Week 12 Activity Digest: Weekly suggestions from Napa RCD's Education & Outreach Team

Helping you care for our land, water, soil, and wildlife

Napa RCD Weekly Activity Digest - 12th Edition

Greetings from Napa RCD-

We believe that successful conservation depends on the inclusion, empowerment, and engagement of all members of our community, and that our organization should reflect the diversity of our community. We acknowledge that we can and must do more to realize this goal. Now is a time for us to listen, learn, and evolve in our efforts towards equity and inclusion.

We invite you to let us know what you are doing and how we can better serve our community.

We will soon be rolling out a community-based input process which will outline specific ways for you to engage with us and guide our organization's evolution. Please email Ashley if you are interested in being a part of this conversation, and we will contact you as we move forward.

Each of us is learning, and we'd like to share some resources with all of you that our staff have found helpful.

Birding While Black
An interview with Jason Ward
Black Environmentalists Talk about Climate and Anti-Racism
an article from the New York Times
US EPA Environmental Justice Website
Scroll to the bottom to explore a timeline of Environmental Justice milestones
Outdoor Afro
An organization focused on connecting Black people with nature
Tips and inspiration for getting outdoors, such as Ten Backyard Camping Ideas
PBS: Short Biographies of BIPOC in the National Park System
Superintendent Gerard Baker
Captain Charles Young of the Buffalo Soldiers
Interpretive Ranger Shelton Johnson
Exploring Food Justice - Learning Unit
A series of activities for kids to learn about access to fresh food in the context of race and income inequality
A Hidden History of Napa Valley by Alexandria Brown
A local resource from a local author

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Many thanks to the following education and outreach activity sponsors for their support: NOAA, County of Napa, Napa County Stormwater Pollution Prevention Program, City of Napa, the Watershed Information and Conservation Council, and Friends of the Napa River.

Weekly Challenge & Nature Journaling

How does being in nature make you feel?

A few weeks ago, we challenged you to find a sit spot. A place you could return to, time and again, and just sit for 5, 10, or 15 minutes at a time. This week, we'd like to encourage you to go to that spot, or find a new place to spend a few minutes in thought.

How does it feel to sit still in that place, just listening, watching, smelling, and hearing the natural world around you?

Here in Napa County, we are very lucky to have quiet, nature-filled spaces within our cities and in the outlying wild places set aside for enjoyment of this kind. Not everyone has access to such spaces, and there are many people that, regardless of access, are unable to enjoy them out of fear, discomfort, lack of experience, lack of gear, or even lack of encouragement from others.

How do you feel in the outdoors? How did your experience with the outdoors and your access to the outdoors as a child affect your current connection to nature? Do you know anyone that feels differently about being outdoors than you do? Have you asked why?

Weekly Nature Nugget

This week, we're taking a look at this hot pink flower called Red Ribbons ( Clarkia concinna ). This bright, jubilant wildflower was recently found on a hike through the very eastern portion of Pacific Union College Forest. For more information on Red Ribbons, visit CalFlora or iNaturalist .

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Napa County Resource Conservation District | 707-252-4189 | NapaRCD.org