George Bird Grinnell, one of the founders of the Audubon Society in the late 19th century, took classes from Lucy Audubon, the widow of John James, and chose the name because of the importance of Audubon in the world of wildlife art and natural history. Even before Grinnell's Audubon Society was organized, the American Union of Ornithologists, founded in 1883, was aware of the dangers faced by many birds in the United States. Recognizing and rewarding those who have an extraordinary impact on birds through the prestigious Audubon Award: only 52 people have received this honor in Audubon's 108-year history. Originally called the Audubon Society of the District of Columbia, ANS was created in 1897 as part of a wave of groups of this type that sought to protect bird species that were then threatened by hunters.
Cory, the elected president of the AOU, refused to attend a meeting of the Audubon Society of the District of Columbia stating that he does not protect birds. Recent articles in the Audubon magazine, newspapers and podcasts have explained that John James Audubon, the namesake of the Audubon network, held beliefs and acted in objectively racist ways, even beyond that of other “men” of his time. The activities of the Audubon Society are responsible for many laws that establish gaming commissions and hunting guardian forces, or prohibit the sale of game. Audubon's Important Bird Areas program has protected 370 million acres along migratory bird routes in the United States and is a key part of Audubon's work with BirdLife International and other conservationists around the world.
In addition to the National Audubon Society, there are several others with different names that were founded several years earlier. But in 1985, after the 37th annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission in Bournemouth (England), which was attended by officials from the National Audubon Society and other United States. After his death, the first organizations that bear his name were created, including the National Audubon Society in 1905. Emlen Roosevelt and Christine Roosevelt donated the Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary and the Audubon Center in Oyster Bay, New York, to New York Audubon in 1923 in memory of their cousin, who is buried in the adjacent Youngs Memorial Cemetery.
