Tonight I am still feeling lifted from my experience this Martin Luther King Jr. memorial morning when I joined over three-hundred people from all walks of life to beautify and restore a section of Richmond California’s Greenway.
Several local groups organized the event or provided volunteers to do a wide variety of tasks in the event’s fifth year.
Check out more photos from the event:
Everywhere I looked were scenes of people of all races, ages, classes, and persuasions cheerfully coming together; helping and learning from one another while doing the environment a …

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 …

Originally Posted on Scientopia
For urban dwellers who would love to garden, but feel as though they don’t have enough, time, skills, or space, a re-popularized and fun solution is the sidewalk garden. These gardens not only invite beauty into the local surroundings, but also create an urban sanctuary for environmental allies such as birds, bees, and butterflies. For pedestrians and passersby, a sidewalk garden also promotes a sense of community pride, and a natural respite from the harsh angles of the urban setting.
Found in urban sidewalks everywhere are overlooked …

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 …

Ice Age Hiking in Alaska
After our visit to the wildlife refuge, we leisurely moved along the scenic road toward the coastal fishing town of Seward that edges Resurrection Bay along the Kenai Peninsula of Alaska. We landed at the Seward Military Resort, a popular yet understated destination for US active duty or retired military personnel and their guests.
The manicured grounds were beautiful, yet sensible. And they have a selection of  yurts, guest rooms, or townhouses from which to choose. Since Mark is a US Army officer, it was an easy selection – and a …

“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, …

I remember my southern mom always used the term, raising sand to describe someone having a fit. When I saw these images shared by facebook friend Aimee Allison, I almost wanted to shout in response to these stunning photos of real sand.
This is the same sand that lines our coasts and fills our childhood sandboxes. We feel its warmth between our toes, and shake it free from our shoes. The stuff of play and comfort, most often seen in utilitarian terms. In these photos, we imagine sand in a completely different …

July 2011, Session One Fellows:

This month I had the good fortune to engage with leaders in sustainability from around the country with the Center for Whole Communities at Knoll Farm, located above the Mad River Valley in Vermont. Over the course of a week, under the leadership of facilitators Kaylynn Sullivan TwoTrees, Matt Kolan, and Carolyn Finney, we visioned sustainability and collaboration in our work to inspire social change.
As a land-based leadership development organization, the Center for Whole Communities brings together leaders of different race, class, profession and ideology to …

Last spring, I helped to organize a local event as part of a national campaign to get people connected to nature. As much as I wanted to share how wonderful the event was, how well attended and rich the experience, until now I was unable to do so because there was a part of the experience that day that pained me, and has since sat like a lump in the back of my throat.

All the time I hear reasons why African-Americans do not engage with the outdoors. From experience, I …