Jason Ward (pictured, left)—Bronx-born birder and host of the Birds of North America web series—will speak twice at the Ohio State Columbus campus on Tuesday, Feb. 18: first, from 7:15–9:30 a.m. as featured speaker at the Environmental Professionals Network (EPN) monthly breakfast program.; then, from 7–8:50 p.m. at a screening of episodes of Birds of North America as part of Ohio State’s Environmental Film Series.
‘Dedicated to spreading my love for wildlife’
Born and raised in the South Bronx, “I grew up around drug use, gangs, and crime that occurred so often it was normalized and often an afterthought to those who lived around it,” Ward writes in “From Birding in the Bronx to Birding on Your Screens, It’s Been a Journey,” an article on Audubon.org.
“You’re probably wondering how I managed to steer clear of the volatile ecosystem that seemed to engulf anyone that it touched,” Ward writes in that article. “Well, little eight-year-old Jason had a secret—a secret that kept me safe and occupied. I loved animals.” (Read the full article.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nS69OlieoE&feature=emb_logo
Since seeing his “spark bird,” the bird that turned him into a birder—a peregrine falcon he saw from a window of the homeless shelter where his family was living—Ward says he has “dedicated my life to spreading my love for wildlife to as many people as possible.”
In addition to hosting Birds of North America, he is the founder of Tricky Bird ID on Twitter and is a Fund II Apprentice with the National Audubon Society.
Details
Admission to the EPN program, which includes breakfast, is $10 and is open to the public, or is free for students. Find full details and register.
Admission to the film series screening is free and open to the public, and you don’t have to register in advance. Learn more. (Photo: Dominic Arenas/Audubon, used with permission.)