20 Aug Hello, World. Beginning My Adventures with EFTA

Hello, readers. My name is Nick and I am excited to be an EFTA intern because I like walking in nature and being around the animals of the great outdoors. I love going out on hikes and walks, as doing so makes me feel a lot better and more at peace. Maybe you feel the same?

I am a first time birder and I can’t wait to learn more about birding and help make it more accessible for all.

 A little about me – I like to hang out with my friends and other people who like nature like me. I enjoy eating  supreme pizza  and watching The Office. I’ve hiked several long trails and have camped in South Dakota, Montana, and New Mexico, Washington Florida, Texas and other cool and interesting places.  I love a good breakfast burrito after a big outside day.

Focusing on what EFTA does, I want to use this internship to see what birds teach us about the environment.  I would like to know more about the bird population  inside Boulder County, and how they communicate to each other. By learning more about birding, I can hopefully show other people with low vision that they, too, can get into birding.

Having low vision (I have Ocular Albinism) creates a barrier for me to fully “see” everything in the world. But through apps, digital tools and the help of experts, I have learned that I can experience the outdoors in different ways. I worry that many people may not feel included in outdoor events, due to their different abilities. Low vision people like myself can use their hearing and audio learning tools to be a birder. 

I will be observing trails, parks and open spaces to see which ones might be best for vision impaired people, and for anyone with accessibility concerns. I support audio learning and storytelling, and all of us deserve equal access to the outdoors in Colorado and anywhere.

Locally, I look forward to learning from other EFTA interns, and educating myself on the bird calls and songs. Hope to see you on the trail!