It all begins with an idea. Cities can be thriving ecosystems supporting both people and wildlife if we intentionally design. Whether it’s a city, a home, a backyard or a research project, whatever it is, the way you design makes all the difference.
Deja Perkins is a PhD student in geospatial analytics at North Carolina State University’s Center for Geospatial Analytics (2021-2025). She uses geospatial tools to investigate data gaps in large scale participatory science projects. She is an environmental, social and data justice advocate, primarily campaigning for equitable nature access in urban spaces. In her research she primarily works with large scale, institution driven projects (e.g., eBird, CoCoRHaS, iNaturalist City Nature Challenge) that focus on volunteer generated environmental monitoring. Environmental monitoring can cover biodiversity, air quality, water quality, landscape change, climate change, plastic pollution and more. She is also a member of the IDEAL Participatory Science Working Group helping plan a framework for more inclusive, diverse, equitable and accessible large-scale participatory science.
Deja is also a co-creator of Black Birders Week, the social media campaign to highlight Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access needs in recreational bird watching (birding) and the broader field of Ornithology. She has helped organize Black Birders Week 2020 - 2022 and has developed a number of engaging livestream conversations to discuss racism in birding and other forms of outdoor recreation; free tools to help elevate your birding journey; the social aspects of birding; and the cultural connections created through bird watching. Deja’s goal with Black Birders Week was to provide a safe space for virtual networking and provide opportunities for individuals who identify as Black to connect, learn, and engage with bird-related careers and recreational skills building.
Deja is a graduate of Tuskegee University’s 3+1 Natural Resource and Plant Science program, as well as North Carolina State University's Fisheries and Wildlife Conservation Biology Master of Science program. During her master’s at NCSU she was a member of the Reconciliation Ecology Lab, Public Science Cluster and a USGS Southeast Climate Adaptation Science Center Global Change Fellow. Although her research interests began with a focus on urban bird ecology, her graduate studies have expanded into the spatial consequences of data that lacks DEIA principles. Through her master’s project, Deja found that citizen science protocols tend to oversample high income spaces resulting in biased data. She found that project and protocol design play a large role in what story we are able to capture and tell about the urban landscape. Deja is very interested in how human social structures and volunteer bias impact avian habitat and distribution in cities. She is especially interested in the intersections of environmental, social, and data justice with conservation; looking deeper at how environmental and social justice issues impact wildlife, and how people find joy in, and value the environment.
Deja’s background in urban ecology, drives her passion for advocating that people explore their neighborhood nature. Nature can be found everywhere, not only in the amazing national parks, and state parks that we see on tv, but even close to home. No matter if you live in a rural or an urban environment, we believe that everyone should have equal access to natural spaces, especially within the city.
Originally from Chicago, she has seen first hand how access to nature and exposure to wildlife and environmental programing can differ in different parts of the city, specifically in minority neighborhoods. She believes that by exposing people, especially Black youth and young adults, to the natural sciences and the wonders of the outdoors, it will encourage them to pursue natural science careers, enjoy outdoor activities, and become stewards of the environment.
Deja started Naturally Wild LLC in 2021. Since then she has lead numerous bird walks across the Southeast and the Midwest, and given over 20 talks. She uses her platform to showcase nature in urban environments by taking the public on adventures to introduce people to the nature in their neighborhoods, and highlight how access to nature differs in different parts of the world. Using her social media platform as @naturallywild__ Deja shows that Black people can bird watch, hike, kayak, and explore the outdoors even though we may not always be publicly represented in those spaces. She hopes that by being authentically herself and sharing her journey with chronic illness, mental health, and graduate school, she can encourage others to explore and find peace in their neighborhood nature. She hopes that by being unapologetically Black in STEM and the outdoors, she can inspire others to come as they are and enjoy the outdoors too.
