New York Master Naturalist Program is committed to creating a welcoming, inclusive, and affirming environment that values and respects diversity of culture and identity. These resources below are just a few perspectives on diversity, equity, and inclusion in the outdoors, and can serve as a starting point for learning more about how DEI relates to volunteering and engaging with others in nature.
As a result of identity prejudice, certain individuals are more vulnerable to conflict and violence when they are in the field. It is paramount that all fieldworkers be informed of the risks some colleagues may face, so that they can define best practice together: here strategies are recommended to minimize risk for all individuals conducting fieldwork
Resources related to inclusion, diversity, equity and access of black, indigenous and people of color in parks and greenspaces
A resource guide for faculty, staff, students, extension educators, outdoor advocates, volunteers and community leaders as allies of black, indigenous, and people of color in the outdoors.
Outdoor enthusiast Joshua Walker explains the history of why many Black people are hesitant or even scared to be in outdoor areas. He dives into the root of that fear, but finds a compassionate way to encourage Black people to reclaim their right to outdoor spaces and to take up space.
Many aspects of environmental scholarship are inaccessible to Black students, including textbooks that don’t acknowledge our history, and field work requirements that are ignorant of Black criminalization in the outdoors.
Many black nature-lovers have to employ defense mechanisms – lest a situation turn sticky and they have to answer questions from a suspecting police officer
During the interview, which has been edited and condensed, Newsome touched on the steps she took to become a biologist, the global impact of Black Birders Week, and how she thinks representation needs to change within fields to better support Black professionals.
Science Careers spoke with Corina Newsome to ask her about #BlackBirdersWeek, and to find out about the challenges that she’s experienced as a black scientist who works outdoors.
Co-organizers of the first Black Birders Week talk about the joy of the natural world and the work outdoor-focused groups need to do to reduce racism and promote inclusion
The wildlife conservationist, whose field site in Georgia is down the road from where Ahmaud Arbery was killed, helped organize #BlackBirdersWeek after a white woman called the cops on a black birdwatcher in Central Park.
A conversation with Kassandra Ford, Armand Cann, and Nicole Jackson, three of the founding members of Black Birders Week, about birding, racism, and how the birding community can come together to make nature a safer and more inclusive place.
Christian Cooper is already back birding at Central Park. “I’m not excusing the racism,” he said. “But I don’t know if her life needed to be torn apart.”
Nicky Hylton-Patterson, inaugural director of the Adirondack Diversity Initiative, is tackling the challenges of making the Adirondacks a more welcoming, accessible and inclusive place for all people, particularly those in marginalized groups.
Following birder Christian Cooper’s encounter with a racist white woman in Central Park on Memorial Day, a group of Black birders and naturalists created #BlackBirdersWeek, an online event to celebrate Black naturalists and scientists and to draw attention to the unique issues birding can pose to Black people. Co-organizers Corina Newsome and Tykee James join host Nate Swick to talk about what the week meant to them, and where we need to go from here.
Corina Newsome grew up in Philadelphia and has always had a desire to participate in, and advocate for, the protection of wildlife and natural spaces, and encourage people of color in the U.S. to explore the great outdoors. These days, you’ll catch her in Georgia marshes doing important conservation research for the MacGillivray’s Seaside Sparrow. We were so psyched to talk with her and learn about all the incredible ways she walks the walk for environmental equality and access to wildlife opportunities for underrepresented demographics.
Ward now hosts a video series on Youtube and Topic.com called “Birds of North America.” The series follows Ward as he chases after birds, talks to experts such as Drew Lanham, another birder of color, and even gets a tattoo of one of his favorites — the fast-flying peregrine falcon.
The events that have been unfolding across the United States over the past weeks have driven home once again that simply existing carries risks if you have dark skin. Many of us like to think that nature is an equalizer — a place to escape the injustices of society. But it’s not so simple. On this bonus episode, producer Jackie Sojico bring you a story that first aired several years ago. It’s about ornithologist and birder Drew Lanham and his quest to pursue his passion outdoors as a POC.
An avid climber, hiker and outdoor leader, Brittany’s connection to nature is rooted in something deeper. The outdoors plays a huge role in helping her heal and move through grief and also assert her identity to find her personal Black joy.
To understand why the outdoors is an unwelcoming place for some people, we need to look back at our violent history. Joining Ira to talk about this is Dr. Carolyn Finney, author of the book “Black Faces, White Spaces.” She is also a scholar-in-residence at Middlebury College in Vermont. Later in the conversation, Ira is joined by two scientists, biology graduate student Corina Newsome from Statesboro, Georgia, and exploration geoscientist Tim Shin from Houston, Texas. They’ll talk about what it’s like to do fieldwork while Black, and what responsibility academic institutions should have in keeping their students safe.
The ornithologist Drew Lanham is lyrical in the languages of science, humans, and birds. He’s a professor of wildlife ecology, a self-described “hunter-conservationist,” and author of the celebrated book The Home Place: Memoirs of a Colored Man’s Love Affair with Nature. His way of seeing and hearing and noticing the present and the history that birds traverse – through our backyards and beyond – is a revelatory way to be present to the world and to life in our time.
Writer and editor Christian Cooper discusses his passion and tips for bird-watching, his experience #BirdingWhileBlack, and his advocacy work toward making birding more inclusive for people of color and the LGBTQ+ community. Chris currently serves on the Board of Directors for NYC Audubon and, on May 25, 2020, he experienced a racist confrontation while bird-watching in Central Park that inspired the creation of #BlackBirdersWeek.
Join Teresa Baker and a group of diverse outdoor leaders as they become the first members of the public to explore Harold Richardson Redwoods Reserve, a massive, newly discovered, old growth redwood grove recently protected by Save The Redwoods League
A panel discussion with Tsalani Lassister (photographer with a focus on people and wildlife), Corina Newsome (graduate student ornithologist), Aaron Shepard (NASA engineer, bioinspired robots), and Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant (large carnivore ecologist, Research Fellow with National Geographic Society)
In May 2020, Chris Cooper was birding at The Ramble in New York City’s Central Park. He recounts the incident that garnered national attention and offers his perspective on diversity in the outdoors.
Runner and advocate Faith E. Briggs used to run through the streets of Brooklyn every morning. Now, she’s running 150 miles through three U.S. National Monuments that lay in the thick of the controversy around public lands. Accompanied by running companions who represent diverse perspectives in what it means to be a public land owner, she assesses what is at stake if previously protected lands are reduced and if the public is largely unaware. THIS LAND is a story about land access told through a journey of inclusion and empowerment.
