Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Bre. Welcome to a little piece of my world. I wanted to start this blog as a way to bring awareness of BIPOC in the outdoor world. This all truly began when I decided to go back to school and further my education a few years ago. I was growing anxious and depressed at the fact that I was working in a cubicle, working for the man (government job, of course). I wanted something different, and I knew one way to get something different was to go back to school (UWM). This helped push me to want to study environmental science. Something I loved as an outdoorsy kid while growing up with fishing, camping, and just being outside. Thanks Dad!

Once I was studying E.S., I started to notice the lack of diversity among scientists and the different professors who participated in the scientific reports that I was reading. That’s when I began to notice more and more disparities in who was “seen” in the outdoors, especially in recreation. From ads for outdoor brands to my local park district boards. This changed my whole design that I had in place for school. I decided that I wanted to focus on recreation and help change the narrative that I was seeing. I still work for the man, however, I have also been writing, and I want to show other black and brown folks that outdoor recreation can look like me, you, and everyone in between. That nature is for everyone, we belong, and we can change the story of who can be “seen” as outdoorsy.

I want to take you on my journey of exploring nature, of becoming more comfortable outdoors one hike at a time. I will be taking things slow, and I encourage others to do the same. Explore locally, get involved in your local parks or gardens, and read about others’ experiences. Since I am a Midwest girly that is where I will place my primary focus. But I will also be bringing along different books, articles, and scientific journals that I have read or will be reading, linked to nature and diversity, as well as environmental racism/ classism. Along with my personal experiences with different trips and hikes, how they have inspired me and helped me break through over five years of writer’s block. If you want to explore with me, grab some water and your hiking boots and take this next trek with me!