Felice Yarbough, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Park Ranger
Felice Yarbough, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Park Ranger
Felice is part of the Houston Community Partnerships and Engagement Program, helping to bring nature & wildlife within reach of young people who might not normally have access.
Felice recently posted a narrative which eloquently described her history and current thoughts on being a Black woman interested in a science traditionally dominated by white people. Below are some highlights:
#BlackWomenWhoBird: A Personal Reflection #BlackInNature
"I was fortunate to grow up enjoying the outdoors. It was safe. I played in the leaves that fell from the giant oak tree in the backyard. I made mud pies, discovered an albino ladybug, and I even sat in an ant pile (do not recommend). Still, I didn’t see anyone that looked like me in outdoorsy professions. My role models growing up were engineers, doctors, teachers, people in business, my mom – a scientist who rarely spent a moment outside of the laboratory. When I started to pursue interests in animal sciences, agriculture and conservation, I accepted my choice to be a minority in the field, knowing that I would likely be the only one around who looked like me."
" When I heard the recent story of Christian Cooper, a black man who was birding in Central Park when a false police report was called in by a white woman who claimed harassment, it resonated with me. Whether at national wildlife refuges or in other green spaces, it could have been me. I could have been perceived as a threat or someone who didn’t belong."
"I’m grateful to be a ranger. I’m striving to be the conservation role model that I wish I had growing up. I love the work that I’m doing in Houston – getting to work with kids, many who look like me. I don’t take it for granted. I want them to experience nature in ways I didn’t. Advocacy and mentorship are more important to me now than ever before. As I heard Christian Cooper recently say “birds are modern-day dinosaurs,” and to me that’s something that everyone can get excited about. There is so much work to be done to truly make access to nature equitable for all, but it’s an investment worth making."
Below, Felice interviews Shruthi Srinivasan, Geospatial Analyst with the Texas Forest Service, about drones used for monitoring fire ecology, for the Virtually WILD! Texas program
(xPOC xBlack xAfricanAmerican xWomen xUSA xUSFWS xPark xConservation xEducation xYouth xUrban xBird xStorytelling xJournalism xAdvocacy)
