Outrage over the killing of millions of waterfowl, especially egrets and other waders, for the headgear trade led to the founding of Harriet Hemenway and Minna B. Hall, of the Audubon Society of Massachusetts in 1896. The National Audubon Society (NAS) is one of the largest and oldest conservation organizations in the world. Founded in New York City in February 1886, its original purpose was to protect American birds from destruction for the headgear trade. Many species of birds were killed and sold as ornaments for women's hats and hats, as well as for other clothing.
The first conservation battle waged by the NAS was the Snowy Egret, a white bird from mosquito marshes whose long feathers were in high demand. The group played a decisive role in ensuring the passage of the New York Bird Act in 1886, a law for the preservation of the state's avifauna. The Audubon Society was founded in the 19th century to protect birds hunted for their feathers in clothing production. With extensive initial funding, the Society spread throughout the United States and, in its second decade, began participating in political lobbying activities at the state and federal levels for environmental protection laws to be enacted.
While the Society focuses primarily on establishing wildlife reserves, political lobbying has continued to be an important component of its activities, and the Society has played a role in passing environmental laws, including the Endangered Species Act. The Audubon Society did not collect dues, own property, pressure legislatures, and did not sue any wrongdoers. Audubon's Important Bird Area program has protected 370 million acres along the migratory routes of migratory birds in the United States and is a key part of Audubon's work with BirdLife International and other conservationists around the world. The Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary and the Audubon Center in Oyster Bay, New York, were donated to New York Audubon in 1923 by Emlen Roosevelt and Christine Roosevelt in memory of their cousin, who is buried in the adjacent Youngs Memorial Cemetery.
In September, the Audubon Society backed a lawsuit filed by 16 states against the federal government for its alterations in the ESA. The mission of the National Audubon Society is to conserve and restore natural ecosystems by focusing on birds, other wild animals and their habitats, for the benefit of humanity and the Earth's biological diversity. The website contains information about Audubon branches inside and outside the United States, the society's bird conservation work, current issues, backyard habitat conservation efforts, and how to take action. In 1905, the National Association of Audubon Societies was born (the name was shortened in 1940) and New York City was chosen as its headquarters.
The National Audubon Society (NAS or the Society), one of the largest private conservation organizations in this country, seeks to promote public understanding of the value and need of conserving soil, water, plants and wildlife, as well as encouraging progress through the intelligent use of natural resources. Hall began a campaign to urge other members of high society to stop wearing feather hats, a practice that led to the killing of millions of birds, especially egrets and other mosquitoes, and his efforts led to the founding of the Audubon Society of Massachusetts, followed in the following years by more than thirty state societies. The Audubon Society criticizes natural gas drilling and hydraulic fracturing and has opposed efforts to expand natural gas exploration in the United States. The Audubon Society condemned the changes to ESA, in particular the proposed considerations on economic costs and benefits when deciding whether to include a species in the list of endangered species.
Florence Merriam Bailey, bottom right, with other officials from the District of Columbia Audubon Society. 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. Florence Merriam Bailey became one of the instructors of bird classes at the Audubon Society of the District of Columbia. Cory, the elected president of the AOU, refused to attend a meeting of the Audubon Society of the District of Columbia stating that “I don't protect birds.”.
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