Nocs Naturalist
Devin Cowens
Introduce yourself and what you’re up to these days?
My name is Devin Cowens (she/her) and I currently reside on the ancestral lands of the Muscogee Creek Nation, today known as Atlanta, GA. I’m a connector, community organizer, avid bird, native plant enthusiast and an ultra athlete (cycling and running).
We’re curious, why and when did your journey towards adventure biking begin?
I began adventure cycling and bikepacking in 2018 when I was craving community and wanting to get outside more. This spurred me to start RAR ATL — I got bit by the bikepacking bug and never looked bad. Annoyingly, accessing bikepacking required both a financial and education barrier, so I created a gear library component to allow for gear rental and accessibility so that other folks could experience the same bike joy that I was tapping into on a regular basis.
This week is Black Birders Week - can you share more on what this week means to you?
For me it’s a celebration of Black joy, time to heal, connect with the land and spend time in nature with my fellow black birders. Black folks have been outside and we're staying here!
What does community mean to you? How do you find it?
I am nothing without community — it has kept me grounded, supported my mental health, and supported me beyond measure through times of challenge and instability. I remember craving community post break up in 2018 and searching for it on bikes and now have it on bikes, in running, through birds, and beyond!
What sensations come up there when you’re outside on your bike?
When I’m on the bike, I feel a true sense of freedom, openness, joy, and limitlessness. And this opportunity to explore the unknown; especially when bikepacking. I love leaving my front door and not having a route and exploring the community that I know well. But equally enjoy planning a route solo or with friends, and discovering new places in the outdoors, observing and listening to nature, and taking time to understand and reconnect with the land and world around me.
Ok, what’s a great outing for biking in your area? (added bonus if there’s birding involved)?
I’ve come to fall in love with a chill bikepackng overnight route to Stone Mountain and back — you can bike there from the center of the city, mostly on dedicated path trails and its less than 25 miles each way. At Stone Mountain, there’s a Songbird Habitat Trail and Wildlife Sanctuary plus two large lakes which allow for an incredible amount of bird watching and outdoor adventuring.
Can you tell us a bit about your passions beyond “work”?
By day, I am an event planner for a remote non profit focused on increasing equitable access to nature everywhere children live, learn and play. That job checks my personal and professional needs, while outside of work I am passionate about community and relationship building, connecting people to resources, and tapping into joy and gratitude on a daily basis. I meet those needs through birding, cycling, running, gardening, ceramics, reading, learning, and spending time with the people that I love.
We’re stoked that Nocs are in your toolkit. In what situations do you find yourself grabbing your Nocs? How are they helping your craft?
I never leave home without my Nocs — I have a pair in my car, a pair in my backpack, and in my bike bag… the birds are all
around us so there is always an opportunity for pause to observe and enjoy them.
Birding has helped me slow down and enjoy the world around me. My Nocs are accessible, compact, and easy to use which allows
me to seamlessly integrate them into my life. I’m so grateful to have found birding at this point in my life and to have been
introduced to Nocs at an early stage where I was learning and found affordable ways to bird watch. Nocs has an option at every
price point and every level from novice to expert.
A key ingredient to building a sustainable future?
Too many ingredients to name, but! I’m leaning into community while shifting my mindset from one of scarcity to one of
abundance. Asking myself questions like… how can I consume less? Can I make this before buying it? Can I be patient and remove
urgency from certain needs? Can I barter? Skillshare? We usually have more than we need so where can I give and take?
I’m refocusing my time on learning and understanding what is happening in our world while maintaining my sanity through my
pursuit if daily joy.
And remembering to rest, always.
A book that shaped your life?
Natures Best Hope by Doug Tallamy!! Everything is interconnected and we all have a role to play in our ecosystem. This book changed the way I think about the world around me and the power I have to support restoring the ecosystem function lost through urban development and human intervention in landscaping. Start small, plant native, change your life and support wildlife.
Anything on your calendar that you’re looking forward to? We’d love to stay in touch! Where can we find you these upcoming months?
I’m looking toward a couple of races and bikepacking overnights in the coming months; including a bike/bird meet up on June
15; and a summer solstice bikepack overnight on June 21-22 via Swift Campout.
I’m reachable via my website at devincowens.com, and also on IG — @dev_rox
