On January 27th, 2021, an opportunity presented itself to me through the Apalachee Audubon Society, an opportunity that would influence and change my view of conservation, wildlife, birding, and help define me as a Black environmentalist. But a bit of context is needed for this story to flow. My name is Cierra Janae Nelson, a spring 2022 Environmental Studies graduate of Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. During my time at FAMU, most of my environmental studies were centered on areas of policy, law, and environmental health and safety. While studying these areas I delighted in the knowledge presented to me, and more importantly understood the critical relationship between education and preserving our Mother Earth. For only through education do the necessary tools and resources pass down from those in power to those who will succeed them in an ever-flowing cycle of knowledge. Knowledge is key in preserving Earth's definitive and infinite resources and is vital for ensuring the flora and fauna of today are present for the generations in the future.
The allure of exploring a career within this area was exciting but I had my reservations. One, I would be the first in my family to ever explore a career in this area, for I come from a long line of military and medical health personnel. Secondly, the diversity or lack thereof within green careers and those related to conservation is shocking and was almost enough to deter me to seek careers in other areas. Nevertheless, once the opportunity for a FAMU exclusive Apalachee Audubon education intern presented itself, I applied with eagerness and hope. I was accepted into the internship towards the end of February which is where my Audubon adventure begins.
During the Spring 2021 semester, I had the pleasure of meeting Mrs. Donna Legare who served as the AAS President. She is the director of the internship, a valued mentor and educator, and helped shape my environmental journey. Additionally, there was Sarah and Chloe, two other interns with whom I had the pleasure of collaborating for the spring semester. The project assigned for the spring semester was the beautification of Lake Elberta Park in Tallahassee Florida. This public park features Purple Martin gourds, a bat house, a healthy population of geese, and a burdening amount of stormwater pollution. The stormwater pollution that plagues Lake Elberta is attributed to stormwater runoff from fifty plus businesses including restaurants, auto shops, and both FSU and FAMU. This pollution defies the installed filtration systems and produces a rather unpleasant site and habitat for the birds and people who frequent the park. After 3 months of collaborating, Chloe, Sarah, and I along with fourteen recruited volunteers removed 44 lb. of stormwater pollution and trash on March 27th, 2021. The day went blissfully, and we were able to educate and empower more people about how they could make a change and protect Tallahassee's public parks.
Fall 2021 saw my fellow colleagues graduate from high school and college and I remained as an AAS intern. Mrs. Donna helped to continue my growth by encouraging me to think about an individual project and to apply for Audubon Florida’s Conservation Leadership Initiative (CLI), which is a unique program designed to uplift underrepresented voices in the field of conservation by providing extensive opportunities in leadership as well as multiple occasions to network with current and past professionals within the conservation field. As a member of this cohort, I was provided research opportunities and eventually the chance to collaborate with other members of the cohort to create a leadership conference in conservation for recent high school graduates of underrepresented communities. Acceptance into this program also comes with a mentor to guide your journey in exploring green careers and careers in conservation. My mentor’s name is Dara Wilson, the first African American woman I have met who is a trailblazer in the fields of conservation, environmental justice and equality, and public outreach. She persistently challenges and defies expectations of African American women in this field and strives to dismantle what is standard and acceptable when not practical for all parties. My two most memorable moments with the CLI program include an alternative spring break in Titusville, Florida where we researched horseshoe crab migrations, provided habitat for the endangered Least Tern, and witnessed a rocket launch on Florida’s Space Coast. There was also a regional meet up in Lake City where I experienced kayaking on the Ichetucknee River for the first time and saw a new variety of Florida flora and fauna including river otters and spoonbills.
Cierra and a member of the FAMU Outdoor Club installing a bluebird house.
Spring 2022, the spring semester brought a flurry of new activities and opportunities through our Audubon chapter. With the help of Mrs. Donna, I was able to complete two projects, one independently and one that had been started at the beginning of my internship but had to be postponed due to the pandemic. Operation Bluebird Trail was my own independent project with the goal of providing better accessibility to birding for children at Joe Budd Youth Conservation Center in Midway, Florida. The bird trail consists of 8 to 10 houses assembled by me and other members of FAMU's Outdoor Club at Native Nurseries in Tallahassee. The houses were assembled prior to winter break and were installed during the first week of February in order to synchronize with the nesting season of bluebirds, chickadees, and other cavity nesting birds that frequent Joe Budd. The first week after installing there was little activity but, by March we had our first resident bluebirds as well as chickadees making their homes and raising their young. The trail is now available to the public and even able to be visually seen mapped out on Google Earth.
The second project featured the reestablishment of the After-school Bird Club, which meets biweekly at Pineview Elementary, a Title 1 school, after a 2-year hiatus due to the pandemic. The bird club safely resumed on January 27th with an audience of twelve third graders new and eager to the world of birding and conservation. Donna and I along with five other environmental educators provided the children after school enrichment featuring introductory to birding with their own binoculars, bird anatomy, the bird food chain, nesting 101, and other related topics. The club ran through the remainder of the school year and has plans to continue in the fall as we received great feedback from the children and their teachers about the benefits of the after-school program. The after-school participants of the bird club and their entire third grade class also visited Joe Budd Youth Conservation Center, where they were able to view the bird trail as well as participate in other activities such as archery and wilderness survival.
My internship experience with the Apalachee Audubon Society concluded May 2022 when I officially completed four years of undergraduate education and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Environmental Studies with a minor in International Relations from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. The lessons and knowledge provided for me through this internship are innumerable but, overall, I am grateful that the local chapter of the National Audubon Society provided a young Black environmentalist like me this fantastic opportunity to gain experience in all areas within this critical and important field
