At the August 2020 NABCI Meeting, Committee members voted unanimously to continue to explore NABCI’s niche in addressing issues related to equity, inclusion, and justice. The NABCI community identified several topics for further discussion and exploration, leading to the development of the Community of Practice series.
The Community of Practice is a joint effort of NABCI and the Diversity Joint Venture. The objectives of the Community of Practice include: 1) providing a forum for organizations to learn from each other; 2) creating a space that encourages inclusive participation and allows for a variety voices to be heard and amplified within NABCI, and 3) providing additional resources to help partners expand partnership opportunities.
Activities
June 24, 2024 4-5pm ET | Register
Addressing Language Barriers in Bird Conservation Publishing
Guest speaker: Valeria Ramírez Castañeda
This webinar will introduce the new STORK Grant system, developed to support ornithologists working on migratory birds from countries in the Western hemisphere outside of the U.S. by providing funding for professional, scientific translation services. The webinar will have live translation from English to Spanish.
October 27, 2023 10-11:30a ET | Register | Recording
Further Reflections on Decolonizing Conservation Efforts
Guest speakers include:
- Diana Doan-Crider (Animo Partnership in Natural Resources, LLC)
- Salvadora Morales, Ancilleno Davis, and Steve Albert (Manomet, University of the Bahamas, and Institute for Bird Populations)
- Sarah Otterstrom (Paso Pacifico)
- These presentations will be followed by a moderated question, answer, and discussion session led by Elva Manquera-DeShields (Klamath Bird Observatory).
October 13, 2023 10-11:30a ET | Register
Taking a Deeper Dive into Decolonizing Conservation Efforts
See announcement flyer here. Guest speakers include:
- Katia Pilar Carranza (Equity and Sustainability Consulting) will talk about Environmental justice and immigrant connections to decolonizing conservation and advancing equity
- Karen Odriozola & Sergio Gómez (Chicatana A.C. y Observatorio de Aves de Tlaxiaco) will discuss Decolonizing conservation: Contributions from research practices in the upper Mixteca of Oaxaca
- Megan Raby (University of Texas at Austin) will talk about take-aways from past research on the history of ecology in U.S. colonial contexts
- These presentations will be followed by a moderated question, answer, and discussion session led by Elva Manquera-DeShields (Klamath Bird Observatory).
These webinars are meant to be reflexive and provide spaces we can all learn from to inform our practice. Topics related to colonization can be very heavy so we encourage you to take the space to reflect. We are planning a follow-up Happy Hour two weeks after the above webinar to allow for reflection and continued conversations on the topic of decolonizing conservation.
You can find citations and resources related to this discussion here.
April 11, 2023 12-2 EDT | Recording
Overcoming challenges to achieving equity within the conservation field
In this webinar we learned about the most common – and often systemic – barriers to equity in the conservation field. We heard from four speakers bringing a range of perspectives and experiences on identifying and addressing barriers:
- Diana Doan-Crider (Animo Partnership in Natural Resources, LLC): Creating Equitable Habitat for Underrepresented Women: Learning from a River.
- Rosezetta Bobo (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission): Identifying and Addressing Challenges to Achieving Equity Within the Conservation Field
- Kristina Cockle (National Scientific & Technical Research Council -Argentina) & Dr. Viviane Zulian (North Carolina State University): Confronting Coloniality and Building New Spaces for Bird Conservation in Latin America
The webinar also featured a moderated question, answer, and discussion session led by Chris Kennedy (Missouri Department of Conservation).
You can find citations and resources related to this discussion here.
Stay tuned to learn about next steps. Please sign up for our mailing list HERE to share your ideas about where the NABCI DEIJ Community of Practice should go from here.
September 20, 2022 4-5:30 EDT | Register | Recording
Happy Hour: What do Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Mean to You?
We are organizing an informal Happy Hour where participants will share what terms like diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice mean to them. We’ve found that as we lean into these principles and cultures, we’re not all starting from a shared understanding of what these terms mean. In order to work to make the bird conservation community more equitable and inclusive, we feel it’s important to first come to a shared understanding of what we’re working towards.
We’re inviting participants representing a wide range of identities across cultural, racial, gender, and orientation axes, and asking them to speak about what these terms mean to them, followed by facilitated small- and large-group discussions.
April 6, 2022 1-2:30 EDT | Recording
Fostering diversity through internships & early career opportunities in conservation: The crucial role of equitable & inclusive workplaces
Thanks to everyone who presented and participated in the webinar. Please see the Padlet to read and contribute to the ongoing discussion.
October 13, 2021 2-4 EDT | Recording
Recruitment and Retention of a More Representative Staff
This session presented best practices for recruitment and retention of a diverse staff, with a focus on what individuals can do. The session highlighted three speakers: Sangita Chari (National Park Service’s (NPS) Office of Relevancy, Diversity & Inclusion), Robyn Rees (Department of Interior’s Office of Human Capital), as well as a panel featuring Kris Barnes (NPS), Mirella Gutierrez (NPS), Julia Harenčár, Mikko Jimenez (National Audubon Society), Gus Martinez (NPS), and Alexi McHugh (NPS).
July 28, 2021 2-4 EDT | Recordings: Christopher Kennedy – Danielle Ross-Winslow
What Can I Do?
This session aimed to challenge people’s assumptions about how DEIJ work can happen and help participants think about initial steps that they can take within their organization, with or without organizational support. Christopher Kennedy of the Missouri Department of Conservation and Danielle Ross-Winslow of the US Fish and Wildlife Service shared their experiences implementing DEIJ work at the individual level that expanded to organizational efforts.
May 25, 2021 2-4 EDT | Recording
The Fundamentals of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice in Conservation
This session, led by David Buggs of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and Natalie Sexton of the US Fish and Wildlife Service, aimed to build a foundation for participants to understand and communicate the “why” of DEIJ in bird conservation.
January 14, 2021 11-1 EDT | Recordings: David Buggs – Sue Bonfield
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice Initiatives: Models and Lessons Learned
In this session, David Buggs of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and Sue Bonfield of Environment for the Americas provided an overview of their efforts leading DEIJ efforts and shared lessons learned.
Membership
Nicole Michel, Chair
National Audubon Society
Additional Members
- Elva Manquera-DeShields, Klamath Bird Observatory
- Christopher Kennedy, Missouri Department of Conservation
- Susana Mateos, NC State University
- Veronica Reed, US Fish and Wildlife Service
- Dave Treviño, National Park Service