For a few years, Dr. Jeff Galligan had an itch to do something big for birders of color in Wisconsin. Then COVID hit, and along with it the mental and physical stress that came with isolation, and Jeff decided now is the time. So on Juneteenth of this year, Jeff—an educator at Madison College and a Madison Audubon board member—met with a friend, Dexter Patterson, and launched the BIPOC Birding Club of Wisconsin.
BIPOC stands for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, and this club is for those folks and allies. Jeff was aiming to build a community, get people out birding who hadn't birded before, and enjoy nature in a safe environment. In just four months, he has done that and so much more.
"I thought we would start a Facebook group and have a few people come out to our birding trips, and maybe grow over time," said Jeff. "I was not expecting the reception we got."
In September, the Wisconsin State Journal published an article about the group and its youngest member, Roman Pommerening, who is 6 years old, has a bird list of over 100 species, and participated in Madison Audubon's Forces of Nature summer camp this year.
"I see so much of myself in that kid," added Jeff, whose first memories of birdwatching involved sitting on a ladder for hours, writing notes about American Robins coming and going from their nest. "If someone like Roman—or Jasmine Banks, who came to one of our trips with her daughter and granddaughter, all new to birding—benefits from this club, we've done our good work."
"Part of me feels like the BIPOC Birding Club might be the most important thing that I do," added Jeff. "This is my passion. This is soul work."
Now, after the WSJ article was picked up by the Associated Press and published in scores of outlets across the country, Jeff says that his goals have changed. "Now I want to get society to hop on board and open opportunities that are plentiful for people who are privileged, but are so much harder for folks who aren't." That goal is beginning to take shape this fall, with the club receiving invitations for private guided trips, bird banding events, and more. "We're just getting started," adds Jeff, with a twinkle in his eye.
As of late October, the BIPOC Birding Club launched a second chapter in Milwaukee, coordinated by Rita Flores Wiskowski. "There has been a lot of interest in the club having a presence in Milwaukee and so we are answering the call," said Jeff. The chapter's inaugural outings were on November 13 at Havenwoods State Forest and along the lakefront.
If you want to help support this fledging birding club, the best way is embrace and welcome the idea that everyone has a right to bird, be outdoors, and have a voice in conservation. Reading, Googling, listening to podcasts, participating in workshops, and having conversations are all great ways to approach that. Then join the BIPOC Birding Club for a field trip, and meet some of the birders who participate.
You can also learn more about the club and make a donation to support programming, renting vehicles, and getting more people outdoors and experiencing nature at bipocbirdingclub.org.
You never know which kid or adult, sitting on a ladder watching the robins, might find their spark by watching birds.
Learn more about the BIPOC Birding Club of Wisconsin and see their calendar of upcoming events at bipocbirdingclub.org.
Written by Brenna Marsicek, director of communications and outreach.
Cover image: the BIPOC Birding Club birders, photo courtesy of Jeff Galligan.
