Always Be Birdin'

Today we take a small break from the world of birds and listen to the story of my dear friend and birder, Jahquari Greene's, racially motivated and wrongful termination after being physically assaulted at Bar Casa Vale in Portland, OR. His mission is to ensure that this restaurant comes forward with acknowledgement and accountability and that this never happens again to anyone else. Please follow this story and support the #KeepPlating Series: A Paella Protest Pop Up, on IG at @madman_popup and TikTok at @Jahquari. Here at the Always Be Birdin' Podcast, we never shy away from calling out racism and platforming Black voices allowing for a safe space to share their stories while creating the support and community they need to thrive and flourish in a society that has been and is always wanting to see us fail and suffer. We will always offer what we can to those who wish to #applypressure and burn these systems to the ground.

Welcome back to the Always Be Birdin' Podcast! We're sliding into Season 3 with self proclaimed Cemetery Birder, Danielle Belleny, as we celebrate her new book, This Is A Book For People Who Love Birds. Recently published, This Is A Book For People Who Love Birds is a short but sweet introduction to the world of birds and birding. Intended for those who don't realize they love birds yet and those who have just begun their journey, Danielle does a brilliant job of taking big scientific and social ideas and packing them in a way that is easy to digest and super fun to read! Join us as we discuss different aspects of the book and celebrate Danielle for this huge accomplishment.

Small grassroots organizations and individuals are the ones on the ground doing the hard work to create safe and educational spaces in nature for Black, Indigenous and people of color. What does it mean to have big dreams for our communities and NOT have to give them up because of barriers to funding? Philanthropy and distribution of money is gate kept by wealthy white people who are the ones to decide who is and isn't "worthy" of funding. The same money gets passed around at the top while those grassroots organizations are struggling to enact the change we need for our communities because we can't afford to put on the type of programming we want and that our communities deserve. Today, I speak with Chandrika Francis who is the Founder and Facilitator of Oshun Swim School based in Seattle, WA, Lydia Parker who is a Co-Founder and Executive Director of Hunters of Color based in Portland, OR and Alex Troutman, Hunters of Color Mentee and Wildlife Biologist based in Austell, GA. We all do different work, but we are connected by our missions to create safe, healing and educational spaces for Black, Indigenous and people of color outside as well as the grant that is enabling us to aggressively pursue our dreams for a different future. We speak in depth and detail about the Liberated Paths Grantmaking Program through Justice Outside, why it is so important and how it is going to help us to lead our communities into collective liberation outside. Wether you are a birder, hunter, grad student, biologist, nature lover or starting up your own small organization, this episode will help you understand the disparities of philanthropy and distribution of funding and teach you how it can and is being done differently.

Meet five leaders in the community creating necessary spaces for BIPOC through organized outings. In this first part, we are introduced to each of them and hear their stories of what brought them to birding and eventually to starting BIPOC birding clubs or collectives. All of these people are wonderful and have a deep love of birding and brining that join into the BIPOC communities where they are from. In part 2 we talk a lot more deeply about the importance of BIPOC only spaces in birding. 03:37 Candace Williams of Chicago BIPOC Birding Network (unofficial) Chicago IL 07:43 Daniela Herrera of Chicago BIPOC Birding Network (unofficial) Chicago IL 14:07 Angel Ramirez of Oxnard Birder's Club, Oxnard CA 24:20 Dexter Patterson of BIPOC Birding Club of Wisconsin, Madison WI 38:46 Jason Hall of In Color Birding Club, Philadelphia PA

It's been a while, but, we’re back with the first episode of the second year of the Always Be Birdin' podcast with a vengeance. In episodes past, I called attention to the National Audubon Society article in Politico where there was accusations of racism, sexism and retaliation within the organization and I asked why isn't anyone talking more about this seeing as National Audubon is considered THE go to for all things conservation and birds. This episode has been and remains to be my most downloaded episode, but what's changed? Since then, third party law firm, Morgan & Lewis put out their findings which called for a redistribution of power, the Union, Audubon for All, was birthed and the then Executive Director, David Yarnold, has left the organization. Other non-profit environmental organizations such as Defenders of Wildlife have followed suit and are also unionizing. Today I bring back two of my favorite people and past guests, Rosie Sanchez of Defenders of Wildlife and Tykee James of National Audubon, to address the question... "why unionize?" Both Rosie and Tykee talk details of where both organizations are at (neither union has been voluntarily recognized) as well as highlight some of the ways you as listeners can help. We also get deep in conversation around what it truly means when the people in power positions refuse to listen to their workers, how that is a direct reflection on society as a whole and why it’s important to dismantle white supremacy and fear for a better future for everyone. This episode is a call back to the discussion Rosie and I had in episode 8 and the issues I bring up about National Audubon in episode 9. Let’s kick off year 2 of the podcast with a hard hitting BANG!

TW: Childhood Abuse, Mental Health On this final day of Black Birders Week 2021, I bring an earlier recorded episode from back in February of this year with Nicole Jackson. Join us and get to know one of the co-organizers of Black Birders Week 2020 as we talk about how birding and being outside can help heal and bring tenderness to those parts of us that are suffering and hurting. Nicole tells us her story, how she started to get into birds and birding, we connect over birding in Ohio and all of the many hats she wears today. Nicole is an amazing human doing amazing things like the #BlackInNationalParks initiative that stemmed from her participation in Black Birders Week. -- Stay tuned to the end of the episode for a special announcement from Amplify the Future regarding their Black and Latinx Birders Scholarship application deadline!

TW: Rape and Sexual Assault Today I have the pleasure of chatting with Courtney Akinosho, Founder and CEO of Black Girls Bird, a wonderful organization whose mission is to provide Black girls of all ages access to nature while promoting holistic well-being utilizing the joy of birding and photography. Day 5 of Black Birders Week centers safety in the outdoors for Black people. Courtney and I speak candidly, openly and deeply about how nature is often weaponized by white men, white women and black men and how we can't have the conversation about safety in the outdoors without centering black women's experiences and voices and what it looks like to truly have the conversation in a deep and meaningful way without hiding and tiptoeing around the true dangers outside. -- Stay tuned at the end of the episode for a special announcement from Amplify The Future regarding their Black and Latinx Birders Scholarship application deadline!

In celebration of Black Birders Week and the many identities and activities in the birding world, I chat with Day Scott. Day is a celebrated bird photographer, writer and naturalist. Today we chat about nature in LA, why it's important to show up differently for bipoc youth in the outdoors, traumatic brain injuries and the joy and the pain that Day has found in utilizing birds for healing. -- Stay tuned to the end of the episode for a special announcement from Amplify the Future regarding their Black and Latinx Birders Scholarship application deadline!

Today I sit down with Raquel Velez, founder and CEO of Alpine Parrot, a company who's mission is to celebrate larger bodies in the outdoors. This celebration is done specifically through providing hiking pants that are comfortable and useful for bodies that aren't represented or thought about in the outdoor apparel world. Raquel and I dig into the falsity of the term obese, how health and fatness do not go together and how dangerous of an idea this can be for BIPOC folks in the outdoors. We also talk about the Kea, the worlds only alpine parrot and why it's the inspiration for the company's name. Join us and visit AlpineParrot.com to contribute to the now live Kickstarter campaign.

Today I sit down with Orietta Estrada and Tykee James who are the Co-Chairs for Amplify The Future and The Black And Latinx Birders Scholarship. These two are powerhouses in their own right but, together, they have created something that is a force in the birding and outdoor worlds. Join us as we dig into where Amplify The Future is headed, how to apply for the scholarship and what it really means to have an organization that is for BIPOC, by BIPOC and why it is so important in an age where DEI work is a trending hashtag instead of a core value.

Today we celebrate women's history month with my new friend Aster Real who is an expert birder at 15 years old from Macas, Ecuador. She tells stories of what it's like to experience a Harpy Eagle in the wild (twice), being a young female identified birder surrounded by older men, plant medicine and the beauty in the small and large worlds that surround us. Aster is full of wisdom, knowledge and stories. Join us as she takes us on a magical journey through the rainforests that are her backyard and into one of the more beautiful minds I've ever met. She is a true joy and I look forward to how she will affect the world in her future.

In early November 2020, Politico.com posted an article calling National Audubon into the very dim spotlight after several minority affinity groups, BIPOC leaders and anonymous survey takers began loudly vocalizing about the very real disparities between BIPOC, queer and femme workers and the all white, cis male dominated top at the organization and it's chapters. In this episode, I outline the basics of the Politico article and expand upon why it is such an important article and push for BIPOC leaders in our community and push even harder for the white allies into a call to action surrounding this very troubling insight into one of the largest environmental organizations in the country. Please listen with intention.