"Birding to Change the World"| Reviewed by Bill Schwab

In her memoir “Birding to Change the World,” Trish O’Kane chronicles her journey from two decades of writing about justice as an investigative reporter to becoming a birder and neighborhood organizer.

Her story begins at the lowest point of her life. When Hurricane Katrina destroys her home in New Orleans in July 2005, she realizes that destructive weather events will continue if society does not address climate change.

She begins reading about the changing environment and delves into research using her investigative journalist skills. Once she starts researching global warming, she is alarmed and cannot ignore what future generations will face if current generations do not reduce Earth’s heat.

O’Kane becomes depressed after seeing her city ravaged and the people’s complacency regarding climate change. To address her feelings, she slows down to observe her surroundings. O’Kane starts watching birds in a friend’s backyard, who is providing her with temporary housing.

One of the regular birds she sees is a northern cardinal. It becomes her “spark bird,” the species that inspires her to begin bird-watching.

After becoming an enthusiastic bird watcher, O’Kane elects to pursue a PhD at the University of Wisconsin—Madison. She moves into a home across the street from Warner Park, a large wetland surrounded by urban development. She walks the park trails daily, noticing the birds, eventually counting 141 bird species. Her research indicates that half the birds only stop at the wetland before migrating to Latin America.

When O’Kane learns the park is about to be destroyed and sold for development by the city, she talks about the devastating project with her marginalized neighbors. The birder marshals the community’s support and establishes The Wild Warners, a group opposing the city’s destructive plan.

Members of The Wild Warners approach city council members about the advantages of maintaining their neighborhood treasure and resist the city’s plan. The officials respond: “No one is using the park.”

O’Kane quickly creates a class with the nearby middle school principal who shares her zeal. They call the class “Birding to Change the World.” She matches her college students with middle school students to teach biology at the park. The relationship between college students and middle schoolers becomes very special. Some young students are not comfortable outdoors at first, but by the end of the class, they enjoy sitting with their mentors and watching the trees sway in the breeze.

The Wild Warners persistently resist the destruction of “their” park. Eventually, the growing neighborhood organization convinces Madison officials of the wetland park’s environmental value, and the city abandons its plan. O’Kane claims birding has changed her life. It has forced her to slow down and notice things she had not previously seen. Birding “forged a new neural pathway in my brain, a joyful pathway” and a deep connection to the community.

The author maintains birding is one answer to the current health crisis among young people. Her memoir also provides a perspective on people living in poverty and their lack of organization “to fight city hall.” She maintains birding is a bridge that can unify cultural and political divides. O’Kane encourages readers to become environmental advocates by connecting with nature locally and promoting positive changes by educating and monitoring government officials.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, which blends science, personal anecdotes, and attention to the environment. I sometimes found it very emotional—funny, sad, riling, and joyful. O’Kane has written a superb homage to birds and nature in general.

About the author: Trish O’Kane is a writer and a senior lecturer in environmental justice at the University of Vermont. A former human rights journalist in Central America and the Deep South, she has written for The New York Times, Time, and San Francisco Chronicle. Ecco, an imprint of Harper Collins, is the publisher of this 349 page thoroughly indexed and noted book. Each chapter begins with a pencil drawing of a particular species of bird found in Warner Park drawn by illustrator Valerie Downes.

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