April 23, 2015
Yes We Camp: 5 Cool Fishing, Hiking and Nature Groups for African Americans
National Park Week is from April 18-26. To encourage people to learn about and connect with over 400 of America’s national parks, the National Park Foundation kicked off a nationwide “Find Your Park” interactive campaign . Beyond discovering America’s parks, you can inspire others by sharing your stories about your favorite parks using #FindYourPark on social media. You can also search FindYourPark.com to get ideas including in-park and digital activities.
[Related: Adventure Seeker: How Nomadness Tribe’s Evita Robinson Launched Global Travel Movement]
To celebrate all that America’s national parks have to offer, here is a list of upcoming events from several African American nature groups committed to outdoor activities such as hiking, biking, fishing, camping and more.
Outdoor Afro is an African-American Adventure Group on a mission to reconnect people with natural spaces through recreational activities such as camping, hiking, biking, birding, fishing, gardening, skiing – and more.
With meet ups in several cities, Outdoor Afro uses their social media channels such as Facebook and meet up.com to create interest communities, events, and to partner with regional and national organizations that support diverse participation in the Great Outdoors. Upcoming events include:
Wild & Wonderful Women Speaker Series
Sunday, April 26, 2015
1701 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD
Meet Outdoor Leader and Founder, Rue Mapp. Space is limited, so register in advance.
Hike Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area Gold Branch Trail
Sat May 02: 1:00 PM
5690 Lower Roswell Road, Marietta, GA
A Gold Branch Trail trek to explore the beautiful landscape on the banks of the Chattahoochee and Bull Sluice Lake, rich with cat tails and bog grasses. The event boast wildlife viewing opportunities such as — heron, geese, ducks, turtles and even deer frequent the mud flats on the banks of the Chattahoochee River. The group will meet at the trail head on Lower Roswell Road at 1:00 pm. Comfortable shoes, snacks, and lots of water are highly recommended.
Fishing Trip – Croaker Landing Pier
Saturday, May 16, 2015
6:00 AM to 10:00 AM
Richmond, Virginia
If you have a desire to learn more about fishing, join Outdoor Afro member, Deborah Jackson who will lead this activity and provide bait for this event. The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries’ Tackle Loaner Program will loan fishing tackle to participants. For more information about an Outdoor Afro event visit OutdoorAfro.com.
Welcome to Black Outdoors —a Los Angeles based community of African-Americans dedicated to a series of recreational activities such as camping, hiking, biking, gardening, skiing, sports, concerts, outdoor movies, film festivals, seasonal festivals, bowling, volunteering, game nights, BBQ picnics, – and more.
The group connects with people who share outdoor and adventure interests. While the meetups are geared for all ages, most are targeted for young professionals.
African American National Parks Event
June 6 — 7, 2015
Friends and family are invited for a day of hiking, biking, camping and exploring with a ranger. The main requirement is just to have Fun. ‪ Contact the Founder, Teresa Baker by email: Tmbaker1165@gmail.com and visit Findyourpark.com.