About Audubon

The creation of the Audubon Society by George Bird Grinnell in 1886 marked the beginning of the nation's conservation ethic. As editor of Forest and Stream, Grinnell appealed to his readership to unite for bird preservation and protection. Within a year 39,000 individuals joined the Audubon Society, which Grinnell named after the distinguished naturalist and painter John James Audubon.

With the magazine staff unable to manage the overwhelming response, the society folded in less than three years. In 1896, Bostonian socialite Mrs. Augustus Hemenway took up the mission and formed the Massachusetts Audubon Society.

Hemenway was outraged by the slaughter of entire flocks of birds for their plumage, many in the recesses of the Everglades and South Florida. Florida had become the primary hunting grounds for plume hunters, where the change from abundant birdlife to scarcity and sometimes extirpation was occurring with incredible speed. This time the Audubon idea endured, and by the turn of the century, more than 15 state Audubon Societies had been formed and were already working collaboratively to protect birds, wildlife and their habitats.

The Audubon Society depends on financial support and the volunteer work of its members to remain an effective organization. Without these resources, the society would be less able to educate the public, support environmental causes in the government and court systems, and work directly with wildlife and the environment.

Credits: National Audubon Society and Catherine Zimmer