MADISON, Wis. — A new club is on a mission to get more people of color out in nature, and ensure they feel safe and welcome doing it. 

On Juneteenth this past summer, Jeff Galligan and Dexter Patterson led a nature walk and birding walk. They knew they had to do it again. 

“I love birds because they changed my life,” Patterson said. “Before I met birds, and this was pre-pandemic, I was really struggling with mental health issues. Depression, anxiety. Getting outside in nature, I always tell people, nature heals.” 

Not everybody has the same access to nature, or experience out birding. There was the incident in Central Park in May 2020, where Amy Cooper called the police on Black birder Christian Cooper. 

Naturalist Drew Lanham wrote a satirical take on what it’s like to be a Black birder. His “9 Rules for the Black Birdwatcher” include things like never wearing a hoodie, always carry your binoculars, and never expect to see more than one other Black birder. 

Patterson hasn’t experienced anything like the Central Park incident, but he has felt the eyes of others. 

“I haven’t had to deal with anything negative on the trail,” Patterson said. “I think it’s just more the perspective of ‘What’s this Black guy doing in the woods in rural Wisconsin with binoculars and his camera?’ Because they just don’t see it.” 

They’ve had “field trips” since June, and each time, they seem to grow. Saturday’s outing was their biggest yet. Before taking off, Patterson and Galligan hugged, excited that so many people share their vision. 

“What we wanted was to get people of color out here, and families, and young kids,” Galligan said. “We’ve got that every time now.”

There were kids there with their parents, groups of friends, and people who didn’t know a single other person there. They had all made friends by the end of the walk. 

For more information and a list of their planned outings, click here.