Rising Together in a Year Like No Other
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Rising ONE together in a year like no other SKY ANNUAL REPORT 2020 1 CONTENTS 2 From Our Board Chair WHAT DOES IT MEAN to share one sky— 4 Responding to COVID-19 one community, one planet, one future? 6 A More Equitable Audubon 8 Engaging the Next Generation How can we live harmoniously with other species, 12 Climate, Policy, and Advocacy wisely in the face of new global challenges, 16 Hemispheric Conservation and justly alongside fellow human beings? 20 Sharing One Sky 22 Financials 23 Friends and Partners This is a question 2020 asked of us all, 40 Our Reach but not one that will be answered easily. 46 Leadership Here’s how Audubon is responding. Soaring under one sky, lifting our spirits Strength. Courage. Resilience. Hope. This is what iconic species like the Bald Eagle gave many of us in an unprecedented year. As always, birds inspire us to look up, and remind us of the connections we all share. Western Meadowlark 1 FROM OUR BOARD CHAIR A MOMENT MET In a year of unforeseen challenges, we’re Black-capped Chickadee connecting with nature, communities, and one another. WHEN I THINK ABOUT WHAT’S most meaningful to me, I levels, defending bedrock environmental protections, racial groups. ...There is no such thing as a nonracist or think of people: communities of all ages and backgrounds and building toward full life-cycle conservation—all while race-neutral policy.” working hand in hand to make a future where humans supporting the next generation of conservationists. We also began reckoning with our own history, initiating and nature can both thrive under our one sky. That’s the With the social distancing brought on by the pandemic, what will be a deep examination of John James Audubon’s Audubon we’re building together, thanks to you. this year has shone a light on the ties that bind us to one history as an owner of enslaved people and a frontiers- The events of 2020 transformed so much about our world. another. When the familiar ways we connect to family, man who showed little regard for Indigenous people. I’m proud to chair an organization whose commitment to friends, and colleagues were abruptly severed, many These are the first steps in what will be a long journey to protecting birds and the places they need—and to the turned to nature for solace. But this was and is a luxury ensure that Audubon, the conservation movement, and people who make that possible—never wavered. In the not afforded to everyone. the work we do not only reflects the vibrant diversity of face of a global pandemic, economic collapse, and racial The year has also made clear the deeply entrenched our country, but actually benefits all people—particularly reckoning, Audubon responded nimbly, creatively, and challenges we must confront, perhaps none more stark those at greatest risk of environmental harm. with humility. Working with our many partners, Audubon than the systemic racism that permeates all facets of leaders and staff across the network thoughtfully adapted This won’t be easy, but I know that Audubon is up to the Maggie Walker American society, including a 115-year-old dominantly white to offer solutions to people and communities throughout task. With your support, we can redefine what 21st-century CHAIR, NATIONAL AUDUBON Audubon. In response, Audubon is intentionally evolving, America. From virtual bird walks attended by thousands conservation advocacy can be: inclusive, equitable, multi- SOCIETY BOARD and reevaluating, and shaping what we want and need to to new digital content like our weekly TV-style series, generational, and representative of all our communities. be: an antiracist organization. That means that everything I Saw A Bird, we brought people together. We shared the Audubon does—from conservation to policy to advocacy— Thanks for being a part of the flock. joy of birds and nature that unites Audubon’s 1.9 million should advance equity among people of different races. members—even when we were forced to be apart. We can’t sit on the sidelines. Ibram X. Kendi writes, Audubon has remained focused on its top priorities: in How to Be an Antiracist: “An antiracist policy is any advancing climate solutions at the local, state, and federal measure that produces or sustains racial equity between 2 3 RESPONDING TO COVID-19 Partnership brings native plants to (virtual) shelves With the goal of making native plants more accessible across the U.S., Audubon embarked on a groundbreak- A ing partnership with Bower & Branch to release the first-ever branded line of Audubon® Native Plants for Birds, available for sale online. The partner- ship brings Audubon to new regions and markets, and makes it easier for gardeners QUICK to purchase neonicotinoid-free plants and trees native to their region, while supporting the birds and pollinators that visit them. Thousands flock to online advocacy trainings PIVOT Even before COVID forced many to work remotely, Audubon’s campaign team was developing virtual training webinars Even as our activities have shifted online to engage and educate a broader group due to COVID-19, we’ve found reasons for of enthusiastic supporters. Interest remains high: Since January, more than hope in unexpected places. 2,000 advocates from 48 states—plus Canada and Belize—joined these monthly sessions. By learning new advocacy skills and best practices, participants WHEN MUCH OF THE COUNTRY went into lockdown in March, can immediately take action at the local, once-bustling cities suddenly confronted a profound state, or federal level. silence. Birdsong cut through the unfamiliar quiet and the sound of sirens, reminding us that even amid tragedy, hope can be found in nature. Backyard birding became a new pastime for many, and people flooded Audubon with their bird observations, discovering joy and respite in a time of heightened anxiety and grief. In the move to a digital world, Audubon pivoted with its trademark creativity and speed. Audubon centers and state offices hosted record-setting Facebook Live events ranging from virtual bird outings to livestreams of places like Pascagoula River, Rowe Sanctuary, and Corkscrew Swamp. Throughout spring migration, our popular weekly online TV-style series, I Saw A Bird—which averaged 30,000 viewers per episode—brought together scientists, A continuous, field experts, and celebrity guests to talk about birds, cyclical journey birdwatching, and conservation. Year after year, birds like the White- With many summer camps canceled, thousands of eyed Vireo travel thousands of miles families turned to Audubon for Kids/Audubon para niños. along the Atlantic Flyway. As they The bilingual online platform features interactive, educa- Robert, left, and Lund Krug scan fly south this fall, we admire their tional activities adapted from Audubon Adventures and the sky while on a bird walk perseverance, take comfort in the with New York City Audubon in Audubon nature centers that encourage kids of all ages Battery Park in Lower Manhattan familiar patterns they create, and will to learn about birds and the planet. during fall migration. savor the moment of their return. 4 5 A MORE EQUITABLE AUDUBON Students compare soil samples Black Birders Week collected during an Eco takes flight Investigation, an educational program run by Dogwood Canyon Outraged by Christian Cooper’s racist Audubon Center that connects treatment in Central Park, birder and young people with nature. Georgia Southern University graduate FOR student Corina Newsome co-organized the first ever Black Birders Week, with five days of virtual events celebrating the Black experience in birding, con- servation, and the natural sciences. Newsome hopes to counter harmful ONE narratives of the outdoors as a majority white space, educate the birding com- munity about the overt racism Black birders encounter, and build a more inclusive community. Tykee James, Audubon’s government affairs coordi- AND nator, who co-organized the initiative, hopes the overwhelming support for Black Birders Week “is a snowflake that will become an avalanche” for the environmental movement. ALL FROM THE WIDESPREAD DEMONSTRATIONS in the wake of Silence and inaction uphold racism. It is not enough for We’re building a new Audubon the killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony equity, diversity, and inclusion to be among Audubon’s McDade, and Breonna Taylor, to the ongoing reckoning core values. We must be explicitly and consistently anti- that’s inclusive, equitable, with racism in the birding community accelerated by the racist in all that we do by reckoning with our past and multigenerational, and deeply appalling treatment of New York City Audubon board working to create greater equity and access for people member Christian Cooper in Central Park, to the higher of all races, colors, and backgrounds in our nation, our rooted in all communities. COVID death rates in Black and brown communities, this history, our movement, and our organization. year’s events have laid bare the racial inequities embed- The steps we’ve taken to date are just the beginning of ded in the United States. a long-overdue journey. We’re committed to listening Birds connect people We believe the outdoors should be safe and accessible humbly, evaluating our progress critically, and learning across places to all, regardless of race or color. But Black birders and from our errors as we build an Audubon for all and by all. This past spring, Corina Newsome, nature enthusiasts are all too familiar with experiences like Tykee James, and Christian Cooper Christian Cooper’s. Birding and the outdoors have never might have all seen the same American truly been safe for people of color, and we must act on our Redstart as it traveled through Georgia, values and work together to change that.