At the beginning of November, Melissa and I had the immense privilege of attending the National Audubon Leadership Conference in Estes Park. The Audubon Leadership Conference was hosted

“. . . for those who are ready to learn from others, share knowledge and expertise, and apply what they learn in their local community to create a more equitable and inclusive conservation movement for birds across the hemisphere.”

The conference was attended by chapter representatives from all over the country, and leadership partners from Canada, Latin America, and the Caribbean. It was a truly inspirational gathering of like-minded individuals coming together to inspire, challenge, and encourage one another.

One of the primary topics discussed at the conference was National Audubon’s “Flight Plan,” (2023-2028 Strategic Plan) and how National Audubon and Local Chapters can mutually support one another to “bend the bird curve.” The stated hope for this new strategic plan is to

“. . . orient all of Audubon toward achieving a singular Guiding Star: halting, and ultimately reversing, the precipitous decline of birds across the Americas.”

Multiple panels at the conference focused on providing tools to local chapters to further the success of this initiative.

While there is not time to fully delve into all the specific initiatives within “Flight Plan,” one of the key takeaways throughout the conference was the deep need to further our Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging (EDIB) efforts. Conservation has historically excluded minority voices, and will only be successful when those voices are included, elevated, and celebrated. I was encouraged to see the efforts of National Audubon’s EDIB initiatives reflected at the leadership conference, and this sentiment was echoed in a statement by one of the keynote speakers who said,

“this room looks like America.” Birding is for everyone, can inspire anyone, and requires an immense collaborative effort to “bend the bird curve.”

Evergreen Audubon is committed to elevating minority voices and ensuring that everyone has a seat at the proverbial, and literal table. To further support these efforts, we are establishing an EDIB Committee focused on driving these initiatives within every facet of our organization. If you are interested in contributing to this committee, please reach out to me via email. There is not a specific skill set needed to join this committee, but a passion for EDIB work and a willingness to learn and grow. We hope you will consider joining us in this work and look forward to the continued impact that Evergreen Audubon will have in our communities and for the birds.

Melissa’s Postscript:  It was wonderful to spend the weekend with Emma and 350 of our new best friends at the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park. Emma has done an excellent job in summarizing our experience.  I just want to add two things. First, Emma took the initiative to apply for, and received, a generous scholarship to the conference which covered most of her costs. She also volunteered to coordinate volunteers to lead the conference field trips. As a result, she had the opportunity to make valuable connections with key staff from Audubon’s national and several regional offices. Is anyone surprised that I ended up being recruited to lead a couple of field trips?

For me, the two field trips were the highlights of the conference.  Assigned to lead easy trips for folks who weren’t accustomed to elevation or weren’t able to walk long distances, I got to know about 50 enthusiastic birders, hailing from dozens of US states, Canada, and Latin America. My groups were thrilled to see the birds we see every day – Canada and Cackling Geese, a Common Merganser, all three nuthatches, magpies, Steller’s Jays, Downey and Hairy Woodpeckers, Northern Flickers, Mountain and Black-capped Chickadees, a Clark’s Nutcracker, and an American Dipper who stole the show – even the bus drivers enjoyed seeing the dipper, easily spotted in the Big Thompson River, just outside the Estes Park Visitors Center. Many of our relatively common birds were life birds for my two flocks. The conference reminded me how important it is to step back and look at what we do from a new perspective every once in a while. The field trips reminded me to look at all of our birds, even those we see every day, as if seeing them for the very first time. What a thrill!