Thespis D. Light's Recommendations

Bat conservation international by https://www.batcon.org/

Ok so yes this is a whole website BUT HEAR ME OUT there is so much amazing information in here that it is worth exploring for any and all bat related questions! This page has links to research papers about bats, how to build bat houses, guides for identifying bats and even a class on bats if you’re super interested! It’s a lot of information but if you love bats as much as I do this is hands down my favorite resource 🦇

Tooth and Claw: true stories of animal attacks by Wes Larson, Jeff Larson, Mike Smith | Daylight Media

podcast

This is a fantastic way to learn more about animal safety and animal attacks! This trio spends a lot of time talking about not only the attack and what happened, but also WHY it happened, animals don’t attack for no reason and they do an amazing job of being gentle with the sensitive topic of human injuries and death, while also exploring the animals in question sharing biology and life history for a wide range of species.

Eager: the surprising secret life of beavers, and why they matter by Ben Goldfarb

book

This is honestly one of the books that REALLY got me in to beavers (takes a lot for a gay man). This book focuses on the amazing history of beavers in America and the essential work they do an ecosystem engineers! If you have ever been interested in the second largest rodent in the world, this is a fabulous place to start!

Why getting outdoors is good for you. by NPR

article

Thespis D. Light

He/Him

@thespis_d.light_ has had a wide range of jobs throughout his life, but each of them had something in common… animals! Nothing about this host is traditional, including his work and school background. He was unable to start college for some time after high school do to financial hardship, but when you have a passion, you make it work! He has worked in animal care spaces including veterinary hospitals, animal shelters, zoos & aquariums and wildlife rehabilitation centers. During the last 5 years he has spent his summers as a park ranger in beloved Oregon parks across the state, focusing his skills and vast realm of knowledge on education and interpretation. He is especially passionate about making the natural world a safe place for BIPOC and queer folks to come out and reconnect with nature. We are nature; we are the great rivers in our power and reach as high as the sequoia and we deserve our space in nature. On top of his love for nature and community he is also a lover of theater and performing (could you tell?) so he is beyond excited to connect these worlds in a fun and unique way!

What the heck is Drag Me Outside?
We're so glad you asked! Formed by drag queen Efemmera Gendera and drag king Thespis D. Light, Drag Me Outside is a blending of drag personas and environmental education in a way that encourages folks to get outside, learn about the environment, and build community. Between the two of them, Efemmera and Thespis have about two decades of experience in environmental work and are eager to teach their community about the environment they love so much.
Accessibility
Efemmera and Thespis scout every location before we make our announcements, and when we do this we're taking notes and making our best judgements and will be as thorough as possible to keep everyone in mind. Please bear with us as some of these locations will simply not be accessible to everyone, but we'll let you know in our pre-RSVP email so you can make your best judgement. The last thing we want is for folks to come out and realize that the location is not actually accessible for them. If you have specific questions for us after we send out that information, please don't hesitate to contact us via email!
How long are your hikes?
These hikes are not really "hikes" as much as they are pleasant walks, which might occasionally be on paths which are not paved and might have an incline. Regardless, they will never be more than 1.5 - 2 miles in length. Thespis and Efemmera are YAPPERS. There will be lots of spots to stop and chat while we educate y'all, so do not expect anything super physically intensive.
Can I take public transportation?
We do our best to make sure that all our hiking locations are accessible via public transportation. That being said, when an RSVP list gets full, we'll encourage folks to share information so that they can expand their community and carpool together because reducing driving emissions is what? RADICAL.
Are Pets Allowed?
NO. NOPE. NADA. NONE. We all love our furry (and feathery) little friends, but PLEASE leave them at home. If you show up with your pet we will ask that you leave them in your car, and we REALLY don't want to do that. (We will of course make exceptions for certain areas if you require a guide dog, but please reach out and let us know first so we can chat). Our Reasoning: Drag Me Outside is here to foster community, but above that we're staunch environmentalists that want to educate our community. The bottom line is: the natural environment is already vastly disturbed by human activity, and our pets add even more stress to our non-human neighbors. EVEN IF THE AREA ALLOWS PETS ON-LEASH, they are still a disturbance (yes, even YOUR pet, dear reader). We're primarily speaking about dogs here, but I want to include information on both cats and dogs so everyone is informed. Wildlife perceives dogs as a predator, and therefore a threat. Due to our human bias it's hard to keep this in mind, especially when our society does a horrible job at educating the public about ecology (which is what we're here to do). Thespis and Efemmera have both done field research and have seen the impacts that dogs have on the environment first-hand - whether that's the death of native otters due to people allowing their dogs to run off-leash, or ground-nesting birds in grassland habitats abandoning their nest because of dogs. Additionally, dog poop pollutes our waters and transmits harmful parasites and diseases. Lastly, please keep cats on a leash if you allow them outside. More than 2 billion birds are estimated to be lost annually in North America due to cats, which is the #1 human-caused impacts on birds, habitat loss notwithstanding. We've lost nearly 30% of our bird population in the continental U.S. and Canada since 1970 (yes, really), and we need to be better stewards of our planet if we're going to stop our current climate crisis and significant rates of species extinction. Just a reminder that everything is interconnected, so when one species dies, it has a ripple effect throughout the environment. You can read more on this at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's site.

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Thespis D. Light’s Recommendations

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