National Audubon Society

Chapter Chatter Newsletter June 2020

Protesters gather at a memorial for George Floyd in Minneapolis

As part of #BlackBirdersWeek, National Audubon Society’s Government Affairs Coordinator and former Audubon PA fellow, Tykee James, hosted Facebook Live events with two phenomenal panels of Black birders. You may see yourself in the panelists or in the anecdotes they share. Maybe some of both. Regardless, the conversations are honest, eye-opening, and thought-provoking. They are unsettling and humorous. Heartbreaking and hopeful. It can’t be overstated how powerful these conversations are and how important it is to share in them. You can watch them here and here.

Listening comes up over and over again in the episodes mentioned above, the resources listed below, and in conversations across the network. Truly listening. Setting aside preconceptions and opening up to truly hear and learn from the perspectives and experiences of others.

As David Ringer, Audubon’s Chief Network Officer, put it last week, “We need to say explicitly that everyone should feel welcome and safe in the Audubon family, and we need to help change the laws and practices that continue to perpetuate injustice. Yes, that’s part of our conservation mission!”Read more from #BlackBirdersWeek

Protesters gather at a memorial for George Floyd in Minneapolis. Photo: John Minchillo/AP

Listen: There are so many voices sharing their stories right now.

Learn: Have a look at this list of books, podcasts, videos and more to help strengthen your understanding and broaden your awareness.

Take Action:

Consider how you can utilize your platform to make a statement of support of Black Lives Matter, safer communities, or doing the work of becoming more educated and aware of how you can make a difference.
Diversify your chapter’s social media feed, as well as your own! Try exploring and adding voices outside of your “normal” and see if there are opportunities to elevate voices of color in particular.
Connect to an organization that supports the black community and ask what they need. Look for ways your chapter can creatively cultivate new partnerships using any of the multitude of remote collaboration tools available.

Collaboration Opportunities

Bird Habitat Recognition Program Working Group

Audubon PA’s Bird Habitat Recognition Program is a wonderful way to cultivate relationships and encourage community engagement, all while enhancing habitat for birds.

This summer we’re evaluating the program in an effort to elevate it across the statewide network in the years to come. We want your help to determine what is great, what could use a few tweaks, and what could be added to the program.

The working group will collaborate virtually on a monthly or semi-monthly (as needed) basis from June through December with the goal of rolling out a retooled version of the program to the chapter network in late fall and a full relaunch in 2021.

Join the working group by emailing Kelly.McGinley@audubon.org.

Mosaic Grant Opportunity

Mosaic is a new national initiative geared toward supporting small, grassroots organizations engaged in environmental protection and/or environmental justice work. In response to COVID-19, they are making $1 million of rapid response grants to individual organizations and networks to fund tools & technology, training, and related resources needed as a result of the pandemic.

Chapters can apply individually or come together and apply as a larger network. The application deadline is July 2^nd with funding opportunities ranging from $10,000-$50,000.

Contact Kelly.McGinley@audubon.org if your chapter is interested in pursuing this opportunity as part of a larger network.
See the full RFP and application here.

Opportunity: Social Media Collab

A brand new opportunity for Audubon chapter leaders to partner with leaders from Audubon campus chapters has just become available. Audubon Social Media Collab is a 6-week program (July 8-August 19) designed to increase social media capacity for local chapters while providing a resume-building experience for Audubon on Campus chapter leaders. This is not an in-person activity – your connection with the student would be virtual. The program is open to all levels, so whether your chapter is new to social media, or wants to focus on a particular project, please apply.

Learn more!

Northern Bobwhite. Photo: Lindsay Donald/Audubon Photography Awards

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1201 Pawlings Road, Audubon, PA 19403
610-666-5593 | pa.audubon.org

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