James Edward

Mills

Changing the Face of the Outdoors

Journalist & Nonfiction Author

Travels from: Madison, WI

“Mills took THE ADVENTURE GAP beyond the scope of a traditional expedition narrative, exploring the reasons for the glaring outdoor cultural divide and noting that bridging that gap would help people and the planet.” — Outside Magazine

James Edward Mills is a 2014 Fellow of the Mountain & Wilderness Writing Program of the Banff Centre in Alberta, Canada and the 2016 recipient of the Paul K. Petzoldt Award For Environmental Education. As a freelance journalist and an independent media producer in a career that spans more than 20 years, he specializes in sharing stories about outdoor recreation, environmental conservation, acts of charitable giving and practices of sustainable living.

James has worked in the outdoor industry since 1989, when he worked as a guide, outfitter, independent sales representative, writer, and photographer. He is the author of The Adventure Gap: Changing the Face of the Outdoors, which was named by Outside Magazine as one of the 10 “Outdoor Books that Shaped the Last Decade.” James is also the co-writer/co-producer of the documentary film “An American Ascent.”

His next project is titled The Black American Traveler’s Guide to Our National Parks, an illustrated tour through America’s historic sites and monuments, highlighting the role that people of color have always played in the formation of the United States. With skills in audio storytelling, James’ radio production credits include Wisconsin Public Radio, the Public Radio Exchange, American Public Media’s Marketplace, and the Public Radio International programs To The Best of Our Knowledge and The Tavis Smiley Show. In recognition for his work in sharing the important history and legacy of the Buffalo Soldiers and their efforts at the dawn of the National Park Service James was named a Yosemite National Park Centennial Ambassador in 2016.

As a faculty assistant at the University of Wisconsin Nelson Institute For Environmental Studies, James teaches a summer course for undergraduate students on diversity, equity and inclusion in outdoor recreation and public land management called Outdoors For All. James lives in Madison, Wisconsin with his wife and two lovable dogs, Sasha and Mikalea.

James Edward's Featured Titles

The Adventure Gap: Changing the Face of the Outdoors

Mountaineers Books |

September 24, 2014

Nonfiction

“An important new book about a crucial challenge facing the conservation movement” — Spencer Black, vice president, Sierra Club

The nation’s wild places–from national and state parks to national forests, preserves, and wilderness areas–belong to all Americans. But not all of us use these resources equally. Minority populations are much less likely to seek recreation, adventure, and solace in our wilderness spaces. It’s a difference that African American author James Mills addresses in his new book, The Adventure Gap: Changing the Face of the Outdoors.

In 2013, the first all-African American team of climbers, sponsored by the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), challenged themselves on North America’s highest point, the dangerous and forbidding Denali, in Alaska. Mills uses Expedition Denali and its team members’ adventures as a jumping-off point to explore how minority populations view their place in wild environments and to share the stories of those who have already achieved significant accomplishments in outdoor adventures–from Mathew Henson, a Black explorer who stood with Peary at the North Pole, to Kai Lightner, a teenage sport climber currently winning national competitions.

As our country grows increasingly multicultural, our natural legacy needs the devotion of people of all races and ethnicities to steward its care. The Adventure Gap is both a compelling adventure tale and road map to help everyone look to the outdoors for experiences that will enrich their lives.

Black Voices, Campus Reads, Civil Discourse & Social Justice, Community Reads, Natural World, Nonfiction

How Do We Make the Outdoors More Inclusive?

The nation’s wild places — from national and state parks to national forests, preserves, and wilderness areas — belong to all Americans. But not all of us use these resources equally. Minority populations are much less likely to seek recreation, adventure, and solace in our wilderness spaces. It’s a difference that Black American author James Edward Mills addresses in his 2014 book, The Adventure Gap: Changing the Face of the Outdoors. Over the last decade much progress has been made to close this divide. Many individuals, organizations and institutions have worked together in partnership to welcome a broader, more diverse cross section of the American public into the natural spaces that are theirs to enjoy. But much work still remains to create an enduring and sustainable system of land management that will encourage our nation as a whole to protect our land, air and water resources for generations yet to come. In his presentation Mills explores the obstacles and opportunities to shrink the Adventure Gap.

How our National Parks are working to becoming Anti-Racist

Black History as interpreted by the National Park Service

“James joined for social time with our Board of Directors, so they had the opportunity to engage with him and get to know him before and after his presentations. His message was spot-on, and he got our Board thinking about why we’re focused on increasing access to and representation in the outdoors as an organization.” — YMCA of the Rockies, 2024

“James was such an engaging and eloquent speaker, with powerful lessons that helped provoke new paradigms related to the outdoor sector.” — Outward Bound Canada, 2024

“James Edward Mills weaves history, contemporary stories, and his own personal and family narrative into a powerful presentation that both informs and inspires. As the body of research on the benefits of nature for every aspect of health and well-being grows, his work to create a more inclusive outdoors is one of the more important calls-to-action today. Coming into our international conference, we knew James was an accomplished keynote speaker, but he is much more than that. His compelling presentation, supported by stunning photography and visuals, resonated with attendees representing a wide range of approaches and points of view, reminding us of the common ground we share in our work to connect children, families and communities to outdoor experiences and to the healing power of the natural world.” — Children & Nature Network, 2024

“Mills’ talk was outstanding: accessible, thought-provoking, expansive and inspiring. He used really compelling images and stories and had a very engaging speaking style. He was very generous with speaking with my community partners, which included Basilica Bio, the ACLU of Idaho, and Life Outdoors. Mills’ work on recovering hidden voices is an extremely urgent and important project. He was a great ambassador and we were delighted to host him!” — Boise State University, 2024

“James was great – he managed to squeeze a lot of content into a short amount of time and adapted his presentation to fit with our other panelists. I’m sure our attendees enjoyed hearing from him. I wish we had scheduled him for a keynote presentation!” — Wisconsin Sea Grant, 2023

“James Edwarsd Mills was absolutely inspiring. It was a perfect presentation for our efforts to bring awareness of both racial diversity and inclusion, and environmental themes. James has an amazing and overlooked story to share. It will become more and more important as our communities organize to make a more healthy, conscious, and equitable world.” — North Central Library

“Witnessing James and 5 other Black men have the time of their lives fishing together, sitting around the fire having high-quality conversations, engaging in dialogues that opened my heart, mind, and eyes, listening to the genuine, passionate stories of our three keynote presenters (and being amazed at how the messages amplified one another), being in attendance of a panel discussion on Friday on the topic of Belonging which seemed to kick off the weekend with an invitation for folx to really lean in and be real, to explore and discover new ways of thinking and seeing.” — G5 Collective

James’ Podcast

Anti-Racism Resource Guide

An American Ascent

Honors, Awards & Recognition

Wilderness Education Association Paul K. Petzoldt Award for Evironmental Education
Yosemite National Park Centennial Ambassador
Outside Magazine, one of the 10 “Outdoor Books that Shaped the Last Decade.”