Rue Mapp of Outdoor Afro is excited to present in Atlanta this week at Keeping it Wild and at the American Camp Association‘s (ACA) National Convention! ACA is an education partner of Outdoor Afro, and together they have designed curriculum for their e-institute entitled: Cultivating Camp Relevancy for Diverse Audiences - check it out!

Both events are designed to energize the field of outdoor recreation and camp management around how to engage more diverse audiences with the outdoors.

Click on the image above for more information for the Keeping it Wild appearance, and click here to learn more about ACA.

Here is a wonderful PSA that shares more about ACA and its mission:

Zoe Polk of San Francisco, CA is seen at Spooner Lake, NV enjoying the first snow of the season!

Creative Director and Co-Founder of BALANCE Edutainment Aaron Ableman shares information on their inspiring flagship initiative–Pacha’s Pajamas! Let’s turn all the mini-Afros into Nature Superheroes!

I once heard it said that you are what you eat. Well, it’s also true that you are what you listen to and what you watch on YouTube! In fact, I was with a classroom of 4 year olds the other day and half of them could quote the entire verse of a Jay-Z song, with degrading lyrics and all. Then, I asked them to describe a Pine Tree and they shook their heads in silent confusion. What an emblem of a larger human condition! In a recent study, it was reported that children spend 7-13.5 hours per day on screens, lost in the vapid content of today’s entertainment free-for-all. In a world that broadcasts crisis and destruction, it’s not hard to imagine why children are failing out of classrooms, mired in violence and experiencing disease at greater rates than ever before.

Listen to a track of Pacha’s Pajamas here! Call Heard Round The World (Feat. Mos Def)

At Balance Edutainment, this is the problem that we’ve set out to solve. We intend to #Occupy Pop Culture with stories, music and games that uplift children and families on critical environmental issues. To do so, however, we need to meet children where they’re at. And, as anyone who’s anyone knows, most kids are addicted to games, music, and media. With Pacha’s Pajamas, our flagship initiative, we intend to use an urban fairy tale about a little girl, who through her dreams, becomes a Superhero for Nature. We will reach mainstream audiences with this meaningful story about saving the planet on our favorite TV and radio stations.

In honor of Black History Month, the Adventure Cycling Association will announce the Underground Rail Road route this week! And Outdoor Afro is excited to share the news of this inspired 518-mile alternate Detroit route.

Photos Courtesy of Adventure Cycling Association

The 2,000 miles Underground Railroad Bicycle Route (UGRR) was established in 2007, beginning in Mobile, AL and ending at Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada. Adventure Cycling has since been committed to developing alternative routs and spurs in order to involve more people and communities in this historic ride.

This newest Detroit Alternate invites cyclists to enjoy historic landmarks between Oberlin, OH and Owen Sound, including Oberlin College (among the first institutions of higher learning in the United States to accept African-American students in 1835) and the remains of Starkweather Homestead, the site where Underground Railroad conductor George McCoy farmed and raised his family. The route also passes through Motor City where cyclists can stop and check out the Motown Museum, housed in Berry Gordy Jr.’s two-family flat at 2648 West Grand Boulevard, Detroit!

Adventure Cycling is a non-profit geared toward encouraging and supporting cycle-based travel and engagement with America’s historical landscapes. Please check out more historical information and details about the Detroit Alternate , as well as Adventure Cycling’s other historic trails at adventurecycling.org

Also, from February 22-28, Jim Sayer, executive director at Adventure Cycling will be appearing at regional events in Detroit, Ohio, and Pittsburgh, to promote the new route. You can find more information about those events here.

Happy Black History Month and happy cycling!

Contributed by Outdoor Afro Lesly Simmons who shares with us her recent, inspiring adventure in Hawaii in words and photos.

Breathtaking views from the summit of Mauna Kea volcano (Photo by Jole Simmons)

The name Hawaii usually conjures images of beautiful beaches, palm trees and thoughts of lounging by a pool, fruity drink in hand. But hiking to a frozen lake at the top of the biggest mountain in the world, which also happens to be a volcano? The thought never entered my mind until I did just that during a recent trip to the big island of Hawaii with my husband Jole.

Before embarking on the trip we did enough research to know there were some amazing hikes on the islands of Hawaii and Oahu, where we planned to visit. We packed our hiking shoes anticipating we would find ourselves in hiking distance of a secluded waterfall only accessible after traversing a tropical rain forest. But instead, our trusty guidebook led us to the seclusion of Lake Wai’au, more than 13,000 feet up Mauna Kea volcano.

On its own Mauna Kea is a sight to behold—it’s the largest mountain in the world, and often has snow at the top in winter. Temperatures can vary wildly between the chilly summit and the coastal towns of Hawaii, less than an hour’s drive away. It’s very possible to hike the volcano in the morning and spend the evening drinking piña coladas on the beach in the afternoon.

Jole and the observatories (Photo by Lesly Simmons)

We only learned about Lake Wai’au thanks to the guidebook we picked up in the airport before we took off from San Francisco, the Rough Guide to Hawaii (highly recommended, it was worth it for the information on the lake trip alone). The frigid lake, set at just about 13,000 ft., comes from a layer of permafrost beneath the summit of the volcano.

Taking the drive up Mauna Kea requires a stop at a visitors center at an elevation of 9,000 feet to adjust to the altitude, which gave us a chance to explore some of the natural terrain of the volcano above the base layer of vog (fog made of volcanic ash from neighboring volcano Kilauea).  After thirty minutes we began our ascent, a bumpy 20-minute drive up mostly unpaved roads through breathtaking vistas that came into view as we rose above the clouds.

The view from the summit of the volcano is like nothing else we’d ever seen—amazing silver and white observatories framed the immediate area around the summit, and in the distance other peaks of the volcano rose up, ringed by fluffy clouds and perfectly blue skies. And we had the entire place to ourselves.

International observatories ring the summit of Mauna Kea volcano (Photo by Jole Simmons)

On the way back down we parked off the main road and started off, scrambling over a rocky patch to reach the clearly defined path between two peaks ahead that lead to the lake. It was quickly clear that this lake was going to be more than the ten minutes the guidebook said, but we went for it. When we reached the first ridge and didn’t see the lake or anything looking like it could be one, we had to reassess our plans. But we decided it made most sense to keep going and see what we would find around the hills ahead.

The author on the shore of Lake Waiau in Hawaii (Photo by Jole Simmons)

Thank God we did, because within about five minutes later, the lake was in sight. We paused for a second to contemplate that fact that here, at the top of an ancient volcano that few people get to visit, we were seeing a secret lake that even fewer people knew existed. My guess is almost none of the dozens of visitors that go up to the summit every day have any idea that this marvel was close by, and I feel so blessed that I was able to see it. It definitely made my poolside cocktails later on that much sweeter!

Lesly Simmons is a social media strategist and traveler in San Francisco. She’s already planning her next trip to Hawaii for more amazing hikes to secluded treasures. 

“You shouldn’t have to convince people to go to paradise,”

–Shelton Johnson, Ranger, Yosemite National Park

Although our national parks belong to all Americans, it’s a sad fact that very few people of color ever set foot in some of our country’s most beautiful places. Take a journey to Yosemite National Park with the Amazing Grace 50+ Club, a Los Angeles-based senior church group whose members are looking to reverse that trend.

Click to learn more about efforts to bring more diverse visitors to the parks

As most of you know, Outdoor Afro has been run on solo steam these past couple of years since it began, and I now am quite grateful to have the help and support needed to sustain and grow this wonderful network.

So I am proud to welcome intern Séla Steiger (24) who brings a wonderful mix of outdoor experience and perspective that is certain to enrich our work here at Outdoor Afro. Séla will be primarily responsible for supporting social media communications and events. Please read her very first Outdoor Afro blog post below then give her a warm welcome! - Rue

Hello Outdoor Afro Community! I am so very glad to join you and introduce myself!

I am Sela Steiger, a Bay Area native and life-long (in all my 24 years!) nature lover. Spending my summers as a youth in Yosemite with my parents who were National Park Rangers, I have basically grown up in a tent; camping, backpacking, and generally exploring the Sierras. I have also spent winters in Tahoe learning to ski, days hiking or mountain biking around Oakland/Berkeley’s beautiful foothills and lakes, swimming in the Russian River, and checking out the amazing California coast!

From 2005-2009 I was transported to Oberlin College, a very different landscape. There I managed to get in touch with my rural roots, experiencing defined seasons for the first time as well as the treacherous “lake effect” (Oberlin is about 12 miles South of Lake Erie). On the warmer side of things, I recall many beautiful summer nights lying in the grass, chatting and laughing amidst the crickets. My studies also brought me to Morocco and Spain where I lived abroad for four months in 2008. During those months I sat for many train rides with my eyes glued to the window, and I still remember my awe and inspiration taking in the rich and exotic scenery of these marvelous countries.

I realize, as I write these words, that being myself in nature and enjoying the outdoors has always been an integral piece of my identity and self-discovery. As I recall these wonderful outdoor memories, I can’t help but think about the many that have yet to unfold!

I am so happy to meet and greet you all! I hope to contribute my knowledge of the outdoors to the Outdoor Afro community and share my passion for adventure. I can’t wait to connect with like-minded folks like you all!

Contributed by Alex Kudryavtsev, a native of Russia and PhD Candidate at Cornell University.

Alex conducts a participatory research project in the Bronx and elsewhere on how urban environmental education programs develop a sense of place in youth. I am also glad to work with Alex as part of  EECapacity, an EPA-sponsored project led by Cornell University’s Civic Ecology Lab to support ways EE can be more relevant to urban communities.

Both Julien’s and Andre’s narratives (as an educator, and a student, respectively) illustrate how they appreciate, fight for, and educate communities about urban natural aspects, environmental justice, urban outdoor recreation, and green infrastructure in the Bronx.

What other urban environmental education success stories do you know about?

I had such a thrill yesterday connecting with land loving friends in Berkeley, CA at the Bay Area Open Space Council’s Rainy Season Gathering to discuss how we might better connect people to land in a relevant way.

The following is re-posted from the Bay Area Open Space Council Blog – start from the bottom and work your way up! It’s the next best thing to being there!

It’s raining in the Bay Area!  The Rainy Season Gathering brought the rain to Berkeley.  It’s official.  (for those of you reading this from out of state and wondering why this is even being talked about, it hasn’t rained since mid-December.  it’s been bone dry.  we’re very excited that it’s raining!)

More importantly though, we had a very full room of 100+ people to talk about cultural relevancy today at the Brower Center in Berkeley.  One attendee said it was “my favorite Gathering yet.”  The panelists spoke from the heart – causing some in the audience to tear up at a few points – and spoke from experience in connecting people to land, and land to people.  The panelists were:

• Avery Cleary, Director of Grassroots Outreach and Engagement, Children & Nature Network
• Sam Hodder, California State Director, Trust for Public Land
• Jared Lawson, Executive Director, Pie Ranch
• Rue Mapp, Founder, Outdoor Afro and Program Officer, Foundation for Youth Investment
• Paul Ringgold, Vice President of Stewardship, Peninsula Open Space Trust

A BIG thanks to Avery, Sam, Jared, Rue and Paul for their time and for telling their stories.  Thank you to Back to Earth for catering a delicious lunch.  And thanks to everyone for taking the time in your busy lives to participate in this conversation.

The presentations from Paul Ringgold and Sam Hodder are available on our Events page.  Scroll down to Past Events to find the Rainy Season Gathering.

The next Gathering will be on March 15 at the Brower Center.  The topic will be social media and registration is now open.  Who’s coming?

*

12:04pm: Bettina is wrapping up with some themes:

• So much is possible if we work together
• We need to continue to listen to each other
• We need to remember to connect with nature ourselves

LUNCH!

12:02pm: For the record, it hasn’t started raining yet here in Berkeley.

11:57am: We have one more question and then lunch will be served.  I’m guessing that there will be a swarm of people who ignore lunch and instead surround the speakers.  There is a lot interest in this topic and these speakers have told some powerful stories.

11:54am:  There have been so many great questions!  And a rich conversation about so many aspects of connecting people and land: race, class, privilage, power, funding, scale, farming, how to get more kids out onto farms, transportation, ecosystem services, venture philanthropy, regional funding, urban spaces, rural spaces, feeling safe, … so much more.  I wish that I could type faster so I could capture it all.

11:27am: Avery is thanking Jared and opening it up to questions.

11:26am: Jared is wrapping up.  Applause!

11:17am:  We are watching this film about Pie Ranch:

11:16am: Jared described his upbringing and those transformative experiences he had in the natural world.  I can’t even try to capture what he said and is saying.  He’s way too eloquent and speaks too fast for my fingers

Because of Jared’s experience as a kid, Pie Ranch has integrated all kinds of youth programming into its mission and programs.  Clearly he is doing soul fulfilling work.

11:07am: Avery is now talking about how important farms and food are.  And now she’s introducing Jared Lawson from Pie Ranch.  Do you know Pie Ranch?

11:06am: POST is very interested in working with small farmers and increase this connection between people and land.  Paul wrapped up – applause!

11:02am: Paul: ”How do we create mechanisms that would allow young or cash poor farmers to build equity?  Keep farmland affordable?  In large part this is inspired by our work with Pie Ranch which we’ll hear more about soon.”

POST has conducted a lot of research about what tools exist around the country and what role POST can do to support small, sustainable farming operations.

10:56am: Paul is sharing slides that show the growth of the Bay Area. The maps he’s showing highlight the agricultural lands of the Bay Area, and those under the Farmland Protection Program:

“One of the concerns we hear at POST is that we are focused on the land.  We haven’t been focused on communities.  And we’re working to change that.”

10:54am: Paul admitted that he is from Los Angeles.  And he used to play under the Hollywood sign when he was young boy.  TPL has worked recently to protect that open space and park and Paul thanked Sam and TPL for their work on that.

10:53am: Avery is now introducing Paul Ringgold from POST.  Here is his bio:

Mr. Ringgold joined POST in 1999 undertaking various land acquisition projects. He continues in this role as well as being responsible for land stewardship planning and land management oversight. Prior to coming to POST he was a policy research associate at the Pinchot Institute of Conservation in Washington, D.C and served as a land manager and ecosystem research program director with the University of Washington. Mr. Ringgold holds a Master of Forest Science degree from Yale University. 

10:52am:  “We are going in and listening,” said Sam.  He talked about a few of their projects.  And he wrapped up.  Avery thanked Sam – applause!

10:46am: Sam Hodder: “The Trust for Public Land is in its nature dependent on partnerships.  This is particularly important in urban settings and that’s what I’m going to talk about today.”

10:42am: Sam wants to acknowledge the Open Space Council and how it took their involvement to actually make some rain.  It’s not here yet, but they say it’s coming!

“When we think regionally and think outside the box, this regional collaboration becomes a national model,” said Sam.

Here is Sam’s presentation:

10:41am: Welcoming Sam to the mic!

10:39am: Avery Cleary is back at the podium and is talking about Richard Louv’s new book, The Nature Principle.  Have you read it?  Avery then thanked Rue.  And is now introducing Sam Hodder from the Trust for Public Land.

10:37am: Rue is talking about authenticity.  Real relationships cannot be faked.  She closed by saying that she invites everyone her to join her in this work.  Applause!

10:34am: Rue is also Program Officer at the Foundation for Youth Investment (FYI).  FYI used to be a part of the Stewardship Council but has split off on its own.

“Sometimes it is assumed that by getting young people outside that they will transform their family.  It’s not always the case.  We need to include the whole family in the outdoors,” said Rue.

10:29am:  Rue grew up in Oakland but had a family farm in Lake County.  Then she went on an Outward Bound trip and that was a life-changing experience.  She has also loved technology since she was very young.

10:27am: Rue Mapp is now speaking.  She has a slideshow of images going in the background submitted by Outdoor Afro community members.  And she just asked the attendees – all 100+ of them – to call out their first outdoor teacher.  There were lots of names and places called out ranging from Mr. Smith to ocean and many more.

10:23am: Avery Cleary is now speaking and talking about the Children & Nature Network.  ”Today’s topic is the most important topic we could possibly talk about.”

10:20am: Bettina Ring, our fearless Executive Director, is speaking to the group about the work that the Open Space Council.  Our conference is coming up on May 10!  More informaiton about that can be found here.

Bettina is introducing Avery Cleary, the Director of Grassroots Outreach for the Children & Nature Network.  Here’s Avery’s bio:

Avery is the founder and Executive Director of Hooked On Nature. She is a member of the C&NN Grassroots Leadership Team and co-founder of the San Francisco Bay Area Children in Nature Collaborative.  Over the past two decades Avery has been a spokesperson and advocate for reuniting people and nature.  Avery has a background in early childhood education and community organizing. Her work has taken her into boardrooms, city council and law enforcement offices, juvenile justice programs, neighborhood meetings, classrooms, and living rooms where she has witnessed time and again the power people have to inspire each other when they feel hope, focus on solutions, and explore ways to integrate nature into their lives.

10:00am: Good morning!  And welcome to the first Gathering of the year – our Rainy Season Gathering!  This is Annie Burke and I’ll be blogging this morning with quotes, photos, and links.

The program just started.  Ready?

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.

Check out more photos from the event:

Did you devote a part of this day to service? If so, what did you do?