The Audubon Society

While the national office is based in New York, local and regional chapters of The Audubon Society range from the Everglades in Florida to the Tongass area in Alaska.  The mission of the society focuses on birds and wildlife habitats, but efforts to combat climate change have recently been folded into its goals.  Its ability to adapt and relate the changing world only further validates the work of the organization, and stands as a testament to the way organizations can be successful.

In 2012, The Audubon Society announced a new strategy that promotes the livelihood of birds but also addresses the major environmental threats to birds, habitats and people.  The organization set these strategies in place based on feedback from its stakeholders and harnesses the skills and resources of the society’s network into saving priority areas, leading discussion on clean energy solutions, community building, ocean conservation and  building systems that work for both birds and people.  Actions by The Aububdon Society will include lobbying against coal, adding bird population counts, and working with land owners to manage forests and farms in a way that is friendly to birds.

The Audubon Society was founded in the late 1800s, for before environmentalism was a global movement, for the purpose of preserving birds and their natural habitats.  The founders of the new society named is after John James Audubon, one of the most famous wildlife artists in North America.  Audubon spent years in poverty while creating the collection of wildlife drawings, later published as “The American Woodsman”.  He became a success in England and was able to continue recording wildlife through art for the rest of his life.  Having a story about overcoming adversity attached to its namesake makes The Audubon Society a beacon of encouragement and optimism in the fight to protect the natural world.