The Mill City Times Interview: Dudley Edmonson, Photographer, Author and Filmmaker

Article by Becky Fillinger

Dudley Edmonson during a recent Learn to Bird event with MWMODudley Edmondson is a well-known photographer, author and filmmaker. He was one of the first to nudge the outdoor conservation movement to become more inclusive. In 2021, Dudley was appointed to the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council, which is tasked with making funding recommendations to the legislature for the protection and restoration of Minnesota’s prairie, wetlands and forest habitats using Clean Water Land and Legacy funds.

We caught up with Dudley at a Learn to Bird session, sponsored by the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization (MWMO). We talked about migrating birds, of course, and how Minnesota is home to 430 species of birds. But we also talked about his legacy in the outdoor movement and the value of lifelong learning.

Birding at North Mississippi Regional Park   Photo: MWMO

Q:  The Black & Brown Faces in America's Wild Places: African Americans Making Nature and the Environment a Part of Their Everyday Lives was published in 2006. Have you witnessed greater numbers of diverse faces enjoying the natural world in the last 16 years? 

A:  Yes, I have. Looking back on it now, the book was a little out of place, maybe just a bit ahead of its time in some ways. There are a lot more people of color in the outdoors today and I think some of it may have been driven by the need for people to get out of their homes during the height of COVID. More people slowed down and noticed the natural world around them. Hopefully they found some peace and comfort during those troubling times and have now decided they want to continue to enjoy nature for their own mental and physical health. Safety is still a major issue for people of color in the outdoors. Being outside often requires you to venture outside your community and it's very possible to find yourself in areas where certain white people feel you don't belong and they act accordingly. America's public/Native lands belong to everybody. 

Q:  I admire your move from Ohio to Duluth - you knew no one in the Duluth area but you wanted to photograph hawks - which were abundant in the Hawk Ridge area. What lesson do you want to pass on to other people who may need to move to pursue their passions?

A:  This is true. I only had a few acquaintances but no family of friends quite yet. I knew I needed to be close to wilderness and Duluth offered me the ability to find quiet places and plenty of wildlife fairly close to home. Once I decided I wanted to be a nature photographer, I couldn't think of a better place to access wild places and wild things than Duluth. Planning for such an adventure can only get you so far. Once you commit, you have to be willing to see it through, which may include a period of uncertainty and that's ok. Be determined, patient and flexible and you will most likely succeed.

Above, Dudley was featured on the Weather Channel for Black History Month

Q:  I know that you're a lifelong learner. You advise people to keep acquiring knowledge throughout life. What knowledge and skills are you developing now, besides wildlife photography?  

A:  This is true, I love learning. I am continuing to expand my knowledge of the natural world. I am learning more and more about pollinators and their importance to our daily lives. I am installing a 15 by 24 foot native prairie in my front yard this summer so I can continue to provide habitat for them and study their behavior. I've read where one in three bites of our food is made possible by pollinating insects. There is really so much to learn about the natural world that you could never learn it all in one hundred life times. Just knowing that makes me hungry to learn as much as I can in my lifetime.

Q:  You have so much to teach us - about nature, learning, embracing change, etc. How may we follow your news and lessons learned?

A:  I am terrible at social media, so I could probably post more information than I do, but I'm getting better.  The best place is probably on my Instagram or my website dudleyedmondson.com.