Sexual assault allegation sends shockwaves through birding world

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Photo: Monica Alsobrook / iStock

Content Warning: The following article includes a description of an alleged rape.

The birding community is in shock after an Atlanta woman posted a blog post containing a detailed rape allegation against a prominent bird watcher. While the ornithologist himself has remained silent so far, the reaction has been swift elsewhere. Several organizations, including the American Bird Conservancy, his latest employer, and the National Audubon Society severed ties with him on Tuesday.

The post, written by Aisha White, a digital marketer and freelance writer who started birding last year, does not directly name her attacker. But White later identified him as Jason Ward, a well-known bird watcher with a large following who was celebrated for bringing the hobby to a more diverse audience. He has hosted a popular birding television documentary series, has tens of thousands of social media followers, and is a frequent guest expert for publications and websites including Audubon. White’s account refers to an article Ward wrote for this website: “To borrow a quote from a blog he wrote, ‘One black person’s paradise may be another’s terror.’ White writes. “He proved it to be true.”

White declined to comment for this article, referring Audubon to its existing public statements. Ward, who did not respond to multiple requests for comment, has an active social media presence but made no mention of the accusations. No charges have been laid against Ward, but White says she notified police. The Sandy Springs, Ga., Police Department confirmed to Audubon that an Aisha White whose age matches the blogger’s age filed a sexual assault report in December, but police declined to provide further details .

In the post, White describes spending time outdoors last summer as a respite from the news of racial violence, the ongoing pandemic, and watching family members suffer from COVID-19. On social media, she followed the Black Birders Week initiative which celebrated the diversity of birding and science, an event launched in response to a racist incident involving a bird watcher in Central Park. She soon learned that Ward, a host for Black Birders Week, was organizing bird walks through Georgia Audubon (a chapter affiliated with National Audubon) in an Atlanta park. So White signed up.

White says that after the outing, she received messages from the walker, some of which she posted as screenshots in the blog post. The two continued to bird watch together. White writes that she has experienced increased well-being from spending time so intensely focused on birds and nature. “Although this natural world has always surrounded me, the details were what I lacked,” she writes. “Come in: bird watching. When I spent time birding he invited me to see the details.

Eventually, she says, she and Ward started dating, although White writes that she has repeatedly said that she wants to abstain from sex. While watching birds in a park on Nov. 27, White says, Ward pulled down her leggings, despite her efforts to stop her and her previous refusals to engage in sexual activity with him. She says he then threw her against a tree and raped her.

White’s account says that she and her alleged attacker went bird watching at several parks on the day of the incident. An online checklist from the community-based scientific ornithology app eBird shows that Ward and White observed together on November 27.

White’s post reports that she was in physical pain for days after the alleged assault. The post also includes a photograph of documents apparently from an Atlanta doctor dated Dec. 4 showing she complained of pain. In the field marked “diagnosis”, the document refers to “sexual assault of an adult”. In her post, White also includes an image of a text she says she received from the assailant the day after the assault. “I am ashamed and mortified because my actions hurt someone I really care about,” the text reads.

In the post, White also discusses the mental suffering she has suffered since the alleged assault.

In the post, White also discusses the mental suffering she has suffered since the alleged assault. “Weekends were what I looked forward to because I had time to explore the trails,” she writes. “Now I guess I’ll go to nearby parks on my own. Even though I was raped while I was with someone I trusted, the thought of spending time alone in nature still worries me.

After the blog post was widely shared via Twitter on Monday, White posted a GoFundMe page on Tuesday to raise funds to cover what she describes as legal fees she will incur if she takes legal action against her attacker. , which she calls Ward. She said, however, that she has yet to find a lawyer to take her case.

As far as there is a famous bird watcher, Ward has been one of the greats in recent years. He rose to prominence on Twitter, where he created the popular #TrickyBirdID quiz game. In 2019, he began hosting the documentary series “Birds of North America” ​​and has since become the face of a more diverse birding community in numerous news reports and on social media. In 2020, it was included in the Grist 50, and this month it featured in a nationwide Nissan commercial.

The tight-knit birding community on Twitter has expressed shock, anger and a sense of betrayal at the alleged behavior of one of its most popular personalities. “It is alarming, saddening, triggering and such a deep violation that damages the soul like no other [sic] kind of violation, ”tweeted Corina Newsome, community engagement manager for Georgia Audubon and organizer of Black Birders Week. “Feeling unsafe in isolated areas is what keeps many people from birding,” tweeted Nick Lund, who writes about birding for this site and others: “That a leader of this community takes advantage of this isolation to commit this act – to validate the exact fear he was trying to dissuade is an incredible betrayal. I am sad and angry.

The American Bird Conservancy, where Ward became head of diversity in November, said in a statement that Ward had not been employed by the organization since Tuesday. “We at American Bird Conservancy are shocked and saddened by the news of Jason Ward’s misconduct, which is totally inconsistent with our values,” the group said in response to White’s accusation.

Georgia Audubon, where Ward led the bird outings, said in a statement she was “stunned and horrified” by White’s account. “The accused is not now and has never been an employee of Georgia Audubon. We have taken immediate action to terminate our contract with him and will cancel future field trips led by this person. Ward also led outings for Alabama Audubon, who said Tuesday was “aware of serious allegations involving one of our associates, and we have decided to sever ties with this individual indefinitely.”

From 2019 to 2020, Ward was also affiliated with the National Audubon Society as an Atlanta-based apprentice. The organization released a statement on Tuesday saying it had been made aware of the allegations. “Based on the blog post, we ended our relationship with him immediately and permanently,” the statement said. “Audubon will not tolerate any conduct inconsistent with the law or with the highest standards of values ​​of our organization. ”

Nissan also said it removed a video featuring Ward, adding that the company “does not tolerate inappropriate behavior of any kind and is fully committed to maintaining a working environment and business relationships in accordance with these policies.” After the story was posted, Grist said on Thursday that he had removed Ward from his roster and would no longer feature him in his Grist 50 network.

The @BlackAFinSTEM Twitter account, created with Black Birders Week to create a community of black scientists, also tweeted: “BlackAFinSTEM has been made aware of the allegations involving a member. In accordance with our mission and our values, we have separated ourselves from the individual indefinitely. A follow-up tweet from that account identified Ward by name.

On Wednesday morning, White tweeted his support for the movement Ward was associated with. “My hope is that Jason Ward’s actions do not overshadow the good and important work of the science communication community or the efforts of the black women who co-hosted the #BlackBirdersWeek,” she wrote. “There are bright and powerful women at the heart of the STEM community as well as men who choose to act as allies.”

Reporting by Andy McGlashen, Andrew Del-Colle and Xian Chiang-Waren

This is a developing story that will be updated as more information is released.

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