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Chapter Leader Update | March 2, 2018

Audubon Society of the Everglades Plants for Birds event in collaboration with local partners. Photo: Vicki Rogerson/Audubon Society of the Everglades

Plants for Birds: Database Search Tool and Burke Grants NEW! We’re always making improvements to the Audubon native plants database, and we’re excited to share that chapters can now embed the database search tool directly onto your own websites. This feature makes it easy for people to find the best native plants for their area without leaving your site. Instructions on how you can add the search box can be found here. Many across the Audubon network have been asking for this technology, so we hope you’ll find it engaging and helpful. Also, we want to congratulate the 28 Audubon chapters to whom we awarded Burke Grants to advance your Plants for Birds work! We received 89 applications from 33 different states – a tremendous response. Audubon board member and donor Coleman Burke was so moved by your response that he increased his support for the program, allowing us to award more funds than we had initially expected. We’ll be opening another round of Burke Grant applications later this year, and at that time, we’ll have a webinar to discuss how to develop a competitive grant application. Thank you to all who submitted proposals, and to each of you working hard in your communities every day.

Sandhill Crane. Photo: Steve Torna/Audubon Photography Awards

Upcoming Webinar: Building Your Chapter Board Due to popular demand, we’ll be holding a repeat of the “Board Building and Governance for Volunteer-Run Chapters” on Tuesday, March 13, 4p.m. ET/1p.m. PT. The webinar will explore key concepts of board building and good governance and help you create a stronger chapter board development strategy specific to the needs of your organization. Register here. A strong, engaged board is critical to each Audubon chapter’s ability to deliver programs, recruit new participants, and stay financially sustainable. The webinar is presented by Katha Kissman, a BoardSource senior governance consultant, who has more than 25 years of experience managing and consulting with nonprofits. Following the webinar, attendees are invited to book individualized coaching sessions with Katha.

Expanded offshore drilling threatens countless birds including Brown Pelicans. Photo: Jean Hall/Audubon Photography Awards

Please Share this Offshore Drilling Action Alert The proposed offshore drilling plan by the administration would mean an unprecedented expansion of oil and gas drilling off of America’s coasts, putting hundreds of species of birds and numerous coastal communities in jeopardy. The stakes are far too high and we must make our voices heard. The deadline for comments is soon approaching on March 9. Please urge your members to send an official public comment to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) asking them to reject this dangerous plan to vastly expand offshore drilling.

Northern Harrier. Photo: Brad Lewis/Audubon Photography Awards

Audubon Endorses Bipartisan Climate Bill In other policy news: here’s a link to Audubon’s statement endorsing the bipartisan bill introduced in Congress to encourage climate innovation. Led by Congressmen Dan Lipinski (D-IL) and John Faso (R-NY), the Challenges and Prizes for Climate Act of 2018 takes advantage of existing federal prize authority to spur innovation to combat our changing climate. Audubon President and CEO David Yarnold said, “America needs bipartisan approaches to climate change like investing in clean energy technology. It’s time to start with meaningful solutions like this legislation.” David Yarnold’s quote appears in the press release from Rep. Lipinski’s office. Here’s a tweet you can share on your social media channels.

Western Bluebird. Photo: Rick Lewis/Audubon Photography Awards

Send Your Conservation Wins to the American Birding Association The American Birding Association is on the lookout for conservation milestones to feature in their spring 2018 issue of Birder’s Guide to Conservation & Community magazine. If your chapter has a great conservation project that you would like to share, this is an opportunity to showcase your work nationwide. Learn more here. The closing date to submit your story is March 20. You can read the conservation milestones shared in the May 2017 Birder’s Guide to Conservation & Community here.

An interpretive sign in Railroad Park funded by Birmingham Audubon as part of their Urban Bird Habitat Initiative. Photo: Greg Harber/Birmingham Audubon Society Board Member

Executive Director opportunities: Birmingham Audubon and Tucson Audubon Two dynamic Audubon chapters are looking for new executive directors – Birmingham Audubon and Tucson Audubon. Please share these opportunities with individuals who you think might be interested or who could be a good fit.

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