From trail running in the Cleveland National Forest east of San Diego, to kayaking the lakes of the Ocala National Forest near Orlando, Lesford Duncan has always made the most of the wild places near his city homes. But it wasn’t until he started mountain climbing that his relationship to the outdoors changed. Feeling an overwhelming sense of possibility after summiting California’s Mount San Jacinto, Duncan realized he wanted to find a way to recreate this feeling in others.

Today, he’s working to make the outdoors more accessible for millions of people as the executive director of the Outdoor Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Outdoor Industry Association. The nonprofit creates equitable access to nature through direct community investments and research. For Duncan, that means “building communities that feel safe, welcome beginners, and reflect the diversity of the country.”

We talked to Duncan about his outdoorsy childhood, how he turned feeling into action, and how nature’s benefits need to be integrated into every industry.

What was your relationship to the outdoors like growing up?

I’ve always loved the outdoors. I remember riding my bike some five miles from my house in Long Island out to Bar Beach and my family would often go camping on our annual church trips.

But I’ll never forget something that happened during my senior year of high school. During spring break, a few of my friends went on a backpacking trip and didn’t invite me, and when I asked why, one of them, with the purest of intentions, said: “I didn’t know Black people did stuff like that.” I remember looking at him, like “What, why not?”

Does he know what you’re up to now?

Yes! We joke about it now. But it sparked a curiosity in me. So one of my biggest inquiries has been into what common narratives, both within and beyond communities of color, are pervasive across society.

How did you get started on this focus?

While I was working in child welfare and behavioral healthcare in Southern California, I’d see so many youth go through our systems and come out not much better off than when they had first entered. Around the same time, I had started exploring incredible mountains. The first I experienced were in San Bernardino National Forest, an hour east of Los Angeles.

I was looking out from the top of Mount San Jacinto one day and felt like anything was possible. I thought, ‘How do I cultivate this exact same feeling for the thousands of youth we serve?’ I soon moved to a nonprofit called Outdoor Outreach, which connects youth to transformative experiences in the outdoors.

How have those experiences impacted your work at the Outdoor Foundation?

It definitely fuels the work that I now do on the macro level, helping to support community-based efforts across the country. The Outdoor Foundation’s Thrive Outside initiative is all about collaborating with community-based organizations, including school and healthcare systems, to integrate outdoor recreation.

Across the 13 communities we currently work with, the programs range from youth outdoor mental health programs in Oklahoma City, to gear lending libraries in Grand Rapids, to environmental initiatives in Atlanta.

Follow the Outdoor Foundation on Instagram at @outdoorfoundation to see their work in action. Lend a hand with one of the community partners involved in Thrive Outside’s city-based projects, whether that’s volunteering with Chicago Adventure Therapy to help guide kayaking excursions on Lake Michigan or supporting youth in D.C. through the Teen Respite Program.

Cover photo of Duncan at Humantay Lake in Peru. Photo by Lesford Duncan.

Want to receive to physical copy of Light & Seed™ in your mailbox? Become an annual donor of $25 or more to start receiving your copy twice a year.