A Name Change Is in the Works!

After careful consideration, the Board of the Lane County Audubon Society has voted to move ahead with a name change that better reflects our mission and our goal to include all community members in our work. As we have previously noted, John James Audubon was a slaveholder, a slave trader, an anti-abolitionist, and supported deeply troubling views on indigenous peoples.

While we acknowledge his enormous contribution to the illustration of birds and the awareness raised by his work, we cannot ignore what we have learned about his history. It is not our intention to erase the past but rather to learn from it and move toward the future. We do not want our organization to bear a name that makes people feel excluded or uncomfortable. It is only through many people acting together that we have a chance of improving the future for birds, for other wildlife, and for people.

Articles that emerged in the last few years examining John James Audubon’s troubling conduct have elicited serious public conversation. In response, we too began reflecting on how the name relates to our identity, represents our values, and impacts our ability to carry out our mission. Just over a year ago The Quail carried an article considering the issue in the May/June 2023 Quail newsletter.

Since then, the Board has discussed the issue with members and many other people, attended webinars examining name changes, and researched the results of relevant surveys. We have learned that (1) the “Audubon” name creates barriers for some people and (2) the “Audubon” name remains meaningful to older people but is not recognized by younger folks who do not associate the name with either birds or conservation.

Birds need our help. The number of birds in North America has declined by about three billion in the last 50 years. Scientists estimate that in another fifty years, about two-thirds of our bird species will have lost more than half of their range due to various threats associated with habitat loss, urbanization, and climate change. We need all hands on deck if we are to reverse the trend. We want to focus on our mission to help birds, insects, and other wildlife and to protect their habitats. We want to invite our entire community to join us in this quest. A simple way to do this is to have our name better reflect who we are.

We will remain part of the Audubon network and continue to seek opportunities to collaborate and amplify our message. Each chapter around the nation is an independent organization with the right to take whatever name it selects. We are pleased to announce that our chapter’s new name will include the term “Bird Alliance” to maintain connection with other chapters that are changing their names. At least four Oregon chapters plan to include “Bird Alliance” in their names, as have more than 20 chapters across the country, including Chicago, Tucson, Detroit, Southern Wisconsin, Golden Gate, Lawrence, Bitterroot, DC, Charleston, Northern Virginia, New York City, and others.

The “Bird” part is pretty obvious. Birds are at the center of what we do, although we also advocate for a multitude of organisms including bees, moths and other insects, marine invertebrates and marine mammals, beavers, martens, otters, wolves, salmon, frogs, turtles, and more. The word “Alliance” reflects collaboration among different groups as well as declaring that we are indeed allies of wildlife. In addition, we are pleased that an anonymous donor has agreed to cover many of the expenses associated with the name change for chapters that use the Bird Alliance moniker. Our new full name will include the term “Bird Alliance” and will drop “Lane County.” The other part of the name, ideally a descriptor of the geographic region we cover, will be determined after we get input from many sources. If you have suggestions, please send them to outreach@laneaudubon.org through the month of September.

We know that everybody does not agree with the decision to change our name and we assure you that we respect your opinion. We are not changing the fundamentals of who we are, and we remain proud of our accomplishments as Lane County Audubon Society. We have an incredibly devoted group of volunteers who work to connect people with nature, educate children and adults about wildlife, protect habitat, reduce threats to wildlife, and advocate for a healthier environment. Volunteers are at the heart of what we do. Please join us in our pursuit of a better world.