Seattle Audubon Society
Seattle Audubon Society, since renamed Birds Connect Seattle, is a nonprofit environmental organization that advocates and organizes for cities where people and birds thrive. It is a chapter organization of the National Audubon Society, and is one of the oldest natural history organizations in the Pacific Northwest.
 | |
| Formation | 1916 |
|---|---|
| Type | 501(c)3 non-profit |
| 91-6009716 | |
| Legal status | 501(c)(3) |
| Focus | urban bird conservation |
| Headquarters | Seattle, Washington |
Area served | greater Seattle |
Board President | Andrew Schepers |
Executive Director | Claire Catania |
| Andrew Schepers; Katie Amrhein-Dang; Anthony Floyd; Andres Hiltbrunner; Megan Ko; Jill Naas-Blackburn; Amanda Virbitsky; Sharon Wada | |
| Website | https://seattleaudubon.org/ |
Seattle Audubon is involved in protecting and enhancing urban habitat, reducing urban hazards to birds, and engaging community in conservation and science initiatives directly in their neighborhoods.
Its main office is in Wedgwood, Seattle, Washington. It serves a chapter area in a large part of King County, Washington. Seattle Audubon collaborates with the Seattle Parks and Recreation Department, the Capitol Hill EcoDistrict, Seattle University, University of Washington, and many other local environmental, community, and government partners.
In July 2022, the organization became the first large chapter in the National Audubon Society network to publicly declare its intention to remove "Audubon" from the organization's name. In March 2023, the organization announced that its new name is Birds Connect Seattle.[1]
History
Seattle Audubon was founded in 1916.
In 2002 Seattle Audubon launched BirdWeb, an online guide including species of special concern, rarities, and a searchable database of birds.
In 2005, BirdNote, a two-minute radio show about birds and nature, created under the auspices of Seattle Audubon, began airing on KPLU, a local National Public Radio affiliate.
In 2020, Seattle Audubon partnered with New York City Audubon to expand dBird.org, an online platform for reporting bird mortality and injury. Scientists and conservationists across North America use dBird.org to track and prevent human-related bird mortality.
Programs
Community science
Seattle Audubon leads several community science projects, including the Neighborhood Bird Project, Puget Sound Seabird Survey, Climate Watch, and the Seattle Bird Collision Monitoring Project.
Education
Seattle Audubon offers classes and field trips about bird identification, ecology, conservation, and more.
Urban conservation
Seattle Audubon works to conserve birds in an urban environment.
Urban forestry
Seattle Audubon has been involved in tree protection in Seattle since its founding when early members advocated for action against illegal tree removal in Seward Park. More recently, its staff have twice served on Seattle's Urban Forestry Commission. The organization advocates for stronger tree protection regulations, improved urban forest management structures, and increased investment in urban forest enhancement.
Urban hazards
In 2020, Seattle Audubon launched a strategic plan, "Cities at the Center," that put an emphasis on understanding and reducing the impacts of urban hazards on birds. Conservation priorities include understanding and preventing bird-window collisions and reducing pesticide use.
References
- "Seattle Audubon changes name, severing tie to slave owner". KOMO News. March 30, 2023. Retrieved March 30, 2023.