Our hearts melted when a member of the Outdoor Afro community on Facebook shared a link of photos, like the ones below that show images of black children enjoying and learning in nature in their 4-H camp in North Carolina in the 1940′s.
“What is old is new again.” one member commented. We could not agree more. Enjoy these timeless images that showcase examples of African American connections to nature over time.
Wake County – July 14-17, 1941, Camp Whispering Pines. Boys and girls enjoy a swim at the Wildlife Camp – at extreme …

A video of our friend John Griffith of the California Conservation Corp’s has gone viral! Check it out!
 
Yep, John can pop and lock – yet importantly exude a genuine connection and close rapport with Outdoor Afro corps workers Antwon McCoy and Leonard Patton in his workforce development program.  
Check out the salmon habitat restoration these amazing people have been up to, and how they are connecting with the mission of the Outdoor Afro community, thanks to John!

As I have gotten to know John and his work, I find him on the cutting edge of a …

The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes – Marcel Proust

David Lindo, also known as The Urban Birder came to the San Francisco Bay Area yesterday to do a talk about his experiences birding around the world in urban centers, most notably in his hometown of London, England, where he is a well-known featured bird expert on television and radio. Lindo spreads the gospel of practical nature. Meaning, you don’t have to travel to exotic locations to find rare and delightful bird …

We are so proud and grateful to have spent another day with Northern California Outdoor Afros in partnership with Golden Gate Audubon. Together, we connected more people to our local natural assets to help preserve and enjoy them with others. It was such a perfect day. The warmth of the sun and people who attended made us all forget it was still winter.
Outdoor Afro Leader Cliff and Keshia of GGAS discuss native plants
Clay, the official Outdoor Afro bird specialist!
Thirty Outdoor Afros and fifty more attendees from Girls Inc., California Conservation …

Hello Outdoor Afros:
My name is Morgan Powell and this is my fourth blog here at Outdoor Afro.  I’m the founder of Bronx River Sankofa – a documentary series on Cable TV and Facebook featuring African-American environmentalists from New York City’s greenest borough.  This meditation on the sprawling college campus as outdoor museum will be a departure from the more conventional green profiles I am known for.  I hope you enjoy, share and post comments!  This one’s for the historic preservationists out there.  This piece borrows the motto that, “The greenest …

A foggy morning turned into a beautiful afternoon for a late November hike up Mount Wanda at the John Muir National Historic site.  Twenty-five outdoor afros and Cody the dog were treated to an enjoyable afternoon of history, community, and smiles.
Before we began our hike, Raphael Allen, Park Ranger at Rosie the Riveter/ World War II Home Front National Historical Park, welcomed everyone and provided a thorough presentation on African American of History Port Chicago. Ranger Raphael explained that Port Chicago, visible from the summit of Mount Wanda, was the …

Terry Johnson and Leonard Patton are California Conservation Corps members who are employed to do salmon habitat restoration, respond to emergencies, construct trails in state and national parks, and do various other ecological restoration projects.
They each share a few impressions about diversifying the conservation movement after reading an interview of Outdoor Afro founder Rue Mapp.
Thanks for the shout-out friends!
We appreciate all the work YOU are doing to restore and preserve nature for everyone to enjoy. We hope to hear more from you soon!
 

By special invitation, the Maryland Coastal Bays Program and Coastal Stewards participated in Estuary Education Day at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency headquarters in Washington, D.C. on September 27, 2012 in celebration of National Estuaries Day and the 25th Anniversary of the National Estuary Program.

Pictured left to right, U.S. EPA Director of Oceans and Coastal Protections Division Paul Cough with Coastal Steward & Outdoor Afro Youth Leader Tashonna Grant, an 11th grade student at Stephen Decatur High School, who shared information about her local Assateague National Seashore. Way to go Tashonna!

Submitted by Morgan Powell, a landscape designer, who edits Bronx River Sankofa on You Tube and Facebook.  He is passionate about New York’s Bronx River and its African American heritage. Here is his third submission in a series to highlight the generous yet delicate resource of the Bronx River and African American engagement with our environment as a whole.
 

This blog will address four decades in the life of a ghetto park’s stages of development. We’ll recognize some of the local leadership whose initiative was founded by a white Catholic activist in …

This is the theme of a not-to-miss panel discussion at the Black Environmental Thought Conference this week at the University of Minnesota, presented by Carolyn Finney, Ph.D., University of California at Berkeley; Nina S. Roberts, Ph.D., San Francisco State University; and Michael Starkey, M.A., Dominion of New York magazine.

In this panel, these three thought leaders will discuss ideas and concepts of resilience born out of a legacy of limitation and marginalization in the U.S. (slavery, Jim Crow, racism, etc.). They will explore where the tensions lie for Black people trying …