And as birders we embrace diversity. What backyard birder tries to attract only one kind of bird, for example? We don’t just want to see Carolina Chickadees -- we want to feed Brown-headed Nuthatches and Northern Cardinals and American Goldfinches and Tufted Titmouses and more! Field birders take the whole diversity thing a big step further; often looking to see and appreciate every possible species of bird we can on this planet. When I see a new bird I experience so much happiness that it feels like my body can’t contain the energy.
In our region of North America we’ve got lots of bird diversity -- but very little birdwatcher diversity. Yesterday we inaugurated Barack Obama as President! So... how come all us birdwatchers are still white?
Award-winning African American ornithologist and wildlife biologist John C. Robinson explores this challenging issue with openness and wisdom in his recent book, Birding for Everyone: Encouraging People of Color to Become Birdwatchers. The basic premise of the book is that by encouraging the appreciation and conservation of nature through birdwatching and similar activities, we can energize the conservation movement, which without such participation is in danger of languishing as our population demographic shifts.
The often-quoted National Survey on Recreation and the Environment -- view link -- reports that 82 million people enjoy “birdwatching” on some level in the US. But there is little racial diversity among this huge group. Birders seem by-and-large to be an open and friendly group, not particularly exclusive or prejudiced. So why are large segments of our population not participating?
The underlying issue here is not simply one of diversity. As Robinson sees it, the concern is around a larger trend -- too few people of color are connected to nature. As the US population continues to diversify, minority evolvement in environmental initiatives will become absolutely vital to conservation efforts. Our efforts to create a sustainable civilization must involve every person on a personal level, not just those who fit particular demographics.
Refuting the myth that “minorities have no interest in the outdoors,” Robinson considers multiple reasons for the relative absence of minorities among birders. He also calls for a renewed focus on conservation outreach and recruitment programs in urban areas, and offers cogent ideas on how these programs could be effectively instituted, directed and motivated.
As a lifelong, committed conservationist Robinson is deeply concerned about a lack of participation in this work, and in outdoor recreation generally, by minority adults and children. And after reading his book, I am, too.
In the modern world, where our lives can seem so isolated from the vibrations of nature and animals, every person needs a way to connect with and love the Earth; and a heartfelt, personal motivation for supporting our environment through his or her personal choices.
For this reason among many, Birding for Everyone is a vitally important book that is universally acclaimed by every reviewer and trade publication, such as the American Birding Association’s magazine, Birding. This book moves beyond “talking about” this problem to researching it with surveys and interview and helping us to understand why it exists and what we can do about it. This book also comes to us at a critical juncture, where embracing a relationship with the outdoors, especially among children, could determine whether or not we have birds to watch in the future. And, indeed, whether there are human birdwatchers on the planet to watch them.
Peace and good birding,
Scott Cronenweth
Eons birding mentor
www.naturalpathwalks.com
