A Life of Poverty, Drugs Reborn with Nature, Birds

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A Life of Poverty, Drugs Reborn with Nature, Birds

As a young man in one of Washington, D.C.'s toughest neighborhoods, Rodney Stotts had little to live for.

His father had been murdered. His mother was addicted¹ to drugs. Many of his friends were dead from gun violence. And he expected to end up dead or in jail.

But then in 1992, an environmental program changed his life.

In his new book Bird Brother, the 51-year-old writes about the "healing power of wildlife" that took him from drug dealer² to wildlife expert.

Stotts told the Reuters news agency, "I went from 'flipping³ birds' [a street term for selling cocaine⁵] to flying birds, and the destruction that I used to cause in that life, I'm just trying to make up for it." He said he hopes to inspire others to take comfort in nature.

The environmental program was created by filmmaker and conservationist Bob Nixon. Nixon left Hollywood and moved to Washington, D.C. to start Earth Conservation Corps⁶. Its first goal was to clean the Anacostia River. At that time, the organization called it the "most polluted river in America." It says the river flows "through communities of color with Washington's highest unemployment and crime rates."

Nixon hired nine young helpers, including Stotts, from a nearby public housing community. For the next several years, Stotts spent his days cleaning up the river. He also learned about birds of prey⁷.

The group helped bring bald eagles back to the city. Over time, Stotts found himself drawn⁸ more toward caring for birds than selling drugs.

Stotts said the more he moved away from drugs, the happier he seemed to get. Along the way, Stotts also wanted to become a master falconer.

Becoming a master falconer requires two main steps: passing a state test and finding a sponsor. The sponsor teaches the important lessons of falconry: the ethics⁹ of the sport; how to identify, trap, and care for the birds; and how to release them back into the wild.

However, many possible sponsors did not take him seriously. Stotts said one man told him over the phone, "You sound like you're a Black guy." Stotts said that he was. The man then told Stotts, "Black people don't fly birds... they eat them."

Eventually, he found a sponsor. And last June he officially became a "master falconer."

Thirty years after their first meeting, Stotts and Nixon are passing their knowledge to the next generation.

On a recent May evening, Stotts talked with young people in the Capital Guardian¹⁰ Youth Challenge Academy. It is a program for young school dropouts working to help injured birds.

Stotts told them to turn off their phones and just sit and listen to the water. He used an old saying, "Stop and smell the roses," he told them. "Stop. Actually, stop and smell them."

Words in This Story

addicted – adj. unable to stop using a drug

flip⁴ – v. a street term for selling cocaine

inspire – v. to move (someone) to act, create, or feel emotions

conservationist – n. a person who advocates conservation especially of natural resources

prey – n. an animal that is hunted or killed by another animal for food

sponsor – n. a person who takes the responsibility for some other person or thing : a person or an organization that pays for or plans and carries out a project or activity

ethics – n. a set of moral principles : a theory or system of moral values

dropout¹¹ – n. one who drops out of school

Stop and smell the roses. – idiom enjoy or appreciate what is often ignored.

1 addicted   

adj.沉溺于....的，对...上瘾的

参考例句：

• He was addicted to heroin at the age of 17.他17岁的时候对海洛因上了瘾。
• She's become addicted to love stories.她迷上了爱情小说。

2 dealer   

n.商人，贩子

参考例句：

• The dealer spent hours bargaining for the painting.那个商人为购买那幅画花了几个小时讨价还价。
• The dealer reduced the price for cash down.这家商店对付现金的人减价优惠。

3 flipping   

讨厌之极的

参考例句：

• I hate this flipping hotel! 我讨厌这个该死的旅馆！
• Don't go flipping your lid. 别发火。

4 flip   

vt.快速翻动；轻抛；轻拍；n.轻抛；adj.轻浮的

参考例句：

• I had a quick flip through the book and it looked very interesting.我很快翻阅了一下那本书，看来似乎很有趣。
• Let's flip a coin to see who pays the bill.咱们来抛硬币决定谁付钱。

5 cocaine   

n.可卡因，古柯碱（用作局部麻醉剂）

参考例句：

• That young man is a cocaine addict.那个年轻人吸食可卡因成瘾。
• Don't have cocaine abusively.不可滥服古柯碱。

6 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

7 prey   

n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨

参考例句：

• Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
• The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。

8 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

9 ethics   

n.伦理学；伦理观，道德标准

参考例句：

• The ethics of his profession don't permit him to do that.他的职业道德不允许他那样做。
• Personal ethics and professional ethics sometimes conflict.个人道德和职业道德有时会相互抵触。

10 guardian   

n.监护人；守卫者，保护者

参考例句：

• The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
• The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。

11 dropout   

n.退学的学生；退学；退出者

参考例句：

• There is a high dropout rate from some college courses.有些大学课程的退出率很高。
• In the long haul,she'll regret having been a school dropout.她终归会后悔不该中途辍学。