Birding or “birdwatching” has quietly become one of the top US outdoor recreational activities. Why?
It’s easy to understand. Anyone can do it with minimal start-up investment; it can be enjoyed by people of all ages from elders to school kids and it can be done just about anywhere from your bedroom window to the wildest places on earth.
Yet, according to a recent paper published by North Carolina State University: “Research shows that people of color are far less likely to engage in nature-based outdoor recreation activities with historic discrimination being a large underlying factor.”
The paper notes that a number of national organizations are at the forefront of promoting diversity and inclusion in outdoor recreation, nature, and conservation including Outdoor Afro, Black Outside, BlackAFinSTEM which is sponsoring its fourth Black Birding Week May 28-June 3, 2023 Latino Outdoors and GirlTrek.
In the Roanoke Valley, the Roanoke Valley Bird Club (RVBC) has launched a new program, Library Birding Backpacks, in an effort to introduce birding to members of our local community who have not yet been exposed to it or have not had access to the know-how and tools to get started
Thirty-one adult birding backpacks, created and donated by RVBC, were distributed last summer to area libraries for a loan just like a book or DVD. Every library in Roanoke County, Roanoke City, Salem, and Botetourt County now has at least one, and in most cases more than one birding backpack available to check out! These backpacks are aimed at adults with the hope that interested adults; parents and grandparents will then share their new interests with their families. Club members have also been offering introductory talks at many local libraries to give new birders the knowledge and confidence to use the backpacks and get out on the trails! Visitors are welcome at any time to attend both club meetings and free birding field trips to local birding hotspots. In fact, one of the best ways to get started in birding is to go out with more experienced birders who can share their tips and skills. We meet the second Monday of the month at the Roanoke Council of Garden Clubs building at 3640 Colonial Ave, Cave Spring, from September to May.
Have you ever wondered about birding? seen somebody on the Greenway or one of our area parks, staring up at a tree with binoculars and asking yourself, what are they looking at? Ask at your local library’s reference desk about the library birding backpacks. If your local library doesn’t have one available at the time, ask about an inter-library loan and the staff will be able to get one for you from another area library. Also, come to one of our meetings and find out for yourself. It could be the start of a wonderful new lifelong hobby.
For more information about the Roanoke Valley Bird Club see our website at: roanokevalleybirdclub.com.
