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U.S.-America’s minority groups are under-represented in many forms of outdoor recreation. Surveys have shown that people of color are mostly absent from national parks and other outdoor destinations, and mostly absent from many outdoor activities, from hiking and camping to bird-watching and nature study.
On September 26, 2009, nationally recognized experts on this issue will be in Toledo to offer insights on how to increase the diversity in outdoor recreation.
This one-day conference will be held at Ward Pavilion at Wildwood Preserve, in northwestern Toledo. Tamberly Conway and Maricruz Flores, who work with Stephen F. Austin State University and the U.S. Forest Service in Texas, will speak on their program “Latino Legacy: Amigos del Bosque,” which has been very successful in getting families involved with forest areas. The focus throughout will be on positive, practical approaches that have been proven to work.
Biologist, author, and software designer John C. Robinson will speak on “Birding for Everyone: Changing the Face of Environmental Conservation through Birding.”
Professional nature photographer and author Dudley Edmondson will speak on “Outdoor Role Models: Black and Brown Faces in America’s Wild Places.”
There will be a panel discussion, with time for detailed questions and comments from the public. The panel discussion will be moderated by Chris Vickers, Channel 11 WTOL News. The afternoon will conclude with an afternoon field trip around the grounds of Wildwood Preserve.
The information presented in this conference should be valuable for teachers, youth group leaders, community leaders, naturalists, and anyone who would like to see more healthy diversity in the outdoors.
The conference is being sponsored by Black Swamp Bird Observatory, the Metroparks of the Toledo Area, and Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge.
For more information, visit http://www.bsbo.org/diversity_conference.htm, or call the Black Swamp Bird Observatory at 419 898 4070.
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