Special 40Th Anniversary Issue

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The newsletter of New York City Audubon • 71 W. 23rd St. • Suite 1523 • New York, NY 10010 (212) 691-7483 40th Anniversary Issue October 2019

Celebrating 40 Years of New York City Audubon

40th Anniversary 1 NYC AUDUBON MISSION & STATEMENT Mission: NYC Audubon is a grassroots A Bird’s-Eye View from Kathryn Heintz & community that works for the protection of wild birds and habitat in the five boroughs, improving the President’s Perch Jeffrey Kimball the quality of life for all New Yorkers.

Vision: NYC Audubon envisions a day when birds s this 40th anniversary issue of The Urban Audubon goes to press (October 2019), and people in the five boroughs enjoy a healthy, livable habitat. the journal Science has reported a staggering loss of North American birds. A decline of 29 percent, or almost 3 billion individual birds since 1970, is thought THE URBAN AUDUBON A 40TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION to be due in large part to habitat loss and degradation, pesticide use, predation by domestic Editors Lauren Klingsberg & Marcia T. Fowle cats, and window collisions. Particularly sharp declines were observed in grassland birds Chief Editor and Art Director Tod Winston (53 percent), shorebirds (37 percent), and warblers (37 percent). Over the last decade, the Designer Andrew Maas Newsletter Committee Seth Ausubel; Lucienne mass of migrating birds, as detected by radar, has itself dropped by 14 percent—and the Bloch; Ned Boyajian; Suzanne Charlé; Rebekah greatest decline was observed in birds migrating through the eastern US.

Creshkoff; Diane Darrow; Catherine Schragis © NYC Audubon Heller; Mary Jane Kaplan; Abby McBride; This loss hits home, and deeply. The Hillarie O’Toole; Don Riepe; Carol Peace Robins; findings are even more disturbing in light Lewis Rosenberg Publisher NYC Audubon of the great and uncertain threat posed to our birds by climate change. Looking back BOARD OF DIRECTORS President Jeffrey Kimball on our organization’s accomplishments, we Executive Vice President Robert Bate are struck by the foresight of early NYC Vice President Karen Benfield Vice President Richard H. Fried, VMD Audubon activists in addressing threats to Vice President Catherine Schragis Heller the City’s birds and their habitat. And as we Vice President Sarah Jeffords seek to be as effective as we must be in the Vice President Lawrence Levine Vice President Rachel Quiñones next 40 years, we must return to our activist Treasurer Drianne Benner roots—and pledge to engage the vast and Secretary Alexander Ewing Immediate Past President Harrison D. Maas diverse population of New York City in our Directors Seth Ausubel; Marsilia A. Boyle; struggle. Shawn Cargil; César A. Castillo; Christian Cooper; Board President Jeff Kimball, Executive Director Tatiana Kaletsch; Deborah Laurel; Jenny Maritz; The challenges are enormous—but Alan Steel; Michael Tannen; Richard Veit, PhD; NYC Audubon’s conservation work gives Kathryn Heintz in Madison Square Park Michael Yuan us hope. Warblers and other migratory songbirds are among the most common victims ADVISORY COUNCIL of bird-window collisions—and this year we successfully advocated for the introduction Co-Chair Marcia T. Fowle*; Co-Chair James R. Sheffield; of bird-friendly building design legislation in the New York City Council. We support and Richard T. Andrias; Sarah Grimké Aucoin; monitor green roofs and capped-landfill parks that host native plants and grassland areas. Claude Bloch, MD; David Burg*; Albert K. Butzel; Cliff Case; Rebekah Creshkoff; Andrew Darrell; Staten Island’s Freshkills Park and Brooklyn’s Shirley Chisholm State Park are examples Joseph H. Ellis; Andrew Farnsworth, PhD; of such new urban spaces that provide habitat for Grasshopper Sparrows, Eastern Lynne Hertzog; Mary Jane Kaplan; Meadowlarks, and Bobolinks. These grassland areas build upon NYC Audubon’s early Robert J. Kimtis; Lauren Klingsberg; Kimberly Kriger; Janice Laneve; Pamela Manice; successes, such as the 1985 preservation of Floyd Bennett Field. Peter Rhoades Mott*; Dorothy M. Peteet, PhD; We maintain our long-time commitment to protecting waterbirds and the rich habitat Don Riepe; Lewis Rosenberg; John Shemilt; David Speiser; Tom Stephenson provided by our city’s 578 miles of coastline. We survey both nesting and migrant shore- *Past President birds to better understand their habitat needs, and continue our 35-year monitoring of STAFF the Harbor Herons. Many waterbird species depend upon the wetland and island habitats Executive Director Kathryn Heintz preserved by NYC Audubon’s early advocacy work, as detailed in this issue. Our long-term Director of Conservation & Science Susan Elbin, PhD scientific data can be marshalled to defend these birds and prevent further habitat loss. Conservation Biologist Kaitlyn Parkins NYC Audubon began as a grassroots organization run by far-sighted volunteers. Field Biologist Emilio Tobón Programs Manager Danielle Sherman We owe them an enormous debt—a debt we can repay by moving their work forward. Advocacy & Outreach Manager Molly Adams Four decades on, we are a larger organization with a professional staff. Our goals remain Volunteer Coordinator Aurora Crooks the same, however, and we walk in our founders’ footsteps by using sound science and Director of Development Kellye Rosenheim Institutional Giving Manager Anne Schwartz advocacy to protect birds and their habitat in New York City. As you read the history of Development Associate Leo Wexler-Mann NYC Audubon in this issue, we hope you will be inspired to take a step for our birds. Communications Manager Andrew Maas Communications Content Manager, Where will that step lead you? Special Projects Tod Winston To learn about NYC Audubon’s plan for the future, visit www.nycaudubon.org/ Controller David Cavill strategicplan2020-2025.

2 www.nycaudubon.org In This Issue 40th Anniversary © Don Riepe NYC AUDUBON 71 West 23rd Street Suite 1523 New York, NY 10010 Tel: 212-691-7483 Fax: 646-606-3301 www.nycaudubon.org

Cover Issue/Photo or Art (clockwise from top left): Sep. 1979; Jan.-Feb. 2011/Dorothy Reilly; Apr. 1992; Jul.-Aug. 2005/Rik Davis; Spring 2016/ Lloyd Spitalnik; Winter 2016-2017/Don Riepe; Aug.-Sep. 2003/Alan Messer; Summer 2016/ David Speiser; Nov. 1989; Summer 2015/François Portmann. Banner Art/Logo: Betty Hamilton; Muriel Henriques; Leslie Watkins; Roger Whitehouse (logo). P.2 Top Photo: Steve Nanz. 11 © Lynn Rollins

FEATURES 5 Bird’s-Eye View by Marcia T. Fowle

6 The Beginning by Lew Rosenberg

8 NYC Audubon Timeline

11 Conservation Notes through the Years 8 by Susan Elbin, PhD 12 Preserving Habitat for Four Decades by Don Riepe

14 The Origins of Project Safe Flight by Rebekah Creshkoff

16 Harbor Herons Looks to the Past—and the Future by Tod Winston

18 NYC Audubon Takes a Stand by Molly Adams 22 22 40 Years of Art and Photography 26 The Evolution of a Logo 27 In Memoriam

DEPARTMENTS 19 Volunteer! 24 Events and Adventures By Mary Jane Kaplan 20 Lectures 30 Acknowledgments over 40 Years 21 Book Reviews and 24 Reader Submissions 31 Support NYC Audubon’s Mission 40th Anniversary 3 BOARD PRESIDENTS BOARD DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS (ALPHABETICAL ORDER) (CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER) Barbara Abel; Arlene Adler; Joan Allen; Oakes Ames; Allan Andrade; Sean Andrews; Richard T. Andrias; Emily Jones* Deborah Appel; Albert F. Appleton*; Seth Ausubel; Dennis Bader; Caryl Baron; Brenda Torres-Barreto; Albert F. Appleton* Robert Bate; Karen Benfield; Drianne Benner; Kim Berman; Lorraine Besher*; Daniel A. Biederman; Ronald Bette Brookshire-McGrath* Bourque; Ned Boyajian; Marsilia A. Boyle; Bette Brookshire-McGrath*; Blanche Brown*; David Burg; Shawn Norman Stotz Cargil; Clifford Case; Lynne Cashman; César A. Castillo; Deborah Chomiew; Kirsten Christophe; Barbara Geoffrey Cobb Ryan* Cohen; Sam Coleman*; Christian Cooper; Judy Craig; Suzanne Crosby; Jennifer Danis; Michael Delle Cese*; Ronald Bourque Madeline Dennis; Linda Dunn; Stephan Eins*; Sharon Elliot; Sally Ellyson*; Aline Euler; Christina Evans; Richard Garretson Echo Evetts*; Alexander Ewing; Andrew Farnsworth, PhD; Sandra Fiebelkorn; William Fleming*; Marcia T. David Burg Fowle; Lee Frankel; Asher Fried*; Richard H. Fried, VMD; John Ganzi; Richard Garretson; Richard Gershon; Peter Rhoades Mott Steven Gibaldi; Judy Goodstein; Diana Greene; Galen Guengerich; Elizabeth Halaki; Tarrant Hancock; Lynn Rollins Ellen Hartig; Milton Heiberg; Catherine Schragis Heller; Lynne Hertzog; Cullen Howe; Wesley Howell; Noel Marcia T. Fowle D. Humphreys; Mark Izeman; Gail Jankus; Sarah Jeffords; Frank B. Jewett; Emily Jones*; Peter Joost; Oakes Ames Tatiana Kaletsch; Peggy Kane; Ed Kaplan; Mary Jane Kaplan; Ari Kavour; Diane Keating; Jared Keyes; Harrison D. Maas Jeffrey Kimball; Robert J. Kimtis; Lauren Klingsberg; Elizabeth Krahmer; Gloria Kuhn; Deborah Laurel; Jeffrey Kimball Karen Lavine; Andrew Lehman; Janice Laneve; Alan M. Levine; Lawrence Levine; Anne Litke; Robert Loeb; Domenic Lofaso; Laura Luciano; Harrison D. Maas; Pamela Manice; Lee Marcott; Jenny Maritz; Lynne EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS Matusow; E. J. McAdams; Cheryl Miller; Peter Rhoades Mott; Juliette Muscatt; Steve Nanz; Eugene Nardelli; (CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER) Michael Nelson; Jayne Nozik; Alfred Ott; Linda Pasquale*; Dorothy M. Peteet, PhD; Danielle Ponsolle; Marcia T. Fowle Dorothy Poole; Peter Post; Rachel Quiñones; Joan Rech; Ilene Rich; Don Riepe; Ed Roberts*; Lynn Rollins; Sean Andrews Lewis Rosenberg*; Sheila Rosenberg; Gillian Rosenfeld; Geoffrey Cobb Ryan*; Jorge Santiago; Starr Saphir; Todd Fiorentino Ina Schwartz; Dimitri Sevastopoulo; Harriet Shalat; Anna Shapiro; Harriet Shapiro; Leslie Sharpe; James Peter Rhoades Mott R. Sheffield; John Shemilt; Peter Shen; Deirdre Silberstein; Howard Snyder; Fredric Spar; Beverly Sparling; E. J. McAdams David Speiser; Mairead Stack; Alan Steel; Tom Stephenson; Norman Stotz; Kristen Stram; John Suggs; John Glenn Phillips Tanacredi; Michael Tannen; David Tiemann; Herbert Trossman; Richard Veit, PhD; Scott Walter; Chris Ward; Kathryn Heintz Sally Weiss; Sarah Young; Michael Yuan; Ted Zinn

URBAN AUDUBON EDITORS ADVISORY COUNCIL (ALPHABETICAL ORDER) (CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER) Louise K. Ames; Oakes Ames; Richard T. Andrias; Carol Ash; Sarah Grimké Aucoin; Drianne Benner; Lewis Rosenberg* Peter A. A. Berle; Peter P. Blanchard Ill; Claude Bloch, MD; Marsilia A. Boyle; Bernard P. Brennan, PhD; Sally Ellyson* David Burg; Albert K. Butzel; Clifford Case; Rebekah Creshkoff; Andrew Darrell; Joseph H. Ellis; Andrew Lynne Matusow Farnsworth, PhD; Sandra Fiebelkorn; Barbara J. Fife; Marcia T. Fowle (co-chair); Meyer S. Frucher; Richard Danielle Ponsolle Gershon; Rev. Galen Guengerich; Lynn Hertzog; Mary Jane Kaplan; DeWitte T. Kersh III; Robert J. Kimtis; Bette Brookshire-McGrath* Lauren Klingsberg; Kimberly Kriger; Janice Laneve; Melanie Lyons; Harrison D. Maas; Pamela Manice; Harriet Shapiro E. J. McAdams; Mary Tyler Moore; Peter Rhoades Mott; Stephanie T. Mott; George J. Mullen, Jr.; Philip John Helak Palmer; Alexander Papachristou; Wendy Paulson; Dorothy M. Peteet, PhD; Hector P. Prud’homme; Rebecca Lynn Kelly (copy editor) Rendall; Don Riepe; Adam Robinson; Lynn Rollins; Lewis Rosenberg*; James R. Sheffield (co-chair); Kathy Barbara Hastings (assistant S. Simmons; Stephanie M. Simmons; David Speiser; Lloyd Spitalnik; Tom Stephenson; Alison Strong; A. editor) Richard Turner; Cal Vornberger Carol Newman (graphics editor) *Founding board member, elected December 12, 1979. Domenic Lofaso Liz Farrell NYC AUDUBON’S VOLUNTEERS AND STAFF Susan Walsh Since its inception in 1979, New York City Audubon’s conservation work has been accomplished by Marcia T. Fowle hundreds upon hundreds of people, both volunteers and staff, dedicated to protecting the City’s birds. Lauren Klingsberg Volunteers founded this organization—and our board and advisory council, acknowledged on this Susan Bates (art editor) page, are indeed themselves volunteers. Volunteers have been this organization’s lifeblood: They’ve Tod Winston (managing editor) spoken out against unwise development, worked diligently to protect and enhance vulnerable habitat, Andrew Maas (managing editor) answered phones and stuffed envelopes in the office, led bird walks across the City, pounded the pavement to document dead and injured birds, tagged spawning horseshoe crabs in the dark, and surveyed and monitored the City’s birdlife. They’ve donated countless photographs and art pieces. They’ve created The Urban Audubon, the Look Around New York City children’s newsletter, and our website. As NYC Audubon has grown, some of this work have been assumed by our staff—a staff, like our volunteer corps, that has carried out a labor of love. NYC Audubon’s 40 years of volunteers and staff are too numerous to acknowledge here by name. We would be nothing, however, without all those who have given their time, energy, and passion on behalf of New York City’s birds. Thank you. 4 www.nycaudubon.org BIRD’S-EYe VIeW Marcia T. Fowle Marcia T. Fowle, NYC Audubon’s first executive director, middle of the Arthur Kill, it conked out, a microscopic later served as board president and is currently co-chair vessel among huge container ships. With a single oar and of the advisory council. She has been co-editor of The as Snowy and Great Egrets flew overhead, Peter paddled Urban Audubon since 1998, and co-authored The us to Staten Island’s marshy shore. The funders and I got New York City Audubon Guide to Finding Birds in the back to Manhattan, hours later, quite exhilarated. And Metropolitan Area. NYC Audubon garnered two foundation grants, perhaps by scaring the funders out of their wits. n 1992, the all-volunteer NYC Audubon was seeking In 1994 Board Member (also later president) David its first executive director—and I completed a Master Burg and I launched the Jamaica Bay Coastal Habitat Iof Science degree at Hunter College’s Graduate School Restoration Project. For two years experts surveyed of Urban Affairs and Planning. I interviewed with breeding, migratory, and wintering birds; marine the board of directors and landed the job, with no invertebrates; and dragonflies and butterflies. This inkling of how life-changing it would be. scientific research led to restoration and manage- I was not a “birder” in 1992, but had always ment strategies including a diverse assemblage of been a conservationist and an outdoor enthusi- Girl Scouts, City Volunteers, and the neighboring ast—a hiker, biker, and, when my children were Rockaway community. young, a catcher of snakes and toads. My coursework With the aim of diversifying our audience and mem- at Hunter covered environmental law, so I felt prepared bership, in 1994 we offered free family bird walks at to tackle this new challenge. I found a NYC Audubon Central Park’s Dana Discovery Center, at the edge of already well versed in environmental controversy, Harlem. These walks were not well attended, unfortu- however: the intrepid young chapter had successfully nately—and we discontinued them, vowing we’d try opposed the Westway Project along the Hudson River, a again. Sure enough, NYC Audubon now leads popular Con Edison plan to use high-sulfur oil and coal in Queens free walks throughout the City, and continues to expand and Staten Island, and a New York City Department of programming in underrepresented communities. Parks & Recreation (NYC Parks) plan to spray pesticides As I wound down my years as executive director, 50 to control gypsy moths. volunteers completed an official Breeding Bird Census of During the six years I served as executive director; Central Park. We confirmed 31 nesting species; American numerous experienced volunteers helped with the day-to- Robins topped the list at 207 pairs. Also included were day operation. Norman Stotz, the soul of the organization Pale Male and Blue, his mate at that time. and the fount of all things Audubon, © Betty Hamilton My years with New York City was with me most days. He manned Audubon have been an inspira- the telephone, answering all sorts tional ride. I’ve discovered that of birdy questions with authority birdlife in the City awakens a and humor. Calls were beginning special appreciation of nature, in to come in about dead birds at the all its complexity and unpredict- base of glassy buildings; Rebekah ability. I’ve worked with an extraor- Creshkoff and her Project Safe Flight dinary group of peers: compassion- team soon revealed the enormity of ate, smart, witty, and determined. this issue in the City. And whether perilously adrift in After I’d been on the job for the Arthur Kill, disappointed at a bit, Board Member Peter Mott the Dana Discovery Center, or (later board president) and I enticed eaten alive by mosquitoes in the two potential funders out to see Marcia T. Fowle and past Board President, Rockaways, I have treasured my nesting herons on Shooters and Interim Executive Director, and current work with this rare organization. Prall’s Islands, off Staten Island’s Advisory Council Member Peter Rhoades I cheer on NYC Audubon, now in northwest shore. We set out on Mott attend a 1997 ceremony designating its 40th year, for its innovative, the “Nautubon,” a temperamen- Jamaica Bay as an Important Bird Area (IBA) informed, and courageous support tal 12-foot powerboat—and in the of Global Significance. (November 1997) of New York City’s wildlife. 40th Anniversary 5 THe BeGINNING Lew Rosenberg

Lew Rosenberg is a founding member of © Sheila Rosenberg tation of the conservancy’s plan would NYC Audubon and original co-editor of diminish bird habitat, NYC Audubon The Urban Audubon (with Sally Ellyson). appeared before relevant community He later served as vice president and is a boards in opposition to the plan— longtime member of the advisory council. and in the end, the plan was altered to be more bird-friendly. The chapter’s s reported in the very first actions were prominently covered in issue of The Urban Audubon, The New York Times. NYC Audubon A published in September 1979 then participated in forming the Central (see original cover on page 7), thirty Park Woodlands Advisory Board, which fellow birders and I met in May 1978 continues to provide naturalist input on to explore the possibility of forming a park planning. New York City chapter of the National At the first general meeting in Audubon Society. While the Linnaean October 1979, Emily Jones, later elected Society of New York at the American as NYC Audubon’s first president, Museum of Natural History filled the Lew Rosenberg in the 1970s was introduced as chairperson. niche for bird study, many of us saw celebrating his return—and focused on Formation of the first committees an unmet need for a local, broad- my wife and fellow birder Sheila, who was announced—headed by Betty based environmental organization that also served on NYC Audubon’s early Brookshire, Geoffrey Cobb Ryan, Sally could advocate for habitat in City parks board of directors. Ellyson, and myself—along with a and other natural areas. At the time, From 1978 to 1982, a cadre of calendar of upcoming events. (See the the City was just emerging from the regular Central Park bird watchers original text below.) The speaker for the financial crisis of the early 1970s, when successfully opposed a Central Park December meeting was Robert Arbib, funds for parks were scarce and main- Conservancy plan to “restore” the then editor of American Birds and the tenance was in decline. Ramble through changes such as tree coordinator for the annual Christmas Even before NYC Audubon was removal. Having formed a committee Bird Count. Coincidently, Sheila and I formally established, future members and met with the task force and land- were the compilers of the Central Park emerged as a force to be reckoned scaper overseeing the work, Sheila and Christmas Count the following year, with, giving birders a new identity as other bird-watchers spent hundreds after which the dozen participants environmental activists. Several early of hours preparing the 40-page Report gathered to compare notes over a cup successes involved Central Park: In of Birding Areas in the Ramble. Based of coffee at the Central Park Boathouse. 1977 the City closed the Central Park upon this assessment that implemen- Paul Montgomery, a New York Times Boathouse during the winter months, denying access to its heated snack bar and logbook of bird sightings (conceived by notable birder Sarah Elliott, long before the advent of eBird). A successful petition to reopen the Boathouse enlisted birders, joggers, and cyclists—as well as then City Councilman (and later NYC Parks Commissioner) Henry Stern. Similar tactics had earlier effected the return to the Central Park Police Precinct of “birdwatching cop” Dennis Foley, after he had been involuntarily transferred out of the park. A New Yorker article All reproductions from historical issues of The Urban Audubon are labeled with reported on a party at the Boathouse their issue date. (The reproduction above is from the November 1979 issue.) 6 www.nycaudubon.org Front Page of the First Issue of The Urban Audubon (September 1979) reporter who accompanied us, wrote up court as environmentally unsound, in chapter’s volunteers and staff continue his experience in an article entitled “A a groundbreaking ruling, after a suit to foster the values that we who formed Holiday That Counts.” The Central Park brought by the Sierra Club. Early board it hoped would be adopted, but never Christmas Bird Count, now presided meetings were held at my law firm’s could envision so fully actualized. over by the chapter, has grown to conference room, until we rented an Those values have never been more involve many participants who gather office in Masonic Hall, where the office needed: my wildest imagination could at the Arsenal for a festive celebration is today. That first office was occupied also not have foreseen the challenges and an elaborate digital compilation. exclusively by volunteers led by Norman we now face in the undermining of fun- The first election of NYC Audubon Stotz, until the scope of activity and the damental environmental regulations, officers was held at the December 1979 budget justified full-time staff. including the Endangered Species Act, meeting, where the proposed Westway In the years that have followed, undertaken by the present administra- project, planning a broad highway along I’ve watched NYC Audubon blossom tion in Washington. We must redouble the Hudson River on Manhattan’s West beyond my wildest imagination to our efforts to preserve not only birds, Side, was hotly discussed. Westway a position of preeminence in the but the planet itself, through continued was later ruled unlawful by the federal birding and environmental arena. The education and advocacy. 40th Anniversary 7 NYC AUDUbON TIMeLINe

1979 First fund-raising ecocruise (September) Pesticide spraying for gypsy moths defeated First issue of The Urban Audubon (Sept.) Floyd Bennett Field grasslands sanctuary Support for a state-wide bottle bill, federal Clean proposed by Jean and Ron Bourque Air Act, Endangered Species Act renewal First general meeting (Oct. 17) First board of directors elected (Dec. 12) 1981 1983 Christo installation in Central Park successfully First birding course, by Emily Jones, is opposed “oversubscribed”

1984 Look Around New York City first created by Naola Gersten-Woolf First NYC Audubon Birdathon NYC Audubon “adopts” Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge

(January 1980) (May-June 1981) 1985 Inventory of city habitat planned by Al Appleton Prall’s Island Urban Audubon Wildlife Refuge First office rented in Masonic Hall and Asher Fried established (Feb. 21, 1985) First annual chapter awards First consecutive Harbor Herons survey (of 35)

1986 Floyd Bennett Field grasslands restoration project begun Harbor Herons boat, the “Nautubon,” acquired

1987 Jamaica Bay’s Mott Basin Wetland preserved Buffer the Bay published (November-December 1981) Staten Island’s Goethals Bridge Pond purchased by NY State (May 1980) First annual photo contest 1980 1988 1982 Westway Project, high-sulfur oil and coal, Indian Jamaica Bay’s Dubos Point Wildlife Sanctuary Point Nuclear Plant opposed Opposition to habitat destruction in the and Bayswater Point State Park established Ramble led by Lew and Sheila Rosenberg (Oct. 6, 1988) © Betty Hamilton

(Photo and caption, March 1992)

(November-December 1980) (March-April 1982) Audubon Council of New York State formed by Geoffrey Cobb Ryan and Norman Stotz House Finch voted “official chapter bird” at first First Harbor Herons Survey of Shooters and annual meeting Prall’s Islands South Brother Island acquired by NY State 8 www.nycaudubon.org NYC AUDUbON TIMeLINe Based in part on a previous record compiled by past Board President and Secretary Geoffrey Cobb Ryan © Alan Thomas © Alan 1989 Jamaica Bay, Central Park, Harbor Heron Islands nominated as Important Bird Areas Campaigns to preserve Long Island Sound and Sterling Forest, NY 1997 1990 Project Safe Flight founded Exxon oil spill in the Arthur Kill Songbird migration study on islands west of Staten Island Pale Male hatches Support for creation of Hudson River Park Butterfly gardens created at Jamaica Bay NWR, Floyd Bennett Field, Fort Tilden 1998 1991 Breeding Bird Census of Central Park Birding without a Car pamphlet published Opposition to Alley Pond Park bike trail

1992 1999 (Photo and caption, September-October 2005) Claude and Lucienne Bloch lecture Buffer the Bay Revisited published series founded Morgan Mail Building windows altered to be Opposition to garbage incineration by New York City more bird-friendly 2000 1993 2006 Toxic pesticide Avitrol banned in NYC Marcia T. Fowle hired as first executive director First Annual Shorebird Festival at Jamaica Bay Direct NYC Audubon membership with American Littoral Society Volunteer Service Award for “valuable ecological program instituted research” received from Mayor David Dinkins Bird Sanctuary in Riverside Park created Task force created to facilitate transfer of Advocacy for NY State Adirondack Bill and wetlands to NYC Parks Environmental Bond Act © Lynn Rollins 2001 1994 The New York City Audubon Guide to Finding Birds in the Metropolitan Area published Family birding walks at Dana Discovery Center An Islanded Nature published with the NYC Audubon library created by Trust for Public Land Jessie Kitching Earth Defender Award received from 2002 National Audubon Pale Male documentary screenings hosted At the Wetlands Task Force signing ceremony (left 1995 E. J. McAdams hired as executive director to right): NYC Audubon Executive Director E.J. First Tribute in Light monitoring McAdams, Richard Colon (Staff of City Council), Earth Day events held in all five boroughs Council Member James Gennaro, Alex Brash NYC Audubon advisory council formed (National Parks Conservation Association), Mayor 2003 Michael Bloomberg, DEP Commissioner Emily American Kestrel logo adopted Lloyd, NYC Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe, 1996 and Paul Mankiewicz (GAIA Institute). Audubon Urban Chapter Network Advocacy for NY State Clean Water/Clean Air (Photo and caption, January-February 2006) (AUCN) founded Bond Act © Lynn Rollins Advocacy for bird-friendly design at World 2007 Trade Center site South Brother Island transferred to New York City Parks © NYC Audubon © 2004 Pale Male and Lola nest removed from 927 Fifth Avenue (December 7) Tribute in Light memorial monitors observe thousands of migrants in light beams

Governor George E. Pataki, David J. Miller, executive director of National Audubon’s New 2005 York State field office, and Geoffrey Cobb Ryan, New nest platform for Pale Male erected board member and chair of the Audubon North and South Brother Islands Council of New York State at the September 28th Lights Out New York program introduced Audubon Council dinner at Bear Mountain Inn Glenn Phillips hired as executive director Bird-Safe Building Guidelines published (Photo and caption, December 1996) (Continues on page 10) 40th Anniversary 9 NYC Audubon Timeline (Continued)

2008 2013 2016 Pale Male nest platform studied and altered Plan proposed for restoration of Jamaica Brooklyn’s Kingsland Wildflowers green roof by Sandy Fiebelkorn Bay West Pond created in partnership with Broadway Stages © NYC Audubon Opposition to development of Highland Park/Ridgewood Reservoir 2014 Director of Conservation and Science D-Bird.org data tool launched Susan Elbin, PhD hired Program with the Port Authority to trap, band, and relocate Snowy Owls from 2009 airports Horseshoe crab monitoring and beach Bird-friendly glass testing begun at Bronx cleanups, funded by Toyota TogetherGreen Zoo flight tunnel © NYC Audubon Chimney Swift nesting towers erected as a memorial to founder Geoffrey Cobb Ryan Kingsland Wildflowers at Broadway Stages green roof Breeding Bird Census of Prospect Park NanoTag research with Semipalmated Sandpipers begun 2010 Harbor Herons Conservation Plan published 2017 Opposition to development of Pouch Camp Feathered Friends after-school program in Staten Island Greenbelt launched in the Bronx © NYC Audubon 2011 Development of Four Sparrow Marsh opposed A Hooded Warbler at the flight tunnel Webcam featuring NYU red-tailed hawks Native plant garden established in McGolrick “Bobby, Violet, and Pip,” in partnership Park, Brooklyn with The New York Times Kathryn Heintz hired as executive Shorebird monitoring with Rocking the director Boat students in the Bronx A Feathered Friends bird walk American Oystercatcher banding on Jamaica Bird-friendly renovation of Jacob K. Javits Bay beaches begun Convention Center completed by FXFowle Governors Island environmental center debuts © NYC Audubon Architects Green Roof Researchers Alliance founded 2015 2018 Bird-friendly Building Design updated Board committee on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion created Bird-friendly building legislation proposed Ridgewood Reservoir protected in collective victory of multiple partners

2019 A banded American Oystercatcher “Rodenticides and Birds of Prey” pamphlet published 2012 Great Egrets fitted with GPS/SMS 35th consecutive year of Harbor Herons Be a Good Egg program launched transmitters to study their migration in Nesting Surveys Advocacy for birds and habitat in the General research partnership Bird-friendly building design legislation Management Plan for Gateway NRA Tribute in Light turned off a record eight introduced in New York City Council times to protect migrating birds 10 www.nycaudubon.org Conservation Notes through the Years Susan Elbin, PhD © NYC Audubon © David Speiser

NYC Audubon’s conservation work protects many kinds of birds in New York City. Left: Dr. Elbin prepares leg bands for Double-crested Cormorants. Right: The Blackburnian Warbler is one of many neotropical migrants that benefit from bird-friendly building design and native stopover habitat in the City.

Susan Elbin, PhD, NYC Audubon’s director positioned to employ its scientific exper- in the City’s rich natural areas to refuel. of conservation and science since 2008, is an tise. We will continue to protect wild bird And as our early Project Safe Flight vol- ornithologist specializing in behavorial ecology habitat in the City from development or unteers discovered, many die in collisions and conservation. She is co-chair of the Harbor degradation—while providing safe passage with windows. Armed with scientific data Herons Subcommittee, holds leadership roles in to migratory birds through bird-friendly provided over many years by our monitor- the Waterbird Society and the Ornithological building design and green roof habitat. ing volunteers, through continuing collab- Council, and is an adjunct professor at In preserving habitat and providing orative research, and our crowdsourced Columbia University. safe passage, NYC Audubon protects two D-Bird.org database, NYC Audubon is principal groups of birds: waterbirds and committed to making the City safer for fter four decades, NYC Audubon’s migratory songbirds. Waterbirds use our our visiting migrants. We will do so by conservation work is still very harbor for nesting and stopover habitat. demanding bird-safe building design, by Amuch grounded in the efforts of As top-level predators in the harbor estu- reducing light pollution, and by creating our organization’s founders. These envi- ary ecosystem, they help recycle nutrients and enhancing habitat, including green ronmental pioneers were volunteers who in the harbor—and their success here is roofs, as safe havens for birds. collected data themselves, and hired scien- an indicator of clean water, secure nest- In the following pages, you’ll read tific consultants as necessary, to identify ing sites, and a plentiful food supply. Our both past and current accounts of our and protect critical wetland, grassland, and 35-year-old Harbor Herons nesting survey conservation programs. We applaud those upland bird habitat. As we’ve grown as a continues to collect vital data on the health who’ve brought us this far—and hope that professional organization, we’ve brought of breeding waterbirds, while our migratory reading about their efforts will inspire you conservation and science “in house”: in shorebird research provides insight into to get more deeply involved yourself. All 2008 NYC Audubon created a Director these vulnerable species’ movements and of our programs began in the same way: of Conservation position, expanding that use of our harbor’s ecological resources. a simple desire to make a difference for department in 2014 to include Science Migratory songbirds pass through the 350 species of birds that breed, winter and Conservation. Looking forward to the our City in spring and fall by the tens of over, and migrate through New York City. next 40 years, our expanded staff is well- millions, mostly at night, often landing 40th Anniversary 11 Preserving Habitat for Four Decades Don Riepe

Don Riepe is a past NYC Audubon vice president © Betty Hamilton and secretary, a current member of the advisory council, and a longtime birding guide and research partner. Following a career in the National Park Service, Don became northeast chapter director and Jamaica Bay Guardian for the American Littoral Society.

ince its inception in 1979, NYC Audubon has been deeply involved in Spreserving habitat for birds throughout New York City. In the 1980s the society initiated the “Buffer the Bay” program, whereby vacant lands in Queens and Brooklyn surrounding Jamaica Bay were surveyed and prioritized according to ecological values. Most of these lands were being held by New York City agencies such as Housing (Photo and caption, August-September 1995) and Urban Development (HUD) and the who wrote about people interacting with Economic Development Corporation nature using Jamaica Bay as a prime example. (EDC). NYC Audubon worked with the Following that success came Brant Trust for Public Land and the American Point (named for the little Brant goose) and Littoral Society to have these lands trans- Four Sparrow Marsh (named by past Board ferred to NYC Parks. Fortunately, Henry President and Secretary Ron Bourqe and his Stern, then the NYC Parks Commissioner, wife Jean). The latter site borders Flatbush was greatly in favor of accepting these lands Avenue and the Belt Parkway. My favorite as preserves. The first successful transfer site is Vernam-Barbadoes Terrapeninsula, (November 1989) was a 25-acre parcel in Far Rockaway named a 20-acre Forever Wild* preserve bor- wooded shoreline at Fresh Creek, Brooklyn, Dubos Point Wetlands Preserve. This site dered by Vernam and Barbadoes basins in also transferred to NYC Parks. name was coined by a local activist named Arverne, Queens. The local community Another early habitat victory was per- Bernie Blum in memory of Dr. René Dubos, board wanted to allow a developer to build suading the National Park Service to set aside

© Calvin Wilson/NYC Parks a truck-body-customizing plant there. After over 140 acres of open area next to runways at a two-year letter writing campaign to have Floyd Bennett Field as grassland habitat for the this lovely peninsula transferred from the Grasshopper Sparrow, Eastern Meadowlark, EDC to NYC Parks, persistence prevailed. Upland Sandpiper, American Kestrel, and The site was given to the New York City other open-field-dependent species. Ron and Department of Environmental Protection Jean Bourque, along with NYC Audubon vol- (DEP) whose commissioner at the time was unteers, cleared the site of woody vegetation Al Appleton, a former NYC Audubon pres- so it could be mown yearly by the National ident. Appleton then turned it over to NYC Park Service. Along with the Bourques, past NYC Parks Commissioner Henry Stern signing Parks. On the day of dedication, Henry Board President, Vice President, and cur- over management of Dubos Point Sanctuary to NYC Audubon. Also seated (left to right): Stern arrived at the site in a small motor rent Advisory Council Member David Burg, past Board Member Drew Lehman and past boat. He was dressed in battle fatigues a longtime advocate for grassland birds and Board President and Secretary Geoffrey Cobb Ryan. Standing (left to right): Bernard (including helmet) and planted the NYC their habitat, was instrumental in this restora- Blum of Friends of Rockaway, Marc Matsil of Parks’ green maple leaf flag on the shore, tion effort. NYC Parks, past Board President and Vice stating, “I claim this land as part of New Over the years NYC Audubon has been President Albert F. Appleton, and NYC Parks Deputy Commissioner Diana Chapin. York City’s Emerald Empire.” Additional involved in many other projects and pro- (January-February 1989) Buffer the Bay site successes included a grams that protected and enhanced habitat 12 www.nycaudubon.org Preserving Habitat for Four Decades Don Riepe

for birds. We advocated for and won protec- © Betty Hamilton of the City’s rooftops, in the form of green tion for several of the Harbor Heron islands: roofs, which we also monitor for wildlife the Isle of Meadows and Shooters and Prall’s including birds, bats, and insects. (See below Islands, off Staten Island’s western shore, to learn more about our green infrastructure and North and South Brother Islands, in the work.) None of these projects could have Bronx. We continue to monitor all 20 nest- been accomplished without NYC Audubon ing islands as part of our 35-year-old Harbor members, volunteers, and partners. NYC Herons survey project. Other initiatives have Audubon continues to provide the initiative included collaborative work to conserve Pictured (left to right): past Board Member Barbara and scientific basis for preserving open space Goethal’s Bridge Pond on Staten Island, Cohen; Mickey Cohen; Andy Stone of Trust for Public and bird habitat in all five boroughs of New Land; David Burg; Elizabeth Goldstein of NYS Parks; Bayswater State Park in Queens, Ridgewood Albert F. Appleton; Queens Borough President’s York City. Reservoir on the Brooklyn-Queens border, Special Assistant for Parks Elaine Castas; NYC State Parks Commission Chair Cynthia Wainwright; and Shirley Chisholm State Park in Brooklyn. John Graham; and two volunteers from the City * The Forever Wild Program is a NYC Parks Most recently, NYC Audubon has been in the Volunteer Corps. initiative to protect and preserve the most ecologically forefront of creating bird habitat on some (March 1992) valuable lands within the five boroughs.

Building a Greener Future Kaitlyn Parkins © NYC Audubon Kaitlyn Parkins, NYC Audubon’s conservation biologist, has a special research interest in animal migration and movement, as well as in innovative approaches to creating habitat in urban spaces.

istorically, NYC Audubon has advocated for the conservation of natural areas with two primary goals in mind: Hthe preservation of habitat for birds, and the safeguarding of ecological services that protect our city. Projects such as Buffer the Bay (1987), Buffer the Bay Revisited (1992), and Jamaica Bay Coastal Habitat Restoration Project (1994-1996) aimed to protect land surrounding Jamaica Bay as bird habitat, and as a buffer from storms and flooding. In recent years, as the need to protect the City has become ever more imperative in the face of climate change, city planners have begun to design built infrastructure to mimic the ecosystem services provided by natural areas. Such projects include bioswales, permeable The Jacob K. Javits Convention Center green roof. Inset photo: American Kestrel. pavement, and green roofs. These green infrastructure projects are usually designed with in Manhattan. The seven-acre green roof atop the Javits Center, stormwater capture and management as a main priority, but they designed by architects FXCollaborative, can absorb up to seven mil- provide countless other benefits to our urban ecosystem, including lion gallons of stormwater runoff each year. lowered temperatures, improved air quality, reduced noise pollution, Most recently, NYC Audubon has facilitated creation of the increased recreational space, and habitat for wildlife. Thus far NYC Green Roof Researchers Alliance, a group of over 50 researchers Audubon has been involved in the creation of three green infrastruc- in green roof science, policy, and education. Collaborative part- ture installations, at which we have also conducted biodiversity moni- nerships will be of critical importance as we continue to support toring focused on birds, bats, and insects: the Libra Triangle bioswale green infrastructure in New York City. Such projects demonstrate in Queens, the Kingsland Wildflowers at Broadway Stages green roof how our urban environment can provide solutions to habitat loss, in Brooklyn, and the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center green roof enabling birds to survive and even thrive here. 40th Anniversary 13 The Origins of Project Safe Flight: From Lone Lunatic to Popular Program Rebekah Creshkoff

Rebekah Creshkoff founded Project Safe Flight during her long career in corporate and told him I wanted to get building managers to turn off lights at communications and now sells artisanal bread at a farmers market, studies voice, night. “You’re going to need to show them data first,” he told me. and improves habitat for pollinators on her five-acre property in Callicoon, NY. So reluctantly, in April 1997, I started going downtown early in the morning. Did I actually get there at 5:45 am? I circled 10 buildings at the omething the color of a New York City taxicab caught my eye, World Financial and World Trade Centers, looking for birds at the base so bright that the throng of office workers pouring out of the of the mammoth structures. I recorded each day’s findings on a hand- Ssubway station parted slightly to avoid treading on it. I picked drawn map in order to identify particularly hazardous facades. Despite it up and stood there, marveling at it, as the crowd continued flow- getting up early, I could scarcely sleep at night, so worried was I about ing down William Street in lower Manhattan. It weighed less than a all the birds migrating over the City at that very moment. That first year, mouse. I stroked its soft breast and was amazed by the luxuriant den- working alone, I found 413 casualties at those 10 buildings—296 dead sity of its feathers. The tiny body was still warm. Apart from canaries, and 117 injured—and 49 at other locations. I wrote about my findings © Lenny Friedland © Lenny Friedland

Over 449 bird collisions were recorded in 1997, the first year of Project Safe Flight.

for The Urban Audubon. And, having felt like a lone lunatic on my pecu- liar quest, I urged others to join me. Past Board Member Ned Boyajian, current Board Member Kellie Quiñones, and Allison Sloan were among the first who responded to the call. We divvied up the days of the week and found other problematic sites. We approached building managers and had some successes: at the World Trade Center and 26 Federal Plaza, they put up netting to prevent Rebekah Creshkoff collects a Common Yellowthroat killed in a window birds from striking the most dangerous windows. We educated archi- collision, in downtown Manhattan tects about the issue (thank you, Bruce Fowle!). And E. J. McAdams, I had never seen such a yellow bird and had no idea they even existed then the executive director of NYC Audubon, persuaded the huge in New York City. How had it come to be dead on a sidewalk at the USPS mail-processing facility in midtown to black out its reflective glass bottom of this concrete canyon? panels (they weren’t even functional windows!) along its southwest wall, Years later, Sarah Elliott, the grande dame of Central Park bird- which reflected mature trees. ing, wrote in The Urban Audubon about night-migrating birds being We called our effort Project Safe Flight. It has been gratifying beyond disoriented by light and flying into skyscrapers. She urged armchair belief to see the collisions issue gradually become ever more mainstream activists to call on captains of industry to dim building lights during as NYC Audubon has professionalized and expanded the work. migration. I exhorted the American Bird Conservancy policy council to address the issue. In response, they faxed me an article from their Note: in March 2019, The New York City Council under the leadership of Speaker newsletter about Toronto’s Fatal Light Awareness Program (FLAP). Corey Johnson, and with input from NYC Audubon, introduced legislation that would As I read it, my jaw dropped. I called FLAP’s founder, Michael Mesure, require all new and significantly altered buildings to use bird-safe glass and design. 14 www.nycaudubon.org The Origins of Project Safe Flight: From Lone Lunatic to Popular Program Rebekah Creshkoff

Tribute in Light YC Audubon staff and volunteers have monitored the Tribute in Light Nmemorial since 2002 to ensure that night-migrating songbirds, which in some years are attracted in huge numbers to the Tribute’s powerful light beams, are not exhausted and injured during the all-night event. In 2004, a great number of birds became trapped in the lights: according to Rebekah Creshkoff, who had monitored the first two tribute years, “this one was very different from the others. With no moon to guide them, thousands of nocturnally migrating birds became trapped in the columns of light. The beams were visibly filled with chaoti- cally swirling birds for their entire height.” This © Bill Hartford

The Tribute in Light, September 12, 2004, 1:30am phenomenon repeated itself most dramatically in 2010 and again in 2015, when the lights were shut down a record eight times. Tribute in Light Producer Michael Ahern, who passed away in 2015, was an important partner in this endeavor. NYC Audubon continues to work closely with the National September 11 Memorial & Museum and Michael Ahern Production Services to mini- mize any harm to migrating birds during this Project Safe Flight bird collision data for 1997 (April 1998) powerful tribute. -Tod Winston 40th Anniversary 15 Harbor Herons Looks to the Past —and the Future Tod Winston © Milton Heiberg

Mayor Edward I. Koch signs a management agreement for Prall’s Island with NYC Parks/NYC Audubon on Thursday, February 21, 1985. Pictured (left to right): past Board Member Peggy Kane, past Board President and Vice President Albert F. Appleton, NYC Parks Commissioner Henry Stern, past Board President and Vice President Bette Brookshire-McGrath, Mayor Edward Koch, and Wally Popolizio. (April-May 1985)

(Article and caption, June-July 2003) Shooters Island resolution passed by the conservation committee (November-December 1980) 16 www.nycaudubon.org Harbor Herons Looks to the Past —and the Future Tod Winston

Tod Winston, Harbor Herons nesting survey © Yigal Gelb leader and communications content manager for special projects, also teaches Beginning Birding and leads bird-filled adventures including his spring birdsong series. Past NYC Audubon roles include program manager and managing editor of The Urban Audubon.

n 2019, NYC Audubon’s Harbor Herons project marked its 35th year Iof consecutive surveys of New York Harbor’s breeding population of egrets, herons, ibis, and other waterbirds. In the early years of its history, NYC Audubon helped win protection for nesting islands such as the Isle of Meadows and Prall’s Island in the Arthur Kill, Shooters Island in Great and Snowy Egrets are among the ten wader species that have been found nesting on the Harbor the Kill Van Kull/Newark Bay, and South Heron islands since NYC Audubon’s first official survey in 1982. Brother Island in the Bronx. Relevant NYC ity has shifted completely from the “pio- quent flooding may also be a culprit in Audubon publications have included An neer” rookeries west and north of Staten Jamaica Bay—an unsettling foreshadowing Islanded Nature (2001), co-produced with the Island; the most populous colonies are now of what awaits our coastal areas in coming Trust for Public Land, and the Harbor Herons found on South Brother Island, Hoffman decades. Though the harbor’s wading bird Conservation Plan (2010). We hold a leadership Island in the lower bay, and Subway Island population has remained fairly stable over role in the Harbor Herons Subcommittee of in Jamaica Bay. In recent years, several pre- the decades, recent years have indicated the New York/New Jersey Harbor Estuary viously productive islands—Goose and a possible decline. NYC Audubon is cur- Program, created by the U.S. Environmental Huckleberry Islands, in Long Island Sound, rently working to increase signage on the Protection Agency to protect, conserve, and and Elders Point East Island, in Jamaica largest colonies to discourage visitation restore our estuary. Bay, have been abandoned. Encroachment during nesting season, and will continue to Over the past three and a half decades, by predators and people are possible sus- be vigilant in protecting these charismatic the “mirror pole”—the tool used to care- pects in all three recent cases, while fre- and vulnerable species from harm. © NYC Audubon

fully count egret eggs and nestlings, high © NYC Audubon up in trees and shrubs—has changed hands several times. Katharine Parsons was the first official survey leader, from 1986 to 1995, followed by Paul Kerlinger (1996– 2004), Andy Bernick (2004–2007), Liz Craig (2008–2013), and myself. Our data collection methods have remained consis- tent, however, creating a rare and valuable long-term data set that can provide insight into the conservation needs of our birds— and a critical benchmark for future research into the effects of climate change and environmental contaminants. Over time, the pattern of wader nesting in the harbor has shown great variabil- Passing the mirror pole: current and former Nesting ity. Since the early 1980s, breeding activ- Survey Leaders Tod Winston and Liz Craig, in 2013 Black-crowned Night-Heron nestlings 40th Anniversary 17 NYC AUDUbON TaKeS a StaND Molly Adams

Molly Adams joined NYC Audubon in 2019 in the newly created position of advocacy and outreach manager. Molly is the founder of the Feminist Bird Club, a growing organization that now sports chapters across the US and around the globe.

ince our founding as an activist, grassroots organization, NYC Audubon has been at the forefront of advocacy Ssuccesses for birds and their habitat in all five boroughs of New York City.

Van Cortlandt Park (1980s-1990s) CITYWIDE ADVOCACY NYC Audubon has long advocated for the protection of both the City’s natural habi- Pesticide Use (1982-present) In 1982, NYC Audubon successfully opposed a tat and its upstate water supply. When a NYC Parks plan to spray pesticides to control gypsy moths. In 2000, following intensive federally required water filtration plant was NYC Audubon advocacy, Governor Pataki signed into law a New York City ban of Avitrol, constructed under Van Cortlandt Park, we a pesticide used for pigeon control but toxic to other bird species. In 2019, we published were part of a coalition that successfully a new Rodenticides and Birds of Prey brochure aimed at private-sector rodent control advocated for over $300 million in mitiga- managers and building tenants. tion funds to improve Bronx parks. Bird-Safe Buildings (1997–present) Armed with bird-collision data collected for Project Safe Flight, founded in 1997, NYC Audubon gave testimony supporting the use of bird-friendly design in all new buildings at the World Trade Center site (2003), published Bird-Safe Building Guidelines (2005), and formed the Bird-Safe Glass Working Group South Brother Island (1980s) (2007). Currently, we are leading the local campaign to pass a New York City Council bill For years, we advocated for the preser- requiring all new and significantly altered buildings to use bird-safe glass and design. vation of South Brother Island, the site of the second largest of the Harbor Heron New Green Spaces (2000s-present) We advocate for new built habitats, including green roofs and capped-landfill parks that host native grasslands, such as Staten colonies, which NYC Audubon has sur- Island’s Freshkills Park and Brooklyn’s Shirley Chisholm State Park. veyed since 1982. South Brother Island was purchased by New York State in 1988 and transferred to NYC Parks as a Central Park (1981-present) NYC Parks rejected wildlife sanctuary in 2007. a proposal by the artist Christo to adorn all of Central Park, including the Ramble, with 14,000 nylon panels during bird migration—and in doing so, acknowledged the legal brief submitted by NYC Audubon as influential in its decision. (In 2005, a more bird-friendly proposal by Ridgewood Reservoir (2008-2018) In 2008 Christo went unopposed by NYC Audubon.) In 1982 we we joined a coalition of local stakeholders advocating successfully opposed destruction of bird-friendly habitat for the preservation of Ridgewood Reservoir, on the in the Ramble—and continue to provide input on changes Brooklyn-Queens border. (In 2018, nearly 30 acres of in the Park as part of the Woodlands Advisory Board. the property were protected under New York State’s Freshwater Wetlands Act.)

Hudson River (1980) We joined a group of environmental organizations in opposing the Westway Project, a proposed interstate highway along the Hudson River that was ultimately defeated.

Con Edison (1980) Early NYC Audubon activists and other environmental groups succeeded in defeating Con Edison’s plan to Four Sparrow Marsh (2011-2012) use high-sulfur oil and coal in its power plants We advocated against development adjacent in Staten Island and Queens. to Four Sparrow Marsh, an important habitat for Seaside and Saltmarsh Sparrows.

Floyd Bennett Field (1979-present) Building on early work to preserve and restore the 140 acres of grasslands at this former airport, NYC Audubon continues to oppose plans that would encroach on these areas and advocate for appropriate habitat maintenance.

Jamaica Bay Conservation (1979-present) Building on years of advocacy, including successful opposition to a planned bike path into the Jamaica Bay National Wildlife Refuge, NYC Audubon was instrumental in the creation of Dubos Point Wildlife Sanctuary and Bayswater Point Staten Island Habitat (1979-present) State Park, established in 1988. Buffer the Bay and Buffer the Bay Revisited, roadmaps for conserving Throughout our history, we’ve advocated for the Jamaica Bay ecosystem, were jointly published by NYC Audubon and the Trust for Public Land in preservation of bird habitat including the Staten 1987 and 1992. In more recent years, we advocated for a bird-friendlyGateway General Management Island Greenbelt, Isle of Meadows and Prall’s and Plan, encompassing habitat in both Queens and Staten Island—and following Hurricane Sandy Shooters Islands, Arlington Cove Marsh, and the led a coalition of local groups in publishing a restoration plan for the wildlife refuge. This coalition Goethals Pond Complex. ultimately achieved repair of the refuge’s West Pond loop by the National Park Service in 2017.

18 www.nycaudubon.org VOLUNteeR!

YC Audubon’s work has been Naccomplished in large part by countless dedicated volunteers. Here we share a small sampling of historical pieces. Please see page 4 for an acknowl- edgment of the volunteers who have carried out NYC Audubon’s mission to protect birds and their habitat.

(November-December 2001)

(April 2001)

(June-July 1995) (August-September 1985) 40th Anniversary 19 LectUReS

ver the past four decades, NYC Audubon has offered free lectures by hundreds of scientists, field experts, Oactivists, authors, and artists who specialize in birds and other wildlife. Speakers have included Joanna Burger, Kevin Karlson, Elizabeth Kolbert, Peter Matthiessen, Roger Tory Peterson, Jonathan Rosen, Carl Safina, Erik Sanderson, David Allen Sibley, Bridget Stutchbury, Robert Sullivan, Scott Weidensaul, and Marie Winn. Since 1999, our lecture series has been made possible by the generous support of Claude and Lucienne Bloch.

(November 1979)

BIRDING AT THE INTERSECTION OF ART AND SCIENCE BY DAVID SIBLEY Wednesday, March 11 With Audubon New York NEW-YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY The author and illustrator of the comprehensive The Sibley Guide to Birds, expounds on the pleasures and challengesof creating a field guide to birds. Beginning with his childhood drawings, Sibley will explore the gradual development of his ideas and the struggle to combine the artistic and scientific aspects of bird identification into a single book.

(March-April 1982) (September-October 2005) (March-April 2009)

(October 2002) 20 www.nycaudubon.org BOOK RevIeWS & ReaDeR SUbMISSIONS

Look Around

(November 1979)

(December 1988)

(May 1980)

(October 2003)

(September-October 1981)

(April-May 1985) (June-July 1988) 40th Anniversary 21 40 Years of Art and Photography

ozens of artists and photographers, generous both in spirit and talent, Dhave donated their work to The Urban Audubon over the years. Here is a sampling of their work.

Sanderlings by Muriel Henriques (September 1980)

Long-eared Owl by Alan Messer Merlin by Judy Katz (March 1980) (March-April 2004)

Least Bittern by Jamie Felton (Summer 2014) Raven by Richard Krieger (March 2000)

Common Yellowthroat by David Speiser (Fall 2013)

Nesting Osprey at Jamaica Bay by Don Riepe (November-December 2010)

Kingfishers at Hallett Nature Sanctuary by Sarah Elliott NYC Water System by Betty Hamilton (March 2000) Flowering Dogwood by Ted Zinn (May 1991) (August-September 1984) 22 www.nycaudubon.org Hooded Warbler by Steve Nanz (Summer 2013)

Gull Chicks by Milton Heiberg (January- February 1995)

American Kestrel by David Taft (April-May 1986)

Archaeopteryx by Carol Newman (October-November 1987)

Owls in Winter by James McGaw (Illustration Hooded Mergansers by Lloyd Spitalnik (Fall 2012) Awards, January-February 1983) Tree Swallows by Laura Meyers (Summer 2016)

Northern Harrier Landscape by Abby McBride (Summer 2014) Jamaica Bay by François Portmann (Winter 2012) 40th Anniversary 23 EveNtS aND ADveNtUReS Mary Jane Kaplan 40 Years of Art and Photography

(September 1980)

(June-July 1985) © Emily Fitzgerald

(December 1994)

(July-August 2005)

(August-September 1999)

(June-July 1988)

(September 1979)

(March-April 1981)

BEGINNING BIRDING Classes: Thursdays, May 9 and 16, 6:30-8:30pm Trips: Saturdays, May 11 and 18 Instructor: Tod Winston Learn to identify the spectacular variety of birds that migrate through New York City. Even if you’ve never picked up a pair of binoculars, you’ll soon be identifying warblers, thrushes, waterbirds, and more—both by sight and by ear.

(March-April 2005) (Spring 2013) (October 1990) 24 www.nycaudubon.org Mary Jane Kaplan, a longtime supporter of NYC Audubon and frequent contributor to The Urban Audubon, is a past board treasurer and current member of both the advisory council and the publications committee. © Karl Holtzschue

WALKS ON GOVERNORS ISLAND Fridays, October 6 and October 20, 8:30-10:30am Meet at the Governors Island Ferry for a short ride to the island and a morning of birding under the guidance of expert Annie Barry.

(Fall 2017)

(January-February 1989)

(March-May 1984)

(October 1998) THE BIRDS OF INWOOD HILL PARK, MANHATTAN Saturday, May 23, 2-5pm Guide: Nadir Souirgi Meet at the Muscota Marsh viewing area. Nestled on the northern tip of Manhattan, the largely undeveloped oak and tulip forest of Inwood Hill Park transports you to another time and place. Glacial “pot holes,” towering trees, and stunning river views create an unrivaled backdrop from which to observe migratory and breeding birds. (September-October 2004) (Spring 2015)

AFTERNOON BIRD WALK IN CENTRAL PARK Saturday, April 20, 2-3:30pm Guide: Jeff Ward Search for spring migrants on a leisurely afternoon walk through Central Park's best birding spots with Jeff Ward, NYC Audubon’s newest trip leader.

(Spring 2019) (March-May 1984) (April 2013) 40th Anniversary 25 THe EvOLUtION OF a LOGO n January 1980, The Urban Audubon first posed the question, “What Bird for New York?” And after a spirited debate, the House Finch was elected. Originally native to the western IUS and Mexico, this colorful songbird was illegally marketed and sold here in the early 1900s as the “Hollywood Finch.” A number of birds were released around 1940; they quickly naturalized (and spread across the US). This “immigration success story” thus seemed a perfect choice for our city of immigrants. In 2002, however, the decision was made to find a symbol more specifically representative of New York City’s Audubon chapter…and in 2003 our American Kestrel logo took flight. That journey continues: NYC Audubon will launch a new logo in the near future. Visit www.nycaudubon.org/ournewlogo to learn more.

(November-December 1980) (November-December 2003)

(May 1980)

(March 1980) (October 2002) 26 www.nycaudubon.org IN MeMORIaM ver the past 40 years, the following individuals have been honored with a special mention in The Urban Audubon, in recognition Oof their service to New York City Audubon. Many of these individuals were also honored with memorial gifts. Michael Ahern Sylvia Cohen Jessie Kitching Geoffrey Cobb Ryan Oakes Ames Thomas H. Davis Diane LeAve Starr Saphir Peter A. A. Berle Sarah McCarn Elliott Julia Loomis Constantine Sidamon-Eristoff Bernard P. Brennan Richard Garretson Helen Mattin Fredric Spar Jean Bourque Richard Gershon Mary Tyler Moore Norman Stotz Irving Cantor Ralph Ginzburg George J. Mullen, Jr. Ted Zinn Kirsten Christophe Emily Jones Alfred Ott Clara Clayman Charles Kennedy Lambert Pohner

MEMORIAL GIFTS Over the past 40 years, gifts to New York City Audubon have been made in memory of those listed below. Doris Ali Carol Kramer Wendy Pilbeam Ringo Tucker-Drob-Goldberg Shahin Alirkan Mark Krotter Yves Provencher Sam Vella John Alsano Charles Kuralt Maria Quiñones Gonzalez Michael Waskovich Albert Bacchus Lillian L. Langsan Harold Robbins Soloman Weinstock David Bain Margaret Lee Thomas Ronga Ellen Wendy Weiss Charles F. Barber Manny Levine Erma Rosen Suzanne Wexler-Shafer Mary Birchard Barbara Maas Madlyn Jane Rowe Eve Winer Dorothy Blaser Jack Mailman Anne Ruane David Woolf Abe Bloom Frank and Kathleen Marano Eva Kinne Saffran Mariska Zelazinsky Joan Bonagura Stefan A. Mayer Marcello Scaccalossi David James Brown Helen Mazzitelli Elizabeth M. Schill Fluffy Betty Brummett Sean McBride Sid Schwager Hannah the Cat Jewell Bukantz Lee Metcalf Max and Annemarie Josephine William I. Campbell Jean Mills Schweizer Leo Ria Charisse Mr. and Mrs. H.G. Moy Harvey Lewis Seldman Lilly Baukje Cohen John Olden Mary A. Shea Lola Anna Conte Catherine O’Niel-McCarthy Flora Speiser Milly June Corona Mrs. Ouellette James Stevenson The Passenger Pigeon Christine M. Michael Evans Parisi Barbara Steward Rocko Crichton Mannella Judith Patchell Paul Julien Sude Sugar Catherine A. Cullen Regina Patchell M. Scott Sullivan Suzanne Anna Lee Culp Frances Loomis Payer Dearest Mother of Jackie Talt Timothy and Milly Ruth Dalmus Lynn Payer Eleanor Tauber Wily John E. Daniel Melinda Pendleton Joseph Tobin Rik Davis Laurie Phillips Adele Towbin Gerard DeFrancesco Mary Delaney Charles Denlinger John Endres Lydia Enriquez Daniela Francisco Jonathon Franks Edith Rankin Gold Jim Heckenbach Christiana Ley Parker Hendrix Jason Hittman John Hofmann Lola R. Holze Rudy Hopkins Jennifer Kao Jessica Karp Kirsten Hermansen Kavanaugh Gerhard Kiefer

40th Anniversary 27 NYC Audubon Awards

hroughout its history, NYC Audubon has honored distinguished 1985 1995 service to the environment. Chapter Awards were bestowed an- Marcy Benstock Peter A. A. Berle Thomas Davis nually from 1985 to 2005. The Fall Roost benefit, first held in Eugenia Flatow T George Goode Ralph Ginzburg 2004, continues to celebrate those most dedicated to protecting New Peggy Kane Jessie Kitching York City’s birds and their habitats. Udall’s Cove Preservation Committee SoundWatch Inc. © Geraldine de Haugoubart Farida Wiley 1996 1986 Alley Pond Environmental Center Jean and Ronald Bourque Katharine Parsons David Krauss Dorothy Poole John Oakes Henry Stern Protectors of Pine Oak Woods Arline Thomas 1997 Richard Garretson 1987 Harry Jenkins Albert Appleton Natural Resources Defense Boy and Cub Scouts of Pack and Council Troop 196 of the Greater New York Ellen O’Flaherty Pratt Leslie Gershon; past Board Vice President and Advisory Council Rainbow District Member Richard Gershon; and founding Board Member, past Bertel Bruun 1998 Vice President, and Advisory Council Member Lewis Rosenberg Clara Clayman Brooklyn Bird Club John Yrizarry Helen Hayes (January-February 2007) Alan Hevesi

1989 1999 Tom Fox Sarah Elliott Lynne Matusow Marcia T. Fowle Francisco Mendes Hudson River Park Alliance Propect Park Environmental Center Howard Snyder Don Riepe Guy Tudor

1990 2000 Green Guerillas Durst Organization, Fox & Past Board President, Vice President, Advisory Council Member, and Hudson River Sloop-Clearwater, Inc. Fowle Architects, and Tishman honoree* Oakes Ames; honorees Elizabeth Barlow Rogers, Henry Drew Lehman Construction Corporation Christensen III, and Beryl Thurman; and past Executive Director Glenn Starr Saphir Merrill Higgins Phillips (January-February 2011) Mary Kelly 1991 Bette Midler and the New York © Betty Hamilton Blanche Brown Restoration Project Paul Ehrlich Milton Heiberg 2001 The Village Voice David Burg Thomas Burke 1992 Jorge Santiago City Limits Norman Stotz Barbara and Mickey Cohen Geoffrey Cobb Ryan 2002 The Ecology Club Karen Asakawa Peter P. Blanchard III 1993 Rebekah Creshkoff Dona Lakin Tracy Gail and Jonathan Jankus Marc Matsil Nellie Larsen Danielle Ponsolle Geoffery Nulle Norman Stotz Allison Ott Honorees past Board President, Interim Executive Director, and current Marie Winn Advisory Council Member Peter Rhoades Mott; past Board President 2003 1994 Ben Cacace and Secretary Geoffrey Cobb Ryan; Educator and Birding Guide Albert Appleton Miriam Gross Sarah Elliott; and past Executive Director, Board President, and current Alwyn Gentry Patrick Harty Advisory Council Co-Chair Marcia T. Fowle (June-July 1999) Naola Gersten-Woolf Peter Rhoades Mott New York Newsday Allison Sloane * Individuals are noted as "honorees" regardless of the year in which they Theodore Parker Paul Teddy received an award. Don Riepe 28 www.nycaudubon.org 2004 2008 2013 2016 Joy Garland Hillary Brown Oakes Ames Phil Cusimano Maura Lout Claude Bloch Harrison D. Maas Elliot Spitzer 2009 Karen Heidgerd Michael Ahern Productions Jacquelyn Talt Joseph Ellis Ritamary McMahon Roger Whitehouse Don Riepe Starr Saphir 2017 Gina Argento, Tony Argento, and 2005 2010 2014 Broadway Stages Kristen Bannister Elizabeth Barlow Rogers Convention Center Development MaryJane Boland Adrian Benepe Henry Christensen III Corporation Stephen Feingold Beryl Thurman FXFOWLE Epstein Architects 2018 Dan Ionescu Jacob K. Javits Convention Center Annie Barry Frederic Lilien 2011 Andrew Farnsworth Barbara Loucks Peter Joost 2015 Mary Tyler Moore George J. Mullen, Jr. ARNOLD GLAS Christopher Nadareski Maria Torres Marsilia A. Boyle Cecelia Rogers Deborah Jones 2012 © David Rodgers 2006 Ajamu Brown Hugh L. Carey Battery Park City Helena Durst Authority Christopher Ward

Honoree Bruce Fowle; Director of Conservation and Science Susan Elbin, PhD; and honorees Larry Dalziel, Barbara Lampen, Alan E. Steel, and past Board President

Honoree Geoffrey Cobb Ryan; honoree Henry Stern (with Boomer); past Board President, Vice President, current Advisory Council Member, and honoree David Burg; past Harbor Herons Survey Leader and honoree Katharine Parsons; honoree Peter Rhoades Mott; Past Board President and Advisory Council past Vice President and Secretary Leslie Sharpe; past Board Member Member Lynn Rollins, honoree Geoffrey Cobb and honoree Dorothy Poole; Irene Scheid and Aline Euler representing Ryan, and Roost designer and honoree Kristen honoree Alley Pond Environmental Center; and past Board Member Bannister (September-October 2005) Past Board President and

Gloria Kuhn (June-July 1996) © Jeff Kollbrunner Treasurer and honoree Norman Stotz (June-July 1992) © Jeff Kollbrunner © Geraldine de Haugoubart

Past Board Vice President and Longtime NYC Audubon supporters and Roost attendees Secretary, current Advisory Council Honorees Adrian Benepe and Mary Tyler Moore and Virginia Stotz, Nancy Hager, and Betty Hamilton Member, and honoree Don Riepe past Executive Director and Advisory Council Member (November-December 2008) (November-December 2009) E. J. McAdams (January-February 2006) 40th Anniversary 29 Acknowledgments over 40 Years: Leadership Cumulative Gifts, Bequests

YC Audubon’s conservation science and public programs Donald and Genie Rice Jewish Federation of are made possible by philanthropic contributions from Luanne Rice Metropolitan Chicago Nmembers, friends, corporations, foundations, and Lew and Sheila Rosenberg JP Morgan Chase Foundation government agencies. Margritt Rosenthal Kickstarter John and Heather Shemilt Kimball Foundation Throughout our 40 years, these organizations have provided multi- Mr. and Mrs. C. Sidamon-Eristoff Leaves of Grass Fund year leadership support enabling our work and saving countless birds: Fredric and Winnie Spar Lily Auchincloss Foundation, Inc. Leon Levy Foundation David Speiser and Kimberly Kriger The Liz Claiborne Foundation National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Heidi Steiner & Steve Nanz Manomet Center for New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Antonia Stolper and Bob Fertik Conservation Sciences U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Virginia Stowe The Marta Heflin Foundation Mary and Michael Tannen National Audubon Society We are also grateful to the thousands who have sustained our efforts Susan and Rodney Wagner National Oceanic and since our founding, and in particular, to the people and organizations Sam Wertheimer and Atmospheric Administration named here for their cumulative gifts of more than $10,000. Pamela Rosenthal National Park Service Elizabeth Woods and The Nature Conservancy Charles Denholm New England Interstate Water INDIVIDUALS Nancy Hager Winnie Yeung Pollution Control Commission Barbara Abel Betty Hamilton and D. Bruce Yolton and Stephen Billick New York City Department of Tylee Abbott and Katie Ermilio Geoffrey Cobb Ryan Environmental Protection John and Emily Alexander Scott and Ellen Hand CORPORATIONS, The New York Community Trust Oakes and Louise Ames Kathleen Heenan and FOUNDATIONS, AND Norcross Wildlife Foundation Gina Argento Clary Olmstead GOVERNMENT AGENCIES Patagonia Tony Argento Kathryn and Vince G. Heintz The Achelis & Bodman Foundation Peak View Foundation Rob Bate and Tracy Meade Cathy and Lloyd Heller American Bird Conservancy The Port Authority of NY & NJ Barbara Belknap Sally Jeffords ARNOLD GLAS Robert and Joyce Menschel Family Karen Benfield and John Zucker Dawn and Tommy Lee Jones Aviator Sports & Events Foundation Drianne Benner Peter Joost The Bay and Paul Foundations Robert F. Schumann Foundation Claude and Lucienne Bloch Tatiana Kaletsch The Bobolink Foundation Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Inc. MaryJane Boland Mary Jane Kaplan Broadway Stages Ltd. Schaffer, Schonholz & Ronald Bourque Kevin and Karen Kennedy Brooklyn Community Foundation Drossman, LLP Marsilia Boyle Songmei and Jared Keyes The Chervenak-Nunnalle Sims Metal Management Virginia Carter Jeff Kimball and Pamela Hogan Foundation SUNY College of Environmental Clifford Case Robert Kimtis and Susan Bynum Con Edison Science & Forestry Jim Chervenak Lauren and Ethan Klingsberg ConocoPhillips Taconic Foundation John and Judy Craig Carol and Robert D. Krinsky Davis Polk & Wardwell Toyota Together Green Rebekah Creshkoff Janice Laneve Disney Worldwide Services Trust for Public Land Art Sills and Sarah DeBlois Jade Lau Dobson Foundation, Inc. The Walt Disney Titia de Lange Adrienne Lynch The Durst Organization Company Foundation Strachan and Vivian Donnelley Pamy Manice The Educational Foundation Williams Joe and Barbara Ellis Jenny and Flip Maritz of America The Wood Thrush Fund Gale Epstein Edith McBean Environmental Protection Agency Margot Ernst Andre Meade The Eppley Foundation BEQUESTS AND ESTATES Aline Euler and Henry Euler Joyce Menschel for Research Anne Howat Alexander Ewing and Clark Mitchell The Ferriday Fund Barbara Jean Junge Wynn Senning Malcolm and Mary Morris Fiduciary Trust International Charles F. Kehoe III Andrew Farnsworth and Lenore and Peter Rhoades Mott First Cornerstone Foundation Kathryn R. Lewis Patricia Ryan George and Rachel Mullen FXCollaborative Frank Maira Alfred C. Finger Paul Newman General Contractors Association Helen Mattin Mary and Joseph Fiore Heidi Nitze of New York Esther Morse Marcia and Bruce Fowle Jane Orans Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation Evelyn Nethercott Philip Fried and Bruce Patterson Hank and Wendy Paulson Hudson River Foundation Christina J. Norton Rich Fried and Stella Kim Mona Payton Investors Bank Foundation Fred Rosenstiel Beatrice Goelet Manice Terry and Bill Pelster Ittleson Foundation Everett S. Steinmetz Edward and Diana Greene Cheryl Reich and David Dewhurst Jacob K. Javits Convention Center Norman Stotz

30 www.nycaudubon.org After All This Time, the Birds Still Need Your Help

ave you read that there are three billion fewer birds in GIVE A MATCHING GIFT the US today than there were in 1970, according to a Supporters can double or triple the value of donations HSeptember 2019 study published in Science? You can through their employers’ matching gift programs. Contact your make sure that birds have a future in New York City. Nearly 350 company’s personnel office to learn how. Be sure to specify species nest, breed, or migrate through here. We protect them. New York City Audubon as the designee. Celebrate our Big Year by contributing to our 40th Anniversary Campaign. Your support is essential. REMEMBER THE BIRDS IN YOUR ESTATE PLAN Make sure that New York City remains a haven for the GIVE MONTHLY birds and wildlife you love. A bequest to NYC Audubon is Provide ongoing monthly support to ensure our birds are a generous and straightforward way to safeguard birds and protected throughout the year. You can make a huge difference their habitat in New York City’s five boroughs. This can be for as little as $5 per month. See the membership form below or expressed in a will as simply as, “I bequeath [a sum of money, donate online at www.nycaudubon.org/donate. a percentage of my estate, or an IRA, life insurance policy, or investment/bank account] to New York City Audubon Society, BECOME A MEMBER OF THE AMERICAN KESTREL CIRCLE Inc., a not-for-profit organization with offices at 71 West 23rd Soar above the rest by making a donation of $2,500 or more. Street, Suite 1523, New York, NY 10010.” Consult with your American Kestrel Circle Patrons enjoy special access and attorney to determine what is best for your situation. To learn exclusive tours. See the membership form below or donate online more about planning a gift for NYC Audubon, visit www. at www.nycaudubon.org/donate. Contact us to learn more. nycaudubon.org/leave-a-legacy, or contact us.

To learn more about how you can help NYC Audubon philanthropically or to underwrite a strategic initiative, contact Director of Development Kellye Rosenheim at [email protected] or 646-502-9611.

MAKE A DIFFERENCE Contributions are essential to our work. Help us reach our goal of $1,040,000 in individual gifts during our 40th Anniversary year. Count me/us in with my/our support of wild birds in New York City:

Anniversary Leadership Gifts: [ ] $40,000 [ ] $10,000 [ ] $5,000 Anniversary Celebration Gifts: [ ] $2,500 [ ] $1,000 [ ] $500 [ ] $100 [ ] Other amount: $ ______

[ ] Additionally, I would like to ADD $40 to my gift above! “ADD $40” gifts received before October 31, 2020 will be matched.

TOTAL AMOUNT: $ ______

Name(s): ______

Address: ______

Phone: ______Email: ______

[ ] Enclosed is my check payable to NYC Audubon [ ] Charge my credit card: [ ] VISA [ ] MC [ ] AMEX [ ] DSC CARD #: ______Exp. Date: ______Security Code: ______Mail this form with your payment to: NYC Audubon • 71 West 23rd Street, Suite 1523 • New York, NY 10010

NYC Audubon is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.Contributions are tax deductible within the limits prescribed by law. A copy of the latest Annual Financial Report may be obtained online at www.nycaudubon.org or www.guidestar.org or upon request from the New York State Office of the Attorney General, Charities Bureau, 28 American Robin by Abby McBride Liberty Street, 15th Floor, NY, NY 10005 or NYC Audubon, 71 West 23rd Street, Suite 1523, NY, NY 10010. (Summer 2011) 40th Anniversary 31 NYC AUDUBON 71 West 23rd Street Suite 1523 New York, NY 10010 Tel: 212-691-7483 Fax: 646-606-3301 www.nycaudubon.org

Crowded House, South Brother Island, by Alan Messer (Spring 2015) 32 www.nycaudubon.org