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Audubon Magazine Twenty-three state programs, 41 Audubon nature centers, and nearly 500 local chapters. All working together as One Audubon. Explore the Audubon network. David Arsenault/Plumas Audubon Society Chapters enable Audubon members and others to meet and share an appreciation of their common interests. They create a culture of conservation in local communities through education and advocacy, focusing on the conservation of birds, other wildlife and conservation of important habitats. Provide data on the health of local bird species through Christmas Bird Counts, the Great Backyard Bird Count, breeding bird surveys, and other local monitoring projects Download our annual reports and find an overview of Audubon's budget A message from Audubon’s CFO: Long-term conservation results require sustained investment. Our funders recognize this, and their support enables us to address both ongoing conservation challenges and emerging, urgent issues. Their generosity and dedication to our mission are at the heart of each Audubon victory for birds, wildlife, and the planet we all share. We are grateful for the trust our donors place in us, and it is our unwavering pledge to use the financial support they provide wisely, efficiently, and for the best possible conservation results. Stay abreast of Audubon History of Audubon and Science-based Bird Conservation History of Audubon and Science-based Bird Conservation Protecting waterbird populations has been part of Audubon’s mission even before the official establishment of the National Audubon Society. Outrage over the slaughter of millions of waterbirds, particularly egrets and other waders, for the millinery trade led to the foundation, by Harriet Hemenway and Mina Hall, of the Massachusetts Audubon Society in 1896. By 1898, state-level Audubon Societies had been established in Pennsylvania, New York, New Hampshire, Illinois, Maine, Wisconsin, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Ohio, Indiana, Tennessee, Minnesota, Texas, and California. In 1900, Audubon member Frank M. Chapman launched the first – Audubon’s all-volunteer holiday census of early-winter bird populations – as an alternative to the traditional Christmas “Side Hunt,” in which hunters competed to kill as many birds (and mammals) as possible. In 1901, state-level Audubon groups joined together in a loose national organization, which helped to establish the first National Wildlife Refuge in the U.S. – Pelican Island, in Florida, in 1903 – and facilitated the hiring of wardens to protect waterbird breeding areas in several states. In 1905, the National Audubon Society was founded, with the protection of gulls, terns, egrets, herons, and other waterbirds high on its conservation priority list. In 1918, President Wilson signed the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA), which remains to this day one of the strongest laws protecting wild North American birds. Shortly after the passage of the MBTA, Audubon established its first system of waterbird sanctuaries in seven states along the eastern coast of the U.S., and thus initiated the implementation of large-scale, scientifically-based bird conservation efforts. Highlights from more than a century's worth of Audubon  Harriet Hemenway and Mina Hall organize a series of afternoon teas to convince Boston society ladies to eschew hats with bird feathers. These meetings culminate in the founding of the Massachusetts Audubon Society.  Frank Chapman proposes the first annual Christmas Bird Count as an alternative to the traditional Christmas side hunt in his publication, Bird Lore, predecessor to Audubon magazine. Congressman John F. Lacey, at the urging of Audubon members, sponsored legislation that prohibits the illegal killing of birds and animals and the importation of non-native species.  The Audubon Model Law is passed, protecting water birds from plume hunting.  Guy Bradley is hired as first Audubon game warden.  The National Association of Audubon Societies is incorporated in New York State. William Dutcher is named first President. Guy Bradley, one of the first Audubon wardens, is murdered by game poachers in Florida.  New York State legislature enacts the Audubon Plumage Law, prohibiting the sale or possession of feathers from protected bird species. Audubon opens its first sanctuaries: Rainey Sanctuary in Louisiana and Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary in Long Island.  Audubon opens a nature camp on Hog Island, Maine. The National Association of Audubon Societies becomes the National Audubon Society.  The Greenwich Audubon Center in Connecticut opens as Audubon’s first nature center.  Audubon magazine sounds the first alarm about the hazards of DDT. Audubon partners with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on the Whooping Crane Project.  Audubon adopts a flying Great Egret, one of the chief victims of turn-of-the-century plume hunters, as its symbol.  Audubon buys the last great stand of bald cypress trees in Florida's Corkscrew Swamp to create the crown jewel of its sanctuary system.  The Audubon Society begins documenting the decline of bird species, including Bald Eagles, attributing this to DDT.  Audubon opens a public policy office in Washington, D.C.  A campaign by the Environmental Defense Fund and the National Audubon Society ends in victory when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency bans the use of the insecticide DDT.  Audubon starts the popular new children's educational program and publication  Audubon Adventures  Audubon biologists help capture the last wild California Condor, which is placed in a captive breeding program with other survivors.  Audubon holds its first-ever Great Backyard Bird Count: 14,000 people participate.  With Audubon at the forefront, President Bill Clinton authorizes the Everglades Protection and Restoration Act, committing $7.8 billion.