Bird enthusiasts from across New York State are invited to gather in the Adirondacks for a special celebration of birds and the diverse birding community that admire them.
In commemoration of National Black Birders Week, the Adirondack Diversity Initiative (ADI) and John Brown Lives! will host two local events that offer birding opportunities, workshops, presentations, family activities, and more.
Renowned ornithologist, naturalist, and author Dr. J. Drew Lahham is the featured guest speaker for the events happening in Lake Placid and Tupper Lake, NY on Saturday, May 30, 2026.
The Adirondack Black Birders Week events are open to all, with a focus on uplifting and highlighting historically marginalized experiences of Black birders.
Offerings include a morning of guided bird walks, presentations, and family-friendly activities at John Brown Farm Historic Site in Lake Placid.
Morning activities will begin at 7 am and conclude at 12:30 pm on Saturday, May 30. The special evening talk featuring Dr. Lanham will take place at The Wild Center in Tupper Lake, NY at 6 pm. More information, including registration, can be found on this website.
A native of Edgefield, SC, J. Drew Lanham is the author of The Home Place: Memoirs of a Colored Man’s Love Affair with Nature (2017), which received the Reed Award from the Southern Environmental Law Center and the Southern Book Prize, and was a finalist for the John Burroughs Medal.
Lanham is a birder, naturalist, and hunter-conservationist who has published essays and poetry in publications including Orion, Audubon, Flycatcher, and Wilderness, and in several anthologies, including Carolina Writers at Home (2015), State of the Heart: South Carolina Writers on the Places They Love (2013), The Colors of Nature: Culture, Identity, and the Natural World (2011), and Bartram’s Living Legacy: The Travels and the Nature of the South (2010).
His most recent book is Sparrow Envy: Field Guide to Birds and Lesser Beasts (2021). An Alumni Distinguished Professor of Wildlife Ecology, Master Teacher at Clemson University, and 2022 MacArthur Fellow, Dr. Lanham lives in the Upstate of South Carolina with his family.
In his book The Home Place, Lantham wrote, “The presence of more black birders, wildlife biologists, hunters, hikers and fisher-folk will say to others that we, too, appreciate the warble of a summer tanager, the incredible instincts of a whitetail buck, and the sound of wind in the tall pines.”
Established in 2020, Black Birders Week is a nationwide celebration of diversity in the outdoors, highlighting the contributions of Black birders and naturalists while promoting inclusivity in natural spaces. The 2026 event features activities in communities across the country from May 24 to 30.
The morning activities at John Brown Farm are hosted by ADI and John Brown Lives! in partnership with the New York State Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.
Both morning and evening events, set for Saturday, May 30, 2026, are free and open to the public. Registration is encouraged, particularly for the evening presentation, as seats are limited.
Doors for The Wild Center presentation open at 5:30 pm. Dr. Lanham’s talk will take place from 6 until 7 pm followed by a reception and book sale from 7 until 8 pm.
More information, including registration, can be found on Adirondack North Country Association’s website.
Black Birders Week was established after a viral incident in 2020, when Christian Cooper – a Black man – was birding in Central Park and encountered a white woman with her dog in the Ramble and politely asked her to put her dog on a leash so as not to disturb nesting birds. In response, the woman called 911 and asserted that a Black man was threatening her and her dog.
The annual event is a natural fit for the Adirondack Diversity Initiative (ADI), which exist at the intersection of environmental and transformational justice, and works to make the Adirondacks a welcoming and inclusive place for both residents and visitors while ensuring a vital and sustainable Adirondack Park for future generations. ADI is a program of ANCA, based in Saranac Lake, NY.
John Brown Lives! is a nonprofit freedom education and human rights organization that uses arts and education, advocacy and activism to engage the public in excavating useful legacies of the past in order to inspire community and civic action that addresses critical social justice issues today. They are also the official NYS Friends Group of the John Brown Farm State Historic Site in Lake Placid, NY.
The Adirondack North Country Association is a regional nonprofit and economic hub building shared prosperity across northern New York. Focused on small businesses, climate & energy, local food systems, and welcoming and belonging, ANCA works to ensure the long-term viability of the North Country, empowering individual well-being, economic strength, and regional stewardship. ANCA works with individuals, groups, and communities across 14 counties to navigate resources, cultivate networks, generate economic and community solutions, build shared capacity, and shape region-boosting narratives.
Photo: Giselle Pemberton of the New York City Bird Alliance, left, leads a bird walk at the 2025 Black Birders Week event at John Brown Farm in Lake Placid (provided by State Parks).
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