Skip to content
  • About
    • About Tandem Global
      • Mission, Vision, Values
      • Our Brand
      • Our People
      • Careers
      • Contact
    • Our Network
      • Meet Our Members
      • Member Spotlights
      • Become a Member
      • Sponsorships
  • Work with Us
    • Consulting Services
      • We connect leading thinking with practical solutions that positively impact climate, nature, and water.
    • Certification
      • About Certification
      • Awards and Recognition
      • Executive Advisory Committee
      • Official Signage
      • Log-In or Register
      • Support Center
    • Social Impact
      • Programs that revitalize ecosystems, strengthen green spaces, and foster economic opportunities.
    • Thought Leadership
      • Cutting-edge events and content
  • Learn More
    • News & Insights
      • From the CEO
      • Blog
      • Industry News
      • Press
    • Resources
      • White Papers
      • Index of WHC-Certified Programs
      • Project Guidances
    • Events
      • Tandem Global Conference 2025
      • Webinars
      • Executive Meetings
      • Elevate Network
  • Certification Login
  • Become a Member
  • Click to open the search input field Click to open the search input field Search
  • Menu Menu

Discovering, Teaching and Cycling through the Diversity of Birds — A Conservation Conference Recap

July 15, 2021/by Sienna Malik

Discovering, Teaching and Cycling through the Diversity of Birds — A Conservation Conference Recap 

On June 8-9, WHC welcomed over 400 attendees to Conservation Conference 2021, a virtual, live event that showcased how sustainability professionals, educators, advocates and artists around the world are addressing biodiversity loss and other timely environmental issues.  

Dr. Scott V. Edwards of Harvard University delivered the Day 1 keynote, titled Discovering, Teaching and Cycling through the Diversity of Birds. In his session, the most-watched one of the conference, he described how on-the-ground interactions, from the international research trips he’s led for students to his own cross-country bike trip, have helped promote a culture of unity, inclusion and respect for biodiversity.  

Scott is an Alexander Agassiz Professor of Zoology and Curator of Ornithology at Harvard’s Museum of Comparative Zoology, with broad research interests in evolution and biodiversity processes. He grew up in the Riverdale neighborhood of the Bronx, an area with high access to green space compared to much of New York City. He cites the early exposure that he had to nature and natural history as a guiding force that led him to a field with few Black professionals. In his keynote, Scott stated that “in order to do the best science, we need to have diverse perspectives.” He elaborated that diversity brings new ideas and research interests into academia — for example, an increase in women studying animal behavior led to a wealth of research on female animals’ roles in mating systems.  

Scott is also committed to instilling a reverence for science and museums in students via immersive experiences. During his keynote, he described how the Museum of Comparative Zoology, which owns specimens of extinct birds, is a great way to convey the gravity of biodiversity loss to students. “When they hold a passenger pigeon or a Carolina parakeet,” he explained, “they realize that the species isn’t coming back.” Scott has also led students on research trips, funded by the museum, to biodiverse settings around the world. He explained that through travel, students get exposed not only to new green spaces (where they partake in field activities like bird recordings), but also to new cultures. 

Further exploring the intersection of nature and diversity, Scott segued from discussing the importance of inclusive museums into a presentation on the 76-day cycling trip he took in summer 2020, during which he traveled 3,848 miles from Plum Island, Massachusetts to Sunset Beach, Oregon. The trip had been a lifelong dream of his, and when the Covid-19 pandemic canceled his academic engagements for the summer, he began planning the journey using maps from the Adventure Cycling Association.  

The trip was challenging at times, entailing biking across varying terrain, from shorelines and other lowlands up to the Rocky Mountains, and through the steeply graded Puyallup region of Washington state. Scott camped whenever possible but found that many campgrounds were only open to RVers, having closed their restrooms because of the pandemic. The people he encountered, however, readily offered him resources like food, water and shelter. He also found support from a familiar source: while birding wasn’t a goal of the trip, he explained that the birds he observed, from dickcissels in the Midwest to sandhill cranes in the Rockies, were “a constant source of encouragement, the one constant that kept [him] grounded.” His first sighting of a western kingbird in South Dakota, for instance, gave him assurance that he was making good progress toward the West Coast.   

While Scott set out to fulfill a personal dream, given the racial unrest of summer 2020, his trip soon took on a second purpose. “I couldn’t just sit idly by. I needed to participate somehow,” he explained. He started to affix signs to his bicycle, with messages like #BlackLivesMatter and #ShutDownSTEM (which referred to June 10, 2020, a day when STEM professionals were urged to break from lab work to reflect on the lack of diversity in their fields). He also carried signs from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology: “Birds Spark Hope” and “One Song, Many Voices.” Of the Cornell slogans, Scott said, “they capture some of the ways in which nature and natural history can be a unifying force in challenging times.” In addition to the signs, he used social media and one-on-one conversations to engage others in dialogue on inequity, explaining that making connections with people could help dispel misconceptions about movements like Black Lives Matter.  

Traveling by bicycle allowed Scott to visit small towns that those traveling by interstate or airplane typically bypass. Noting an ideological divide between the urban and rural U.S., he took time to learn from those in the remote communities he visited. In his keynote, he emphasized that rural students are a key population for diversifying STEM fields, and that as we transition to a greener economy, it is critical to not leave behind communities that have found livelihoods in legacy industries like fossil fuels. While he and the people he met did not always share similar views, most were happy to engage in dialogue, and to support him on his journey. “If there’s anything I can say about the people I met,” he said, “it’s that there’s a huge amount of generosity in this country.” He went on to encourage attendees to appreciate the country’s vast natural and intellectual resources. Creating and protecting green spaces, and supporting equitable access to the outdoors and STEM fields, are critical to fostering this type of appreciation.  

To learn more about Dr. Edwards, his research and accomplishments, visit https://edwards.oeb.harvard.edu/people/scott-v-edwards.  

Recordings of Discovering, Teaching and Cycling through the Diversity of Birds and all other Conservation Conference 2021 sessions are available on the WHC Website.   

Read more WHC blogs.

https://tandemglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/AdobeStock_40719588-web-e1691084239875.jpeg 500 800 Sienna Malik https://tandemglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/tandem-global-logo-exp.svg Sienna Malik2021-07-15 08:11:502023-08-03 13:37:57Discovering, Teaching and Cycling through the Diversity of Birds — A Conservation Conference Recap

Pages

  • 2015 WHC Award Winners and Finalists
  • 2016 WHC Award Winners and Nominees
  • 2017 WHC Award Winners and Finalists
  • 2018 WHC Award Winners and Finalists
  • 2019 WHC Award Winners and Finalists
  • 2020 WHC Award Winners and Finalists
  • 2021 WHC Awards Winners and Finalists
  • 2022 WHC Awards Winners and Finalists
  • 2023 WHC Awards Winners and Finalists
  • 2024 Awards Dinner Menu
  • 2024 WHC Awards Winners and Finalists
  • 2025 Tandem Global Awards Finalists and Winners
  • Become a white paper sponsor
  • Brand Guidance for Members and Partners
  • Certification
  • Certification Support Center
  • Climate Action Works
  • Conference Draft
  • Conservation Conference 2024 Agenda
  • Conservation Conference 2024 Exhibitor Form
  • Conservation Conference 2024 Exhibitors
  • Conservation Conference 2024 Travel Information
  • Consulting – From Old Site (Delete later)
  • EAC Confirmation
  • Earth Day and World Environment Day Events
  • Earth Day Planting Event
  • Events
  • Executive Thought Leadership Events
  • Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration Grant Program
  • Get Involved
  • Home
  • Industry News
  • Nature Steward Alliance
  • Nature-based Solutions for Corporate Landowners
  • Nature-based Solutions for Pollution Prevention
  • Nesting Structure Challenge
  • New to Certification?
  • News & Insights
  • Official Signage
  • Our Brand
  • Our Brand (copy)
  • Our Network
  • Our Origin Short Story
  • Payment Center and Donations
  • Payment Confirmation
  • Payment Failed
  • Planting Event Registration | October 18
  • Planting Event Registration | October 25
  • Pollinators
  • PR Materials for Certified Programs
  • Privacy Policy
  • Project Guidances
  • Project Guidances Overview
  • Registration Information
  • Remediation Resources
  • Resources
  • Saving Bats from Decline
  • Social Impact
  • Spirit Award
  • Sponsor Events, Content and Programming
  • Sponsor Interest Form
  • Sponsor webinars
  • SS Project
  • SS Search Results
  • STEM and Environmental Education
  • Style Guide
  • Subscribe
  • Tandem Global Awards Dinner Program and Menu
  • Tandem Global Conference 2025 Agenda
  • Urban Forestry
  • WHC at COP16
  • WHC Project Guidances
  • Who We Are
  • About Certification
  • Application Overview
  • Attend an Event
  • Conservation Certification Versioning
  • Conservation Conference 2024
  • Consulting Services
  • Executive Advisory Committee
  • External Review Process
  • Fees
  • From the CEO
  • Meet Our Members
  • Mission, Vision, Values
  • Monitoring Templates
  • Navigation Tips
  • Overview of Requirements
  • Privacy and Security Policies
  • Project Types
  • Recognition
  • Social Impact
  • Tandem Global Conference 2025
  • Thought Leadership
  • What is WHC Certification?
  • WHC Index
  • Awards
  • Awards and Recognition
  • Blog
  • Careers
  • COVID-19 Accommodations
  • Create an Account
  • Determining Your Project Types
  • Generating an Invoice
  • Habitat Project Requirements
  • Habitat Species Inventories
  • How Your Application is Evaluated
  • Issue-Based Initiatives
  • Key Considerations for Applying
  • Member Spotlight
  • Stakeholder Input
  • Understanding Project Types
  • Webinars
  • What It Means to Be Certified
  • White Papers
  • Become a Member
  • Contact
  • Elevate Network
  • Informational Videos
  • Managing Your Account
  • Marketing Support
  • Our People
  • Paying Invoices
  • Point Values
  • Press
  • Renewal Applications
  • Species Project Requirements
  • Value of WHC Certification
  • WHC Awards
  • Working in the Certification Website
  • Deadlines
  • Education Project Requirements
  • How to Apply
  • Program Registration
  • Scoring Sheets
  • Site and Program Contacts – Start Here
  • Add People/Edit or Remove Permissions
  • Application Outcomes
  • Corporate Contacts – Start Here
  • Finalizing and Submitting Your Application
  • Other Options Project Requirements
  • Requirements
  • Adding, Editing and Deleting Projects
  • Appeals
  • Common Evaluation Criteria
  • Invoices and Payments
  • Application Forms
  • Habitat Project Evaluation Criteria
  • Review and Evaluation
  • Printing Your Application
  • Resources
  • Species Project Evaluation Criteria
  • Education Project Evaluation Criteria
  • Potential Error Messages
  • Recognition and Awards
  • Additional Assistance
  • Certification Standard
  • Other Options Project Evaluation Criteria
  • Policies
  • Status Dictionary

Categories

  • Avian
  • Awareness and Community Engagement
  • Bats
  • Caves and Subterranean
  • CEO Blog
  • Client Case Studies
  • Desert
  • Education & Awareness
  • Forest
  • Formal Learning
  • Grasslands
  • Green Infrastructure
  • Habitat
  • Integrated Vegetation Management
  • Invasive Species
  • Land Conservation Agreements
  • Landscaping
  • Mammals
  • Marine Intertidal
  • Member Spotlight
  • Other Options
  • Pollinators
  • Press Release
  • Remediation
  • Reptiles and Amphibians
  • Rocky Areas
  • Social Impact
  • Species Management
  • Species of Concern
  • Tandem Global Blog
  • Training
  • Wetlands
  • White Paper

Archive

  • June 2025
  • April 2025
  • March 2025
  • February 2025
  • January 2025
  • November 2024
  • October 2024
  • September 2024
  • August 2024
  • July 2024
  • June 2024
  • May 2024
  • April 2024
  • March 2024
  • February 2024
  • January 2024
  • December 2023
  • November 2023
  • October 2023
  • August 2023
  • July 2023
  • June 2023
  • May 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • March 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • September 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • November 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • July 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2012
  • June 2011
  • April 2011
About

About Tandem Global
Mission, Vision, Values
Our Brand
Our People
Careers
Contact

Our Network
Meet Our Members
Member Spotlights
Become a Member
Sponsorships

Financials and Policies
Privacy Policy

Work with Us

Consulting Services

Certification
About Certification
Awards and Recognition
Executive Advisory Committee
Official Signage
Log-in or Register
Support Center

Social Impact

Thought Leadership

Learn More

News & Insights
From the CEO
Blog
Industry News
Press

Resources
White Papers
Index of WHC-Certified Programs
Project Guidelines

Events
Tandem Global Conference 2025
Webinars
Executive Meetings
Elevate Network

Member

UN Global Compact
Business for Nature

Official ally

World Benchmarking Alliance

Subscribe for Updates
Payment Center

Connect with us on Linkedin

About

About Tandem Global
Mission, Vision, Values
Our Brand
Our People
Careers
Contact

Our Network
Meet Our Members
Member Spotlights
Become a Member
Sponsorships

Financials and Policies
Privacy Policy

Work With Us

Consulting Services

Certification
About Certification
Awards and Recognition
Executive Advisory Committee
Official Signage
Log-in or Register
Support Center

Social Impact

Thought Leadership

Learn More

News & Insights
From the CEO
Blog
Industry News
Press

Resources
White Papers
Index of WHC-Certified Programs
Project Guidelines

Events
Tandem Global Conference 2025
Webinars
Executive Meetings
Elevate Network

Member of UN Global Compact Business for Nature

Official Ally: World Benchmarking Alliance

Sign Up For Updates

Subscribe
Payment Center

Connect with us on Linkedin

Scroll to top Scroll to top Scroll to top