Dr. J. Drew Lanham

Ornithologist, naturalist, writer, poet

Joseph Drew Lanham combines conservation science with personal, historical, and cultural narratives of nature. His research and teaching focus on the impacts of forest management on birds and other wildlife. He brings this ecological knowledge and his perspective as a Black man living in the South to bear on his work as a storyteller, poet, and passionate advocate for bird-watching, outdoor recreation, and environmental conservation and stewardship.

Dr. Lanham is currently Alumni Distinguished Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Master Teacher in the Forestry and Environmental Conservation Department at Clemson University, where he received a BA, MS, and Ph.D. A 2022 MacArthur Fellow, he was also an inaugural fellow of the Audubon-Toyota Together Green Initiative and is an Advisory Council member of the North American Association for Environmental Education and poet laureate of Edgefield, South Carolina.

His 2016 book, The Home Place: Memoirs of a Colored Man's Love Affair With Nature, traces his love of birds and nature back to his family’s small farm in rural South Carolina. His lyrical descriptions of childhood explorations around the farm are a hallmark of Lanham’s conservation ethos: the head to heart connection. Lanham believes that combining scientific facts and emotional connections to nature can encourage conservation action more effectively. His other works include Sparrow Envy: Field Guide to Birds and Lesser Beasts (2021). He has published in various leading journals and media platforms, including Audubon, Orion, Vanity Fair, Forest Ecology and Management, and Oxford American.

“For us to understand that social justice and environmental justice are inextricably linked is critical. I want my work to inspire–I want it to inspire head; I want it to inspire heart; and I want it to inspire some action for a better future.”