.
I remember going to the corner store and buying 10 cent Otter Pops and Jolly Ranchers, water balloon fights, cold pineapple Crush sodas, and young girls playing double-dutch.
I also remember going out on the porch at night, looking straight up into the open expanse and having my older cousin extend his fingers to the sky and point out every constellation.
“That’s Orion’s Belt right there! Oooh and you see that? That’s the Big Dipper.”
There would be shooting stars, twinkling stars, and little stars right next to stars that looked huge by comparison. But today, when I look up in the night sky above Oakland, there only seem to be a few points of scattered light.
It is said the reason for this may be light pollution—which basically means that all the new street lights and traffic signals that have been installed over the past 25 years, in addition to all the new light bulbs burning in all the newer homes, produce a tremendous accumulative glow that prevents people in an urban metropolis from seeing the stars.
It makes me wonder how runaway slaves might find their way under this new sky with so many the stars blanketed in man-made light? What would those brave souls who followed the North Star for hundreds of miles do if they knew that their descendants wouldn’t even be able to see the very thing that guided them to freedom?
It saddens me that the once electric, urban summer sky now seems blank and generic. I miss the constellations; that old house in East Oakland, and youthful innocence. I suppose it should make me feel a little better knowing that even though I can’t see the stars they are still there—but it doesn’t. For if we cannot see them then they are as good as gone.
Roger Porter is a writer and educator from Oakland, CA USA whose first book, "The Souls of Hood Folk," is available at lulu.com. He has a degree in English from UC Berkeley and an MFA in Creative Writing from Mills College. He describes himself as "An average everyday man from East Oakland who writes about average everyday hood life."
Great American Backyard Campout Blends Outdoors, Family Fun and Science
By Danielle N. Lee Outdoor Afro Contributor and author of Urban Science Adventures! ©
It's summertime and the living is easy, especially if you're a kid. Schools out and fun is all that is on their hyperactive minds. We adults still have jobs to attend, bills to pay and bellies to feed, but there's no reason why we couldn't be on the same page, at least for a single night. So, what's the best way to enjoy the summer with your kiddos that's fun, affordable, and engaging? Well, outside camping of course! And even if you're not big on ruffing it I think you could handle this one -- camp out in your own backyard! On Saturday, June 25, 2011, the National Wildlife Federation is asking everyone to pitch a tent in your yard and participate in the The Great American Backyard Campout. It is a grassroots initiative to Leave No Child Indoors while also raising awareness and funds for more outdoor youth programs. Families and communities are encouraged to spend time together and while you're outside in the fresh air why not explore nature (and science)!
So get your family and neighbors together and go camping - at a local campground, state or national park, or in your backyard. Being outdoors is a perfect time to connect to science. You can explore biology, conservation, ecology, astronomy, geology, geography, environmental science, and more.
COPUS - the Coalition of Public Understanding of Science - is encouraging everyone to participate in the Great American Backyard Campout and use that time to not only connect with family/neighbors but have fun exploring science, too. Check out the blog post (link here) and read the whole list of recommended Citizen Science and Arts and Science activities. Plus here's one I overlooked: Waving at the International Space Station as it orbits over your night time sky! The International Space Station is visible in the sky, assuming the weather agrees, so you could actually keep an eye out for it while you tell campfire stories and eat s'mores. Visit the website http://www.isswave.org/ for details on how to plan your wave. You can also follow them on Twitter @twisst for a tweet when it's visible from your skies.
Or if you're ready to sign up right now, then go for it. You can register your 'camp site' - your family, church or community event with the National Wildlife Federation Great American Backyard Campout website (link here).
Do you need to check your supply list? Well, you know Outdoor Afro has you covered. Here is a handy-dandy list of Tent Camping Essentials for Outdoor Afros. In the meantime, check in with us and let us know if you plan on participating and how you'll be connecting to science while you're under the stars. We have some prizes for Outdoor Afros who participate.
Cleopatra Warren: Our 3000th Outdoor Afro Facebook Fan!
I was thrilled to see the Outdoor Afro facebook fan base cross the 3K mark this morning, as part of its steady and organic growth over these last two years. To commemorate the milestone, I asked our lucky 3000th fan to share more about herself, and what she cares about in the outdoors. She will also receive a REI Gift Certificate, courtesy of the REI store in Berkeley, California.
Name: Cleopatra Warren
Region: Atlanta, Georgia
Profession: Secondary Educator/Social Studies
M.A. Education, New York University New York,NY
B.A. Political Science, Morris Brown College Atlanta,GA
What she loves about the outdoors: Hiking and walking nature trails. The outdoors provides me with an opportunity to recharge and connect with nature. The North Georgia mountains have been one of my favorite places to visit since childhood.
Most important outdoor memory: I've had many wonderful opportunties to participate in educational and cultural travel around the globe, including Africa, Europe, South America, Caribbean and most of the U.S. Each summer, I make it a personal and professional goal to travel and connect with the outdoors.
Here is a photo from the summer of 2010, where I participated in an invitational think tank hosted by Expeditionary Learning and the Fund for Teachers at the UCROSS Foundation in Sheridan, Wyoming. The program was designed to engage 20 educators in a weeklong nature retreat, including hiking, walking and group activities to reflect on our instructional practices with respect to student impact from our travel experiences. It was one of the most remote and pristine places I have ever visited.
Why Cleopatra 'Liked' Outdoor Afro?: It is so refreshing to see a site dedicated to the broad cultural heritage of African Americans in the outdoors!
Outdoor Afro warmly welcomes Cleopatra!
Not already a facebook fan?Click to 'Like' us today!
DC Photo Tours Connect Visitors with the Outdoors
Outdoor Afro Contributor Delane Sims
Upon arriving at our nation's capital for the first time, my mind started racing about all the attractions I wanted to see in my short visit. Of course, the White House was a must-see along with all the amazing historic sites in the area. And in my quest to get the most out of my Washington DC experience, I responded to a LivingSocial ad for Photo Tours DC.
And boy was I in for a treat!
The founder of Photo Tours DC is Lynford Morton, a second generation photographer. His love for photos was instilled in him as a child by his father who was also a photographer. Lyn (as he prefers to be called) went on to become a career photo journalist. He later combined his love for photography with his joy for connecting with people that led him to create a business that brought it all together.
Lyn's photo tours take a unique approach to touring DC's famous outdoor sites. He spends one-on-one time with each participant to instruct them how to maximize their own camera to capture great images. And the results are amazing! I have to confess, I've had my camera for a year and the only setting I ever used was automatic. Now, thanks to Lyn, I finally know how to really use my camera! Herein is a sample of the photos I was able to capture using my point and shoot.
In short, this brotha's tour is a wonderful way to engage with historic monuments and nature, using your own camera as tool to capture them. So the next time you are in DC, remember there is another way to engage with the outdoors - click to learn more about Lyn and PhotoTours DC!
Delane Sims is a student at UC Berkeley, and is spending this summer in Washington DC doing an internship.
Childhood Matters!
School is out! Summer is a great time to be outside together as a family. Listen to Nurse Rona and guests, Avery Cleary and yours truly on Childhood Matters as we discussed how to embrace, explore, and enjoy the beautiful outdoors together!
Click to Listen!
June's Bird of the Month
While standing on extremely long, thin, pink legs and sporting an elongated delicate-looking bill, this month’s bird appears to be the epitome of elegance and refinement.
This month’s Bird of the Month is the aptly-named Black-necked Stilt.
“Delicate”… “Elegant”… “Refined”…that is, while they’re undisturbed. But, when disturbed near their feeding or nesting ground, other words come to mind to describe the Black-necked Stilt. “Excitable”… “Noisy”… “Confrontational”…are more descriptive of this bird when it perceives a threat of some type. Intruders (including birdwatchers) are likely to be “dive-bombed” and scolded persistently while in the Black-necked Stilt’s territory. It feigns attack with its loud, sharp and grating…”yek-yek-yek-yek”…alarm while circling overhead!
There aren’t many Black-necked Stilts in Indiana, but from what I’ve read and observed, they seem to be making inroads in the Hoosier State. I’ve seen a few of them while visiting Goose Pond Fish and Wildlife Area down near Linton, Indiana and I’ve noticed that, on IN-BIRD, Black-necked Stilts have been regularly reported at this great FWA. And even though considered rare here in Indiana, these distinctive birds are easily identifiable when seen, with their sharp and contrasting black and white color pattern.
While flying, the legs of the Black-necked Stilt trail “far” behind, because of the extreme length of their legs. As a matter-of-fact, stilts have the second-longest leg length in proportion to their body size than any other bird, exceeded only by flamingos.
WHAT A WONDERFUL BIRD!
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.
Passionate Eating in the Outdoors: A Seafood Boil
The Duo Dishes, Chrystal and Amir are two passionate eaters, experimental cooks and friends based in Los Angeles, California. Their prowess in the kitchen is inspired by an endless zeal for eating, and the ability and desire to cook fearlessly. With roots that span from the North and South tips of the East coast, they love to mix and match everything that speaks to family traditions, regional fare and new ethnic flavors when they create meals for ourselves and others.
On Sunday, May 29th, they ventured down to the beach for the second year in a row to enjoy a seafood boil with friends. While they reported windy conditions, they still managed to heat and eat an impressive amount of food!
Check out these mouthwatering images!
Children’s Summer Solstice Bird Count in the Presidio! June 11th!
Saturday, June 11th
10 am to 2 pm
Meet at Rob Hill Campground
Did you know that the Presidio is a birding hotspot in the Bay Area? After a short “binocular bootcamp and birding basics” youth ages 8 to 15 and their families will join experienced birders in teams on different routes throughout the Presidio. After an easy 2 hour walk counting observed bird life, groups will return to Rob Hill Campground to tally their numbers during lunch. The day be topped off with presentations of the day’s numbers by…kids!
Lunch will not be provided, so we recommend bringing a paper-bag lunch and snacks as needed. Please remember to dress in layers and bring water. Binoculars are not required, but recommended if you have them (a supply of binoculars will be available to borrow for the day).
Because space is limited for this
event, please RSVP to Pete Bidigare
at: [email protected] or
415-561-4449
This free event is sponsored by the Presidio Trust and Golden Gate Audubon