Join BirdNote tomorrow, November 30th!
Illustrator David Sibley and actor H. Jon Benjamin will face off in the bird illustration battle of the century during BirdNote's Year-end Celebration and Auction!
Black Birders Week: Heat Islands and Summer Birding
On Tuesday, May 28th at 12pm PT/3pm ET, BirdNote and Black AF in STEM teamed up for a special Black Birders Week Virtual Event on Heat Islands and Summer Birding. The event shed light on crucial aspects of urban bird and wildlife conservation against the backdrop of summer birding and rising temperatures. Moderated by Dara Miles Wilson, panelists Nicole Jackson, Ela Carpenter, PhD and Sharon Dorsey discussed the impacts of heat island effect on both birds and people in urban environments and the need to safeguard urban wildlife refuges, feeding changes in birds and the importance of water during the summertime, along with safe birding in the summer and how to best take care of ourselves and birds as temperatures continue to rise.
Watch this video to hear from an esteemed panel of biologists, naturalists and educators for an important conversation to help raise awareness about the challenges facing birds and marginalized communities in urban environments, and ways we can all help.
About Black Birders Week
The fifth annual Black Birders Week, which will take place from May 26-June 1, 2024, aims to highlights the intersections of birds, people and environmental justice. Black Birders Week was created in 2020 as a primarily virtual event spurred by the Central Park birding incident involving the accomplished science writer and birder Christian Cooper. The week and The BlackAFinSTEM Collective itself was created by a small group of friends and acquaintances to normalize the historically overlooked presence of Black birders, scientists and nature enthusiasts in the field to make the natural sciences more inclusive, diverse, and welcoming to people of all walks of life. The Collective also aims to inspire new audiences to engage in nature and share the stories of Black conservationists from across the globe. This year's theme is "Wings of Justice: Soaring for Change."
About our Moderator
Dara Miles Wilson is a naturalist, educator, and network weaver who is passionate about strengthening other’s confidence, and curiosity, in outdoor exploration. Her work extends across science media via collaborative projects and special events on a global scale. These days, Dara brings her experience as an informal educator to the community via public events and civic engagement - mainly as an outdoor interpreter in the DC Metropolitan region and national organizer, as well as planning committee co-chair, for Black Birders Week. Additionally, she serves on the governing and advisory boards of DC Bird Alliance (formerly DC Audubon Society) and Sunshine State Biodiversity Group respectively. Dara is a graduate of American University with a major in International Development and a minor in Communications. Recently awarded the prestigious Cecil Corbin-Mark Vanguard Fellowship for her outdoor leadership and commitment to building organizing models that reflect Black queer feminist approaches in environmental boards and grassroots initiatives. Determined in her mission to shape future communities through education and advocacy, Dara is dedicated to the preservation, protection, and prolonged success of Black American and/or African Diasporic history in nature. She hopes to one day tell local stories on an international level.
About our Panelists
Nicole Jackson (she/her) is a native of Cleveland, Ohio and graduated from The Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Education. A nature enthusiast, park advocate, and birder, she loves spending time outside and has a passion for getting people from underserved communities connected to the wonders of the natural world. Nicole currently works as a nature connection coach and environmental education consultant assisting organizations to create inclusive programs that educate youth and families on how to build a healthy relationship with nature. She is also a Black Birders Week Co-chair of the National Planning Team and the founder of Black in National Parks Week.
Ela Carpenter, Ph.D is a Baltimore born-and-raised urban wildlife biologist; her childhood experiences in local greenspaces fostered her love of nature in the city. She received her B.S. in Biological Sciences from Hampton University, M.S. in Environmental Science from Christopher Newport University, and Ph.D. in Natural Resources from University of Missouri-Columbia. Over the past 15 years she has conducted bird and bat research in Maryland, Missouri, Nevada, and Virginia. She also spent several years as a science & naturalist educator and believes that it is just as important to share wildlife research with the public as it is with fellow biologists. In her current position as a Wildlife Biologist with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, she oversees the wildlife management plan for Masonville Cove Urban Wildlife Refuge Partnership campus in south Baltimore, assists with community outreach and engagement in south Baltimore, and assists with endangered species consultation work.
Sharon Dorsey is an urban naturalist, birder, hiker, and educator based in Baltimore, MD. She loves exposing people to the beauty and ecological functions of nature in their own backyard. She's experienced in working with student groups from elementary to college, non-profit organizations, as well as in professional research societies. Her graduate thesis research projects included surveying the habitat of the imperiled piping plover on the beaches of New York and assessing how different landscape characteristics influenced plover nest-site selection, and currently, through volunteer monitoring efforts, she captures and bands resident and migratory songbirds to support long-term research projects measuring avian population ecology. She's always seeking new projects to get involved with that are mutually beneficial to her learning and sharing her expertise with others!
BirdNote is a independent nonprofit organization that relies on listener and audience support to continue producing stories and events like these. You can help support BirdNote by purchasing a "donation-based" ticket when registering for this event. Or, give a gift here. We appreciate any amount you choose to give.
To support the work of BlackAFinSTEM and Black Birders Week, visit this link.