There is a very interesting conference coming up and I'm so irritated that I just found out about it today when it's too late for me to plan a way to get there (note to organizers PROMOTE YOUR EVENTS MORE THAN 3 WEEKS AHEAD OF TIME, especially if you want people from around the country to attend). The really frustrating thing is that it's being offered a week after the Midwest Birding Symposium and it's happening the same state. Gr. Seriously, organizers, what went wrong here? So, here it is, if you are in and around the Ohio area towards the end of the month, you should attend this: Black Swamp Bird Observatory is holding a Diversity in Outdoor Recreation, The Many Faces of Conservation Conference on Sunday, September 26, 2009. It's no secret that when you attend a bird festival or birding event, if a person of color attends--they stand out. That should not be the case. But there must be something, some kind of vibe that keeps people of color away or there must be someway birders can reach out reach to people of all races and share the coolness of birds.
The speakers are John C. Robinson, Dudley Edmondson, Tamberly Conway, and Maricruz Flores. This should be an interesting conference and one that many birders could learn from. It's just too bad that the timing and promotion was poor.
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