Our Next Phase

Under Leigh Altadonna’s leadership, the by-laws of our organization were changed in 2017 to ensure that the officers and board members had defined term limits. This year that change has resulted in a new slate of officers who will work with the Board to move this organization into a new phase. The organization is deeply indebted to Leigh and other long serving officers and Board members for their stewardship of this chapter over their many years of service.

Our Next Phase

Our next phase will be guided entirely by our new strategic plan. The change in name is just one aspect of executing that plan. The more substantive aspects are embedded in the three strategic thrusts of the plan:

a. Be a champion for birds
b. Educate the communities we serve
c. Advocate for conservation

Be a Champion for Birds

We will champion for birds by continuing our engagement with Community Science projects that help advance the understanding of bird behavior and distribution. The chapter has a long history of contributing to national Community Science projects such as the Great Backyard Bird Count and Christmas Bird Count. Since 2018, members of the chapter have diligently counted birds for the National Audubon Society’s Climate Watch program. All of these efforts have also focused on the involvement of bird enthusiasts in the community, regardless of their membership status in the organization. Our continuing efforts to count migrating raptors at the Militia Hill Hawkwatch in Fort Washington State Park contributes significantly to the nationwide effort.

Educate the Communities We Serve

We will continue our multi-pronged efforts to educate the communities we serve. Our target audience is school-aged students, people interested in building bird-friendly spaces and people interested in encountering birds.

We will fund schools and teachers to bring engaging, educational resources to students in both Philadelphia and Montgomery County. These resources, dubbed Audubon Adventures, have been tried and tested over the years and have been proven to be effective tools for engaging students of all ages.

We already collaborate with other organizations to teach garden enthusiasts about native plants and pollinator gardens. You will often find us at community events promoting a healthy environment and teaching about birds and their relationship to the ecosystem. In addition, we will help Bird Towns in their efforts to engage their communities for maintaining a bird-friendly environment.

Our bird walk and field trip program has been substantially expanded this year after a hiatus through the pandemic years. Our location on the Atlantic Flyway and the diversity of habitat in our region offer us many places for birding throughout the seasons. Our hope is to attract increasing numbers of new and experienced birders to our programs to share in the joy of birding.

Our monthly programs, offered every third Friday of the month, have allowed us to bring a range of engaging speakers covering a wide variety of topics. The hybrid nature of the program offers the convenience of attending in person or on line through a Zoom connection.

Advocate for Conservation

We will advocate for conservation by championing effective legislation at the Federal, State and local level. At the Federal level, we intend to follow the lead of the National Audubon Society. At the state level, we will be guided by the priorities identified by the Pennsylvania Audubon Council, an informal alliance of Audubon chapters in Pennsylvania. At the local level, we will work with the Bird Towns on opportunities identified by them.

Our advocacy has one other significant component. This chapter has been the leader in a collaboration of local conversation organizations for the Bird Safe Philly program. We continue to champion the Lights Out initiative in Philadelphia. Additionally, we are taking the lead in guiding nature centers and schools in ways to reduce bird collisions.

The Path Forward

To ensure that all of the above initiatives can be carried out safely and effectively, we must maintain state-of-the-art governance practices. Our nominating committee has ensured that the Board of Directors is fully staffed with engaged, bird-loving Directors. We will continue to look for better ways to communicate with our members. To this aim, we have just refurbished our web site to make it even more informative and easier to navigate. Finally, we are maintaining strict budget discipline to ensure the long-term financial health of the organization.

The vision of this chapter and its mission cannot be fulfilled without the engagement of our members. That means you! We would love for you to find ways to engage with us and with our activities in ways that best appeal to you. We would love to have more volunteers to help with our initiatives. We want to see more of you come out on our bird walks and field trips. We want to hear your voice. Tell us what you think we could do better or differently. The web site provides you a simple way to reach out to us.

We are very grateful for all your financial contributions throughout the years and look forward to your continuing support as we pursue the important mission ahead of us.