VOA新闻杂志2022 大自然的治愈力量使毒贩重生

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

作为一个生活在华盛顿特区最艰苦的社区之一的年轻人，罗德尼·斯托茨几乎没有什么活下去的理由。

His father had been murdered.

他的父亲被杀害了。

His mother was addicted to drugs.

他的母亲吸毒成瘾。

Many of his friends were dead from gun violence.

他的许多朋友死于枪支暴力。

And he expected to end up dead or in jail.

他也可能最终会死或坐牢。

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

但在1992年，一个环保项目改变了他的生活。

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

这名51岁的男子在他的新书“Bird Brother”中写道，“野生动物的治愈力量”让他从毒贩变成了野生动物专家。

Stotts told the Reuters news agency, "I went from 'flipping birds' [a street term for selling cocaine] to flying birds, and the destruction that I used to cause in that life, I'm just trying to make up for it.”

斯托茨告诉路透社：“我从‘飞鸟’(街头对贩卖可卡因这种行为的叫法)到放飞鸟，我只是在努力弥补我过去在那种生活中造成的破坏。”

He said he hopes to inspire others to take comfort in nature.

他说，他希望能激励其他人从大自然中获得安慰。

The environmental program was created by filmmaker and conservationist Bob Nixon.

这个环保项目是由电影制作人兼环保主义者鲍勃·尼克松创立的。

Nixon left Hollywood and moved to Washington, D.C. to start Earth Conservation Corps.

尼克松离开好莱坞，搬到华盛顿特区，成立了地球保护队。

Its first goal was to clean the Anacostia River.

它的第一个目标是清理阿纳卡斯蒂亚河。

At that time, the organization called it the "most polluted river in America."

当时，该组织称其为“美国污染最严重的河流”。

It says the river flows "through communities of color with Washington's highest unemployment and crime rates."

该组织表示，这条河“流经华盛顿失业率和犯罪率最高的有色人种社区”。

Nixon hired nine young helpers, including Stotts, from a nearby public housing community.

尼克松从附近的一个公共住房社区雇了9名年轻的助手，其中包括斯托茨。

For the next several years, Stotts spent his days cleaning up the river.

在接下来的几年里，斯托茨每天都在清理这条河。

He also learned about birds of prey.

他还了解了猛禽。

The group helped bring bald eagles back to the city.

该组织帮助把秃鹰带回了城市。

Over time, Stotts found himself drawn more toward caring for birds than selling drugs.

随着时间的推移，斯托茨发现自己更喜欢照顾鸟类，而不是贩卖毒品。

Stotts said the more he moved away from drugs, the happier he seemed to get.

斯托茨说，他越远离毒品，他似乎就越快乐。

Along the way, Stotts also wanted to become a master falconer.

在此过程中，斯托茨也想成为一名训鹰大师。

Becoming a master falconer requires two main steps: passing a state test and finding a sponsor.

成为一名训鹰大师需要两个主要步骤：通过州测试和找到赞助者。

The sponsor teaches the important lessons of falconry: the ethics of the sport; how to identify, trap, and care for the birds; and how to release them back into the wild.

赞助者教授训鹰的重要课程：这项运动的行为准则；如何识别、诱捕和照顾鸟类；以及如何将它们放归野外。

However, many possible sponsors did not take him seriously.

然而，许多可能的赞助者并没有认真对待他。

Stotts said one man told him over the phone, "You sound like you're a Black guy."

斯托茨说，一个男人在电话中对他说：“你听起来像是个黑人。”

Stotts said that he was.

斯托茨说他是黑人。

The man then told Stotts, "Black people don't fly birds… they eat them."

这个男人随后告诉斯托茨：“黑人不会让鸟飞起来，他们会吃掉它们。”

Eventually, he found a sponsor.

最终，他找到了赞助者。

And last June he officially became a "master falconer."

去年6月，他正式成为“训鹰大师”。

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

在他们第一次见面30年后，斯托茨和尼克松正在将他们的知识传授给下一代。

On a recent May evening, Stotts talked with young people in the Capital Guardian Youth Challenge Academy.

最近五月的一个晚上，斯托茨在青年挑战学院与年轻人交谈。

It is a program for young school dropouts working to help injured birds.

这是一个面向年轻的辍学生的项目，旨在帮助受伤的鸟类。

Stotts told them to turn off their phones and just sit and listen to the water.

斯托茨让他们关掉手机，坐下来听听水声。

He used an old saying, "Stop and smell the roses," he told them.

他用了一句俗话：“停下来享受生活，”他告诉他们。

"Stop. Actually, stop and smell them."

“停下来。事实上，停下来享受生活。”

I'm Anna Matteo.

安娜·马特奥为您播报。