National Audubon Society and wildlife preservation
The National Audubon Society is a nonprofit organization in the United States dedicated to the conservation of birds and wildlife, established in 1905. Named after the influential painter and naturalist John James Audubon, the society emerged from earlier conservation efforts and has since played a crucial role in environmental advocacy, including supporting legislation for wildlife protection. Initially focused on preventing the extinction of bird species, its mission has expanded to encompass broader wildlife preservation and habitat conservation, while still emphasizing the importance of birdlife.
The society operates numerous wildlife sanctuaries across the country, providing safe havens for various species and promoting biodiversity. Educational initiatives and publications, such as the bimonthly magazine Audubon, aim to enhance public understanding of wildlife and foster appreciation for the natural world. The organization has successfully engaged local communities in birdwatching and conservation activities, furthering its impact. Despite facing challenges regarding its namesake's controversial legacy, the National Audubon Society continues to advocate for wildlife preservation and environmental stewardship into the 2020s.
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National Audubon Society and wildlife preservation
IDENTIFICATION: American nonprofit organization devoted to the conservation of birds and other wildlife
DATE: Established in 1905
The National Audubon Society has been successful in publicizing environmental issues relating to wildlife preservation, in lobbying for and supporting federal and state conservation legislation, and in disseminating greater knowledge of wildlife species and their natural environments through its publications.
The National Audubon Society derives its name from John James Audubon, the noted French American painter who was author and illustrator of The Birds of America (1838). The earliest Audubon Society was founded in 1886 by George Bird Grinnell, a pioneering conservationist who grew up with the Audubon family. Though it did not last, becoming defunct in 1888, this society spawned several state Audubon societies, the first of which was the Massachusetts Audubon Society founded by Harriet Hemenway in 1896. Primarily through the efforts of ornithologist William Dutcher, these groups affiliated into the National Association of Audubon Societies in 1905 (with Dutcher as first president), though each state society was, and remains, independent, with its own particular emphasis and program agenda, depending on prevailing local conditions. In 1940, the National Association became the National Audubon Society.
Even before the incorporation, the societies were successful in pushing for legislation to curtail or prohibit the killing of waterfowl for the purpose of using the birds’ plumage in clothing. (In honor of that success, the National Audubon Society adopted an image of the great egret as the organization’s logo emblem in 1953.) In 1918, the National Association achieved a major victory through its role in the passage of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
Although the society’s purpose as originally conceived was to raise awareness of, and forestall, the potential extinction of bird species, its mission has expanded over the years to include a more general and overarching protection of the as a whole and, in particular, the plant and animal species inhabiting it—without abandoning its pronounced emphasis on birdlife. Wildlife sanctuaries have long been a cornerstone of Audubon Society activity, and the national organization and individual state societies operate many such refuges, including Pelican Island and Corkscrew Swamp in Florida, Paul J. Rainey Sanctuary in Louisiana, Hog Island in Maine, Tennille Creek in Oregon, and the Lillian Annette Rowe Bird Sanctuary in Nebraska.
In 1934 Roger Tory Peterson became the society’s educational director and also published A Field Guide to the Birds, the first nature field guide. Subsequently, the publication of a series of pocket guides covering all aspects of nature developed into a major National Audubon Society initiative. In addition to such guides and other publications, the society publishes the bimonthly magazine Audubon, which began as Bird-Lore in 1899. An important element in the society’s success and continued influence is its focus on the popular, amateur, and local/community levels, particularly through its sponsorship of significant birding (bird-watching) activities.
The National Audubon Society continued its conservations efforts across the United States throughout the 2010s and 2020s. The organization helped develop and fund several nature centers and wildlife sancturaries, including securing the protection of more than 240,000 acres of wild lands at the Tejon Ranch in California. In 2023, the organization voted to retain its name, despite John James Audubon's association with plaigarism and racism.
Bibliography
Anderson, John M. Wildlife Sanctuaries and the Audubon Society: Places to Hide and Seek. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2000.
Graham, Frank, Jr., with Buchheister, Carl W. The Audubon Ark: A History of the National Audubon Society. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1990.
Jimenez, Jesus. "Audubon Society Keeps Name Despite Slavery Ties, Dividing Birders." The New York Times, 15 Mar. 2023, www.nytimes.com/2023/03/15/science/audubon-society-name-change.html. Accessed 18 July 2024.
"National Audubon Societyu Announces Decision to REtain Current Name." Audubon, 16 Mar. 2023, www.audubon.org/news/national-audubon-society-announces-decision-retain-current-name. Accessed 18 July 2024.
Obmascik, Mark. The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession. New York: Free Press, 2004.
Rhodes, Richard. John James Audubon: The Making of an American. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2004.