In this episode of Threshold Conversations, we ponder some big and timely questions with Dr. J. Drew Lanham, a distinguished professor of wildlife ecology, author, poet, and birder. How is social justice inseparable from environmental justice? How does his favorite bird relate to the experience of being Black in America? And what experiences led him to write 9 Rules for the Black Birdwatcher?

We also take an intimate dive into stories from his book, The Home Place: Memoirs of a Colored Man’s Love Affair with Nature, hearing about the origins of his love affair with nature and wild places, and about his family’s generations-long relationships with the land in Edgefield County, South Carolina, a bond first defined by chattel slavery, and now by the sustenance it provides.

Threshold is a public radio show and podcast that tackles one pressing environmental issue each season. Launched in 2016, Threshold has received a Peabody Award nomination, a national Edward R. Murrow Award, and a citation from the Overseas Press Club among other honors.

Threshold Conversations features interviews with environmental thought leaders on important issues impacting cultures, communities, and ecosystems in the United States and beyond. These conversations aim to create space for thoughtful, civil conversations about the urgent environmental issues we’re living with today.

Threshold Conversations is supported by the International Women’s Media Foundation’s Howard G. Buffett Fund for Women Journalists, Montana Public Radio, Park Foundation, High Stakes Foundation, and Threshold’s listeners.