Birdability Project Re-launch and Kickoff Webinar

Description: Together on the Trail: Accessible Birding and the Birdability Map

We are re-launching the Birdability project in which VMN volunteers are visiting sites on the Virginia Bird and Wildlife Trail to collect and report data related to accessibility. Some changes were made to the protocols after the initial launch of the project in Fall 2024. As part of the re-launch, we invite you to join Cat Fribley, Executive Director of Birdability, for an engaging session on how we can make birding and the outdoors more inclusive for people with disabilities and other health concerns. This presentation will explore the importance of access in nature, share stories from the field, and the ways YOUR work in Virginia is changing access for folks with disabilities through the Birdability Map!

Around the same time as the webinar, we will publish new training materials and protocols for the project from DWR.

Presenter: Cat Fribley (she/her) is the Executive Director of Birdability. Her background in non-profit development merged with her love of birds and birding and her commitment to disability rights make her uniquely suited for the role. Cat began birding for mental health and healing in college, and had to find new ways to access birding as her form of joy and mindfulness in the natural world after a series of physical injuries and illnesses left her with limited mobility. Her own experiences trying to determine accessible birding opportunities while visiting all 50 states before she turned 50 years old made her acutely aware of the important work of Birdability and especially the Birdability Map, a resource she sorely needed back then, and is passionate about now!