Join Outdoor Afro in getting excited about the second annual National Kids to Parks Day May 19th, 2012! What a great opportunity to celebrate nature with kids, families, and fellow outdoor people!

Photo By Nkrumiah Frazier

The National Park Trust and our mascot Buddy Bison wants everyone to have an American park experience. We are inviting every family in America to visit a national, state or local park and play outdoors on May 19, 2012! As Buddy Bison says, “Explore outdoors, the parks are yours!”

Last year, nearly 200 mayors coast to coast signed official proclamations and many hosted events in their community parks to celebrate the day. In addition, more than 15,300 families participated.

The vision is simply to remind adults to take a child in their lives to a park – where they can hike a trail, visit a national historic site, or even canoe on a river. American adults live busy and pressure-filled lives – why not give them a reason to take the time to connect a child with an American treasure – a park?

As of this week 45,000 people registered for the event, 45 states participating, plus nearly 200 mayors and the Governors of WV and CO who have signed official proclamations!

A Funny EE Capacity Moment with Friends

During the week of May 14th, Outdoor Afro’s Rue Mapp is grateful to participate in the EECapacity Project that assembles 60 national environmental education leaders in Washington, DC for training in environmental leadership, cultural capacity, and community building.

These leaders include a diverse mix of federal, private, and public organizations working to empower communities through environmental education and related programs  that  foster improved health and well being.

Check out our photos from our last meeting!

As part of an effort to inform workshop participants about environmental success and challenges in the local area, we welcome you to join us at Coolidge High School Greenhouse Garden Tuesday, May 15th, 6-8pm for an evening of conversation and sharing.

This is also a great opportunity to learn about what others are doing in different parts of the country to make our communities healthier places to live and work.

A partial list of organizations represented at the training include:

• Association of Zoos & Aquaria (AZA)
• Civic Ecology Lab
• Garden Mosaics
• Celebrate Urban Birds
• Environmental Education Exchange
• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of EE
• Foundation for Youth Investment
• U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFW)
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
• North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE)
• Outdoor Afro
• American Community Gardening Association (ACGA)
• Urban Tilth
• MoBetter Greens Marketplace
• New Knowledge
• Earth Seed Consulting
• Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education (MAEOE)
• Maryland Coastal Bays Program
• Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education
• Latin American Center for Arts, Science, and Education (CLACE)
• California Environmental Education Foundation
• Baltimore Parks & People
• Coolidge High School Alumni Association

This promises to be a night of good people and good conversations around EE! Join us!

If you need more information about this event please contact Akiima Price 

Click for more information about EECapacity 

Outdoor Afro A. Breeze Harper writes about her experiences hiking in Utah as a new mom and appeals for more black people to get outside and into our beautiful National Parks.

Bryce Canyon National Park, May 2012 with Eva Luna (9 months old). She nursed 1/2 the time during the 7 mile hike.

I just got back from a 7 day road trip that started in Denver CO and ended in Berkeley CA. I spent most of my time in Utah. I went to Arches National Park, Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Canyonlands National Park, and Capitol Reef National Park. My favorite was Bryce Canyon. We did the Peek a Boo Trail and it made me cry. But first:

Where are all the damn black folk? I mean, I know it’s Utah, but these are National Parks people! The below video from was filmed at Zion National Park.

Ok, back to the brilliance and beauty of Bryce Canon and nursing for hours while hiking.

When walking the Peek a Boo trail hike, India Arie’s song, “How I know that god is real” kept on circulating through my brain.

Peek a Boo Trail hike is 7 miles. Doesn’t seem like a lot. But add a 20lb baby strapped to your back while carrying 50oz of water in each hand, while going all the way down the canyon then walking all the way back up and you’ve got yourself quite an amazing feat. Oh, and add to that that 20lb baby sucking on you, extracting breast milk 3 hours out of that 6.5 hours it takes to complete that 7 miles because it’s so hot and arid, she is thirsty all the time. I swear, my 9 month old must have sucked out 1000 calories of milk from me per day. She wasn’t used to the high elevation and the arid climate so she was thirsty all the time.

But I loved it. I loved every minute of watching the divine that is Bryce Canyon. I loved the burning of my butt and legs as I went up and down difficult parts of the trail. I loved how my baby girl , when she wasn’t nursing or sleeping, giggled with joy and reached out to touch the rocks, the trees, and my face. At 9 months old, she knew that Bryce Canyon is a very special place.

I notice two significant things during my time in Utah’s National Parks:

(1) Just about everyone I saw commended me for going on a 7 mile hike with a baby strapped to me. I only saw one other family doing this in Bryce Canyon Peek a Boo trail.

(2) There were 2 black people that I saw during my entire 7 day road trip through 5 National Parks in Utah (hence, my video rant).

Okay, so first of all, I am getting the impression that most people think it is impossible to go hiking and or camping with infants and toddlers, without losing your damn mind…and then add that to a 7 day road trip 1/2 across the country with them strapped to the carseats for hours, you’d think that would be a recipe for disaster. But, it’s not. You just have to plan it the right way. My 3 year old and 9 month old loved the trip. They love hiking. My toddler loves camping. My infant doesn’t seem to care where she is as long as she can get her mama milk. I recommend an Ergo carrier. Buy an Ergo cargo pack (for food and diapers) to attach to the carrier for the infant or toddler you want to haul. You can use the Ergo Carrier for a child up to 40lb. It’s light and they can fall asleep with a headrest to cradle their heads. My husband prefers the Deuter hiking system but I think it’s overpriced, heavy, and uncomfortable. The Ergo Carrier can have them on your side, back, or front. Perfect if you are a nursing mama. Deuter can’t do that.

But I have to be up front and say you can’t just do a 7 mile hike like Bryce Canyon, in a hot and high climate, with a baby and water in tow, if you haven’t been working out regularly. Before you embark on something like what I did, practice walking around in an area in your neighborhood that is hilly with your kid strapped on you.

A. Breeze Harper started The Sistah Vegan Project focuses on how plant-based consumptive lifestyle is affected by factors of race, racisms, sexism, heterosexism, classism, and other social injustices within the lives of black females. Breeze Harper is the editor of “Sistah Vegan” (Lantern Books 2010) and a PhD candidate in critical food geographies at UCD.

By Outdoor Afro friend James Mills, of The Joy Trip Project, a newsgathering and reporting organization that covers outdoor recreation, environmental conservation, acts of charitable giving and practices of sustainable living. He writes about the time we spent together last weekend to kick off our team’s journey toward both Denali’s Mt. McKinley, and diverse participation in the outdoors.

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” ~ Chinese philosopher Laozi (c 604 bc – c 531 bc)

Our journey to the highest peak in North America technically began months ago. Over the past several weeks a flurry of emails and text message across the Internet pulled together a cadre of disassociated adventurers to share a common dream. And over a weekend in May we took the first actual steps toward our goal. In a remote lodge on a ridge above Lake Tahoe our team of African-American climbers met to forge the bonds of friendship in preparation for Expedition Denali.

Typically aspiring climbers who take part in one of the many wonderful courses offered by the National Outdoor Leadership School meet for the first time mere days before heading off to base camp. But a full year in advance of our summit attempt set for 2013 the members of our team gathered to build relationships and set goals for the future.

“We want to assure our best opportunity for success,” said expedition organizer Aparna Rajagopal-Durbin.

Read The Full Article on The Joy Trip Project

From making trips to Washington D.C. to provide input on initiatives ranging from Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move Campaign to providing ideas to the Department of Interior on ways to engage African American families in outdoor recreation, Rue Mapp, Outdoor Afro Founder and CEO, realized, “I can’t do all of this myself,” and sought out more leaders to work along side her to engage more African Americans with the outdoors.

Over the past four months, she recruited thirteen Outdoor Afro volunteers (“disciples” she likens them to), who share her passion for nature and connecting more people to it. But these folks are not just advocates. They will organize outdoor activities across the country, from day hikes to overnight camping trips.

The Outdoor Afro Leadership Team (OALT) will organize trips on a quarterly basis, but Rue is prepared for the effort to grow beyond that.

Leveraging the Outdoor Afro social media community to recruit volunteers, she said, “I feel blessed to have found a group of like-minded people who can help literally move African Americans into the outdoors in greater numbers than I could alone.” The team represents a wonderfully diverse group from around the country, with a range of interests and expertise.

Introducing the Outdoor Afro Leadership Team! 

• Alisha Pye, a Los Angeles, CA Pilates instructor and mother of two.

• Beky Branagan of North Carolina has an M.S. in Recreation Administration and served as a medic in the US Army Reserve. She volunteers as an Outdoor Skills Facilitator; teaching Girl Scout Leaders about how to take their troops camping.

• Charles Yellowday, a Bronx, NY based social services professional.

• Cliff Sorrell, a SF Bay Area based landscape architect, assistant Scout Master and Cub Scout leader.

• Danielle Lee, a St. Louis, MO scientist and blogger specializing in mammalogy, ecology and animal behavior.

• Karen Bayard, a Salt Lake City, Utah-based college professor and community health educator.

• Karla Frye, a Jefferson City, MO resident who works as manager of urban initiatives for Missouri State Parks. Frye has previously worked as a journalist, a research analyst, and public relations consultant and university professor.

• Melissa Danielle, a New York City resident who promotes healthy lifestyles and wellness through her work as director of Central Brooklyn Wellness.

• Nkrumah Frazier, a Southern Mississippi Biology research technician at the University Of Southern MS and Hattiesburg Green Living Examiner and focused on the latest science and environmental research.

• Reginald Mitchell of Atlanta, GA is an outdoor enthusiast and hike leader for We Love to Hike.

• Sherrita Cole, of Oakland, CA, mom of a toddler, property manager, and hair care blogger

• Viva Yeboah, of Chicago IL, recently embraced outdoor connections through her participation with Girl Trek

• Zoe Polk, a San Francisco, CA resident and human rights attorney.

All regional leaders will be organizing day hikes, casual recreation, camping trips, bicycle rides and other activities on a quarterly basis and in their local regions.

Schedules of upcoming outings will be posted on Outdoor Afro as they become available, and check out the newly-launched Meet-Up groups as well:

SF Bay Area

Atlanta

New York (Brooklyn)

Outdoor Afro thanks REI, the national outdoor retail cooperative, KEEN Shoes, and Camp-California who are sponsoring the OALT with gear and practical support to inform trip ideas and support our success!

“Did we really just go camping?” I asked myself as we pulled up to our house this afternoon and unloaded our clothes and remaining weekend groceries from the trunk. I realized there was no gear to put away; no layers of dirt to wash off our bodies, and I felt rested and energized for Monday. “No,” I realized, “we did not go camping, we went ‘Kamping’!”

Awesome! Fabulous! Wonderful!

These are some of the words that come to mind after such a terrific weekend at California’s Central Coast near Santa Cruz camping with KOA with my Arwen and Billy, plus family friend Milan Martin. KOA is a private campground franchise with over 475 locations around the country. As part of our partnership with Camp California to demonstrate the various ways families can choose to camp, we decided to try a KOA for our third RV experience.

Unique about KOA are the many options to experience camping. You can sleep under the stars in a tent, pull up in an RV, or stay in a cabin or lodge. Some KOA sites offer novel arrangements such as the iconic Airstream, a Tree House or a Caboose! In addition to the sleeping options, there are many recreational activities available on site, such as swimming, mini golf, banana bikes, a climbing wall, playground, horseshoes, basketball, volleyball, and outdoor movies during peak season.

We stayed in a lodge, which I learned is technically classified as an RV since it can be hitched up and rolled out, but inside and out the structure screamed condo! We had a sleeping loft, a private bedroom (linens provided), and bathroom with shower. The kitchen was equipped with a fridge/freezer, sink, microwave, coffee maker, plates and utensils. There were electrical outlets everywhere, wireless internet, and a flat screen TV – so off the hook!

Nice, Nice, Nice

I think the staff here must train with the folks from Disneyland. I am pressed to remember a time when I have encountered such over-the-top positive, welcoming, and attentive customer service anywhere. Checking in and out was a breeze, and everyone made sure we had what we needed in between with a smile or a good joke.

The guests were super nice too, and we noticed this KOA attracts diverse visitors from around the world. Poolside we overheard several languages spoken, and made some new local camp friends Saturday who plotted to join us later in the evening for s’mores. Maintenance of the property was impeccable, clean, and there was a well-stocked camp store in case you forgot anything from home.

This central California coast KOA property sits between the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, and is less than a mile away from a few beaches that overlook the Pacific Ocean.  As I have learned from our previous RV experiences, KOAs can be used as a basecamp to explore surrounding nature and other attractions nearby.

Check out the rest of our photos!

Learn more about KOA “Kamping”, and check out our other RV adventures over the last year.

Thank you Camp California, KOA and its marvelous Santa Cruz staff for supporting such a wonderful experience to share with the Outdoor Afro community!

Photos courtesy of Jeff Crider and Rue Mapp

Outdoor Afros had a blast last weekend at one of our largest meetups: Hike Angel Island! Hosted by Outdoor Afro  Sela Steiger and led by Cliff Sorrell of Trekking for Life, the route ventured around the South Western part of the island, stopping at different sites of historical and cultural relevance.

Among them was the Chapel of Saint Marie at Camp Reynolds, significant for employing African American chaplain Lt. Colonel Allen Allensworth. An interesting figure in California Military history, Allensworth retired from the Army as the highest ranking African American officer in 1906.

Twenty five attendees of Hike Angel Island enjoyed extraordinary views and vantages, a fun ferry ride, and lots of interesting facts about the island and its many uses, past and present. Hikers were also blessed with excellent walking weather-warm and sunny with a nice ocean breeze!

In March, Shelby Ward went kayaking with her hair-conscious younger sister and fashionista, Rosalyn in Tennessee. Here is their story.

Let me tell you a little bit about my sister. Rosalyn likes fashion. On many occasions, she has added trendy accessories to my wardrobe. Rosalyn also hates “bugs.” So, I was a little surprised when she said she wanted to go kayaking during her visit.

On a calm Tuesday morning, we drove from Knoxville to Reliance, Tennessee to kayak the Hiwassee River. We kayaked a 5.5-mile stretch of the river that runs 147-miles through the Cherokee National Forest.

Gorgeous

The outfitter we went to gave us a warm welcome, along with  two oars and a two-person kayak.  “We’re not going to fall in the river,” I told myself, “but let’s leave the phones in the car… just in case.” Rosalyn even brought a shower cap—yes, a shower cap. “Why are you bringing a shower cap?” I asked. “Hey,” she retorted, “I just got my hair flat-ironed… it can’t get wet.”  Enough said. We were ready for the Hiwassee!

When we got to the dock, Rosalyn and I got into the kayak. The outfitter pushed our kayak into the water and we were off. We paddled through shallow waters of a few inches and deep waters over 60 feet. The most exciting thing was listening to the river; as we kayaked we could hear upcoming rushing riffles — and amazingly,  Rosalyn managed to keep her shower cap on as we crossed the riffles!

But when we were about 10 minutes away from our landing point, we came to a short waterfall. We tried to direct the kayak and paddle forward. But the force of the water was too great. As we went over the waterfall, we both went overboard.

After we fell in the water, our kayak turned over and our supplies flowed downstream. Many thoughts raced through my mind–”What just happened? — Where is Rosalyn? — God help me!”

Rosalyn was okay. She was in the river…with her shower cap still on! I kept asking her if she was okay. “I’m okay,” she said, “Just relax and stay calm.” As I treaded water, I could feel the weight of my wet khakis. I couldn’t believe this was happening.

The waterfall ended in a pool no more than 10 feet deep with large rocks on the river bottom. Rosalyn found a rock on the river bottom and stood on it. “Stand on the rock with me,” she said. I didn’t think I could make it, but Rosalyn with her shower cap encouraged me. I made it to the rock and we collected our thoughts. Finally, we managed to turn the kayak over, retrieve an oar, and make it to shore.

Our kayaking journey taught me some things: The Hiwassee River’s depth and power can humble the spirit, and my sister can be strong and courageous in times of trouble… even with a shower cap on.

Shelby Ward is an attorney passionate about conservation, and currently consults with the National Parks Conservation Association in Tennessee. Twitter @sw285

Ranked #1 Hiking Shoe by Outdoor Afros!

What began as a quest for the perfect protective sandal, KEEN Footwear is now a pioneer in both outdoor gear and positive change. Outfitting nature-goers for 9 years, KEEN has always promoted a HybridLife, encouraging nature activity while giving back to our planet and global communities.

In an effort to promote “play” and a general slow down, KEEN has reclaimed recess, providing tools to add a breath of fresh air to every day.

Outdoor Afro is proud to partner with KEEN and applaud them for granting us the ability to navigate nature comfortably and with style! And it’s so cool that KEEN has expressed a commitment to connecting diverse audiences to the outdoors. We are so glad to be involved!

Please check out KEEN Footwear and the other KEEN ambassadors!

An ancient sport, Falconry is the keeping and training of birds of prey.

Rodney Stotts is a Black falconer from Southeast Washington DC. He is the program director at Raptor and River/Environmental Education in connection with the Earth Conservation Corps along the Anacostia River.

Realizing that his lifestyle was not safe or sustainable, Stotts was drawn to falconry and river conservation as an alternative to jail, or perhaps more likely, death. “I found that my love for the environment and raptors was greater than the love for drug dealing.” Stotts explained.

According to Stotts, falconry is important in two ways; it saves the lives of raptors and helps to keep the population healthy, and it crosses all color, socioeconomic, and ethnic barriers. Through his work, he makes the powerful connection between endangered species of all kinds that include the Bald Eagle in DC to local youth who must navigate survival in a stressed community.

The Earth Conservation Corps currently employs its raptors to engage local youth in environmental education activities. Says Rodney, “Falconry can help build character, compassion, and caring. It’s importance is immeasurable. It changes lives.”

Check out this short video that shares more about his inspiration and passion!