A total of 15 images were submitted in the last week, and now it is time for the Outdoor Afro community to VOTE!
Here’s how:

Click on your favorite image 
Next click the “Recommend” button above the image on Sunday, November 6th until Monday, November 7th at 11:59 PM, PST

The image with the most recommendations WINS a nifty Coleman lamp, shipped directly to the winner by the Coleman Company.
What is so cool about this contest is the diversity within the diversity of outdoor possibilities! With great images like these, there are no losers! Enjoy, …

Contributed by J. Drew Lanham
Birding while black; it’s not something that I simply think about, it’s something that I live.
A birder since the age of eight, I’ve always been the odd one out; the “rare” bird in the flock. Now approaching the fifty year mark faster than I care to admit, it wasn’t until my late twenties that I began to encounter the other rare birders of color out there. It’s unfortunate that it’s become normal for me to be “that guy”. Accepting it has been a challenge and at …

Last month’s bird was the very common Warbling Vireo.  The proverbial pendulum has swung dramatically to the other side with this month’s rare Indiana bird.
I sometimes have difficulty deciding on which bird to mention for a “Bird of the Month”.  Trying to decide which particular bird species stood out during a particular span of time…can be a daunting task for someone who simply loves to observe birds and their behavior.  (This probably manifests itself in my capacity to watch, what may be a very common species, for long periods of …

As I speak to more people these days about African Americans and the outdoors, a question that most often leads the conversation is, “Why don’t African Americans engage with nature?”, which admittedly prompts me to let out a little sigh…
> 
Since founding Outdoor Afro, what has excited me most is the number of African Americans from around the country who share a variety of ways nature can be enjoyed. People post pictures, blogs, and videos that collectively shout, “Yes, we do love the outdoors!”

We sometimes forget that African Americans have always …

By Douglas “Birdman” Gray
I’ve seen some great birds lately. Some distinctive ones. Some rare ones. Some colorful ones. Some with very lovely songs. But the bird that impressed me most over the last month is, for the most part, none of those things.
This month’s featured bird is the impressive (for me anyway) Warbling Vireo.
Let’s face it; it’s been a long hot summer. In Indiana, all sorts of heat-related records have been set. But one thing I noticed, even while birding at heat indices well above 100 degrees, Warbling Vireos could …

Meet Akiima Price, one of the most talented environmental educators I know, and a dear friend.
She is leading the way in the environmental field to make land-based programming and curriculum relavant to more communities, especially those under stress or traditionally undeserved.
Keep up the good work Akiima! Watch:

In collaboration with the East Bay Regional Parks, Urban Tilth, and Richmond Spokes, Outdoor Afro helped to produce today’s “Greenway to Greenway” community bike ride.
 

 
The ride was suited for all ages, and designed for riders to explore the benefits of local “green” transportation corridors that also connect us with nature.

Our group assembled at the train station, where our bikes were checked by cycle wizard Brian Drayton, founder of Richmond Spokes. After a brief intro and safety talk, we cruised 14 miles along the Ohlone and Richmond Greenways.
We stopped along the …

Our last stop before turning in our teardrop trailer on Sunday was to check out nearby Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park. It was our intention to learn about gold panning and history of the California Gold Rush.
James W. Marshall discovered gold in 1848 on the South Fork of the American River in the valley known as Cullumah by the Nisenan Indians who lived in the area sustainably and peacefully. But Marshall’s discovery led to the greatest mass movement of people in the Western Hemisphere, and it was the …

It’s been a wonderful summer of travel for Outdoor Afro, but the highlight was our RV Trip to the Sierra Nevada region in California last week! Check out our story…
First off, my family remains filled with gratitude for the support of Camp California, the leader in camping and RV’ing in California. With their partnership, we were able to spread the word far and wide about this fun filled event, and connect with trip sponsors with the shared goal of connecting more Americans to nature through the RV experience. We …

“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:
Our agency recently hosted a three days/two nights float trip on the Current River in Southeast Missouri for 33 boys from Kansas City. None of them had ever tried any type of outdoor recreational activities outside of sports. So camping, canoeing, …