>>>
>>> BIRD
>>> BIRD WATCHING IS A POPULAR ACTIVITY HERE IN THE PACIFIC
NORTHWEST, AND IN SEATTLE THE
AUDOBON SOCIETY IS WORKING TO
MAKE THEHOBBY OPEN TO MORE
PEOPLE OF COLOR.
WE SPOKE TO THEM ABOUT THE
MISSION.
MISSION.
MISSION. >> WE WANT TO CONNECT PEOPLE
WITH NATURE, THROUGH SCHOOLS,
DOING FIELD TRIPS HERE, AND WE
HAVE PUBLIC PROGRAMS, A SERIES
OF LECTURES WE DO.
TEEN ENGAGEMENT PROGRAMS, AND
WE GO OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY TO
TALK ABOUT BIRDS, THEIR
CONNECTION TO THE WORLD, AND
WHAT BIRDS CAN TELL US ABOUT
WHAT IS GOING ON WITH THE
PLANET.
PLANET.
PLANET. >> WE RECOGNIZE CONSERVATION IS
NOT A PICK AND CHOOSE KIND OF
CONCEPT.
CONCEPT.
CONCEPT. WE NEED AS MANY PEOPLE ACTING
ON THE ISSUES WE FACE FIRST AND
FOREMOST, AND THAT WOULD BE
CLIMATE CHANGE, AND MANY PEOPLE
WHO FEEL A CONNECTION WITH
NATURE ARE PROBABLY GOING TO BE
HELPFUL IN MAKING ACTIONS
HAPPEN ON THAT FOREFRONT, AND
WE KNOW THAT TRADITIONALLY, THE
AFRICAN AMERICAN AND OTHER
COMMUNITIES OF COLOR HAVE NOT
REALLY SAT AT THE TABLE IN
TERMS OF MAKING DECISIONS ABOUT
WHAT GOES ON IN THEIR
COMMUNITIES, AND THAT IS
GREATLY AFFECTED BY CLIMATE
CHANGE.
CHANGE.
CHANGE. MY ROLE HERE AT AUDUBON, WE TRY
TO BROADEN THE CONVERSATION AS
WIDELY AS WE CAN TO GET MORE
PEOPLE ENGAGED IN THINKING
ABOUT, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY
ACTING ON ISSUES FACING US IN
TERMS OF CLIMATE CHANGE.
WE DO A PROGRAM HERE CALLED
TENACIOUS ROOTS IT INCLUDES
YOUNG PEOPLE AND HIGH SCHOOLS,
AND WE GET THE KIDS ENGAGED IN
LEARNING ABOUT WHAT IS GOING ON
IN THE WORLD.
RECENTLY WE TALKED ABOUT
HEALTHY AND CLEAN WATER.
THEY TOOK A TRIP TO THE WASTE
WATER TREATMENT FACILITY IN
RENTON, WASHINGTON, IT WAS A
GREAT EYE OPENER, AND IT GOT
THEM TO UNDERSTAND THE THINGS
THAT YOU DO AT HOME AND OUT IN
THE COMMUNITY, THEY HAVE A
GREAT EFFECT ON OUR WATERWAYS,
AND SO, YOU KNOW, THESE YOUNG
PEOPLE, THEY COME HERE, AND
THEY DO THE STATION PROJECTS,
AND THEY GET CREDIT.
WE HAVE SEEN THEM MOVE ON TO
CONSERVATION JOBS AND GO TO THE
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON AND
OTHER SCHOOLS TO FOCUS ON THE
ENVIRONMENT.
ENVIRONMENT. IT'S A GREAT REFLECTION THE
THINGS THAT THEY CARE ABOUT
RIGHT NOW, AND IF WE CAN
SUPPORT THEM, AND WORKING
TOWARDS THOSE GOALS AND THAT
DIRECTION, THAT'S WHAT WE ARE
SUPPOSED TO DO.
THAT'S WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT.
I CAME OUT HERE 25 YEARS AGO TO
SEATTLE, AND IT WAS A DIFFERENT
LANDSCAPE, AND IT OFFERED
DIFFERENT BIRDS, AND I WAS
CAPTIVATED BY THE EAGLES GOING
TO LAKE WASHINGTON AND PULLING
OUT A FISH AND WOODPECKERS
MAKING NOISE NEAR MY HOME.
IT TURNED SOMETHING ON TO
LOOKING MORE CLOSELY TO BIRDS
AND WHAT THEY DO.
YOU WANT PEOPLE CONNECTED TO
NATURE.
NATURE.
NATURE. THERE'S STUDIES THAT SAY WHAT
HAPPENS WHEN PEOPLE FIND A
PLACE IN NATURE WHEN THEY CAN
BE WITH NATURE, BREATHING WITH
NATURE, THE STRESS, THE GOOD
BREATHING, ALL OF THE THINGS
THAT HAPPEN WHEN YOU'RE OUT IN
NATURE, AND PART OF WHAT WE DO
WITH OUR PROGRAMS, WE TEACH
THAT TO THE YOUNGEST KIDS TO
FEEL COMFORTABLE IN NATURE, AND
HAVING THEM UNDERSTAND ABOUT
ALL THE THINGS AROUND THEM,
BUILDING THAT LEVEL OF COMFORT,
WHETHER IT'S ABOUT THE PLANTS
THAT ARE OUT THERE, THE ANIMALS
THAT ARE OUT THERE, AND OF
COURSE, THE BIRDS, AND THESE
ARE THINGS WE UNDERSTAND AND
LOOK FORWARD TO THEM, AS
OPPOSED TO BEING SCARED OF
THEM.
THEM.
THEM. AND
THEM. AND YOU FIND A PERSONAL PLACE
THAT EACH ONE OF US SHARE, AND
WE CAN FIND SOME PLACE THERE
WHERE OUR HEARTS ARE WARMED AND
OUR MINDS ARE AT EAST, AND
THAT'S A GOOD THING FOR A LOT
OF PEOPLE.
OF PEOPLE. WHETHER IT'S THE WATER, THE
FOREST, OR DOWN ON THE BEACH OR
SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
I THINK PEOPLE HAVE PLACES IN
NATURE THEY WANT TO CONNECT
WITH.
WITH.
WITH. WE
WITH. WE WANT MORE AND MORE PEOPLE TO
CONNECT WITH NATURE.
>> WE ALSO ASKED JOEY ABOUT HIS
REACTION TO THE INCIDENT IN THE
CENTRAL THE PARK INVOLVING
CHRISTIAN COOPER, A FELLOW
AUDUBON SOCIETY MEMBER.
>> IT WAS INTERESTING.
I THINK I WOKE UP AT LIKE 3:00
IN THE MORNING, AND I SAW IT ON
CNN, AND I WAS LIKE, OH MY
GOODNESS, WHAT'S HAPPENING
HERE?
HERE?
HERE? I
HERE? I REMEMBER CHRISTIAN FROM WHEN
I MET HIM IN MAINE FOR AN
AUDUBON PROGRAM, AND IT WAS
WILD.
WILD.
WILD. I
WILD. I SENT THE E-MAIL OUT TO A
BUNCH OF PEOPLE, LINKING THE
STORY, AND I DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS
GOING TO BE A HUGE STORY LIKE
IT BECAME.
IT BECAME. BY THE END OF THE DAY, IT WAS
ALL OVER THE PLACE, AND SO, I
THOUGHT ABOUT REACHING OUT TO
CHRISTIAN, BUT I FELT LIKE
THERE WAS SO MUCH GOING ON
RIGHT THEN AND THERE, MAYBE I
WILL GIVE HIM A LITTLE TIME TO
RECOOPERATE FROM IT, AND IT'S
JUST ONE OF THESE INTERESTING
THINGS WHERE ON CAMERA, IT HAD
BEEN CAPTURED THIS PERSON WAS
HARASSING HIM FOR REALLY BEING
A GOOD CITIZEN AND DOING WHAT
HE CAN TO PROTECT BIRDS AND
WILDLIFE IN CENTRAL PARK, AND
THE FACT THE WOMAN WOULD TRY TO
WEAPONNIZE THE POLICE OFFICERS
AGAINST HIM, IT WAS JUST
EXTREMELY HURTFUL.
EXTREMELY HURTFUL. TO HEAR THE TONE IN HER VOICE
FROM CHALLENGING HIM AND
THREATENING HIM TO THE POINT OF
HER BECOMING THE VICTIM WHEN
SHE CALLED THE POLICE AND TRIED
TO GET THEM TO COME OUT AND END
WHAT HE WAS DOING TO HER, AND I
ALWAYS THINK ABOUT, YOU KNOW,
WHAT WE DIDN'T SEE.
WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN THE
REACTION HAD THE POLICE ARRIVED
AND BOTH PARTIES WERE STILL
THERE?
THERE?
THERE? WOULD THE POLICE HAVE DRAWN
THEIR GUNS OR ASKED CHRISTIAN
TO GET ON THE GROUND?
WOULD THEY HAVE HANDCUFFED HIM?
WE ARE LOOKING FROM HINDSIGHT
THIS IS A THING, WOULD
CHRISTIAN HAVE BEEN ABLE TO
PULL OUT HIS CAMERA SHOW POLICE
WHAT HAPPENED BEFORE THEY
HANDCUFFED HIM AND PUT HIM ON
THE GROUND?
THE GROUND? THINK OF THE WHAT IFS THAT ARE
POSSIBLE THERE, AND THAT CAN BE
CHILLING, AND IT'S FRIGHTENING
WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED.
THANK GOODNESS IT DIDN'T
HAPPEN.
HAPPEN.
HAPPEN. IT WAS, I THINK THE SAME DAY AS
WHAT HAPPENED WITH GEORGE
FLOYD, AND I HOPE THAT THESE
THINGS, YOU KNOW, CEASE IN
HAPPENING, AND I'M SURPRISED
CHRISTIAN HAS NOT PURSUED IT,
BUT HE'S A KIND PERSON, AND HE
SEES THIS PERSON IS PAYING THE
PRICE FOR WHAT SHE HAS DONE,
BUT AT THE SAME TIME, MAYBE
THERE'S A MESSAGE THAT SHOULD
BE SENT WITH OR WITHOUT A
CAMERA, PEOPLE WHO MAKE FALSE
REPORTS TO THE POLICE, THEY
SHOULD BE TAKEN TO TASK AND
POSSIBLY FACE CRIMINAL CHARGES
AND FINES FOR, YOU KNOW,
CALLING THE POLICE WITH THE
PURPOSE OF DOING HARM TO
SOMEONE ELSE.