Happy Juneteenth from Piedmont Wildlife Center! Juneteenth marks the day in 1865 when enslaved people in Galveston, TX learned from federal troops that they had been freed. This holiday holds special significance for PWC staff and leadership, both because of our commitment to inclusivity and because two of the sites where we operate (Leigh Farm Park and Blackwood Farm Park) were once plantations where enslaved people worked the land against their will.
As we move forward with a vision of justice and inclusivity, we believe it is important to share this history with visitors, campers, and staff, while also amplifying the stories of the Indigenous and enslaved people who have cared for this land over the centuries. Learn more at our Land Context page.
PWC’s office and camps are closed today in observation of Juneteenth. While we’re away, we want to turn the spotlight on 5 incredible Black naturalists, birders, and ecologists who are shaping the future of conservation in the United States - and beyond!
Miss our Black Birders Week post from last year? Here are 5 Black naturalists you should know.
1. Tykee James
As a teenager, Tykee James took a job as an environmental educator in his Philadelphia neighborhood, hoping to earn enough to buy a phone and a bike. But the experience gave him more than spending money – it gave him a passion for birds, conservation, and inclusion that continues to drive his career in environmental advocacy. Tykee now works in Washington, D.C. as Senior Government Relations Representative at The Wilderness Society, which works to protect wild public lands across the United States while promoting accessibility and inclusion in outdoor spaces. He is also President of the D.C. Audubon Society and leads regular bird walks on Capitol Hill for bipartisan groups of Congressional staff and legislators.
In addition to his conservation advocacy, Tykee works tirelessly to create a more inclusive, equitable culture in birding and beyond. He co-founded Amplify the Future, Freedom Birders, Birder’s Fund, and Black Birders Week, and has hosted several podcasts on the Wildlife Observer Network – which he also co-founded!
You can keep up with Tykee on Twitter (@Tykee_James) and Instagram (@tykeejames). Stay tuned for his newest project, Wild Thoughts, coming soon on Wildlife Media Network.
2. Murry Burgess
Wildlife biologist Murry Burgess is a PhD candidate in Fisheries, Wildlife, & Conservation Biology at NC State, where she studies the effects of light pollution on barn swallow chicks. Her research shows how being exposed to artificial light at night harms chicks’ metabolism by affecting their cortisol, melatonin, and glucose levels. These changes, in turn, may cause stress, elevated blood sugar levels, and difficulty sleeping – unhealthy conditions for growing birds, and yet another reason to turn off your lights at night!
In 2022, Murry’s experiences doing fieldwork as a Black woman in predominantly white, rural parts of the South led her to co-found Field Inclusive. Field Inclusive seeks to make fieldwork safer and more inclusive for all by raising awareness of social field safety issues and supporting biologists from marginalized backgrounds. Murry is also an author of two nature-themed children’s books.
Follow Murry (@murryloub) on Instagram, Twitter, or her website. You can also get involved with Field Inclusive by becoming a donor or signing up for their newsletter. Don’t forget to buy her book, Why Wolves Howl, for the young nature-lover in your life – and keep an eye out for Murry’s new book, Sparrow Learns Birds, coming soon!
3. Jerome Ford
Anyone who’s ever marveled at migrating raptors, wondered at wild geese flying south, or seen a rare songbird at their feeder owes a debt of gratitude to Jerome Ford. Since 2011, Jerome has been Assistant Director of the Migratory Bird Program at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, where he’s responsible for putting federal bird protection laws (like the Migratory Bird Treaty) into action.
For Jerome, protecting birds also means protecting people. “If we pay attention, birds will help us understand where threats are, where the healthy habitats are,” he told Audubon Magazine in 2021. “So birds are critically important to our society, if we give them a chance and stop to look at what those benefits are. That’s what our program is trying to do, is to keep birds relevant and keep birds common to people.”
Learn more about Jerome by reading his Audubon Magazine feature from 2021, or watching “A Conversation With Jerome Ford” from Black Birders Week 2022 on Facebook.
4. Rue Mapp
Entrepreneur, author, speaker, public lands champion, hunter, clothing designer, lifelong adventurer: Rue Mapp is a true Renaissance woman of the outdoor industry. In 2009, she turned her lifelong passion for nature into a blog called Outdoor Afro. Outdoor Afro has since expanded into a nationally-recognized nonprofit whose mission is to “celebrate and inspire Black connections and leadership in nature.” Under Rue’s leadership, Outdoor Afro has connected more than 60,000 participants with nature through outdoor recreation, education, and conservation programs. Their annual offerings include Making Waves, which teaches children and their caregivers to swim, as well as leadership training programs and events in honor of Juneteenth and Black History Month.
For Rue, empowering Black communities to connect (or reconnect) with nature is especially important because of the history of violence against Black bodies in the outdoors. It’s also a powerful way to overcome differences. “We all have a connection to nature,” Rue told Andscape in 2020, “and we can talk about nature in the way that nature views us… The trees don’t know that you’re Black, the flowers are going to bloom no matter how much money is in your account. The birds are going to sing no matter your gender or political affiliation. In that way, we can have a very different conversation about what that connection to nature can teach us about being with one another.”
Follow Rue (@ruemapp) on Instagram and Twitter, and Outdoor Afro (@outdoorafro) on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. You can also support Outdoor Afro’s life-changing work by donating or getting involved with an Outdoor Afro network near you. Be sure to grab a copy of Rue’s book, Nature Swagger: Stories and Visions of Black Joy in the Outdoors!
5. Derrick Z. Jackson
Journalist Derrick Z. Jackson is best known for his versatile and insightful columns in the Boston Globe, where he wrote on topics ranging from race and politics to education and sports. One of his most enduring interests, however, is environmental justice. He currently holds a fellowship at the Union for Concerned Scientists (UCS), where he writes on climate, energy, and the relationship between science and democracy. His commentaries for UCS won first place in the Outdoor Writers Association of America’s 2022 Excellence in Craft Awards – just the latest award in this Pulitzer Prize finalist’s long and celebrated career!
Derrick is also an accomplished birder and wildlife photographer. His favorite photography subject? Puffins! For decades, Derrick has led the way in documenting the work of Project Puffin, a National Audubon Society conservation initiative that celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. He has co-authored two books on the subject: Project Puffin: The Improbable Quest to Bring a Beloved Seabird Back to Egg and The Puffin Plan: Restoring Seabirds to Egg Rock and Beyond.
Read Derrick’s latest writing on climate and science at his UCS blog or follow him (@DerrickZJackson) on Twitter. His books on Project Puffin are available wherever books are sold.
