NY Audubon Society to Drop “Audubon” in Name Due to Founders Links to Slavery
Rather than scanning the trees looking for Flaco, the NYC chapter of the famous conservation group is now looking for a new name at the local chapter level, due to founder John James Audubon’s links to slave holding. The organization says its mission to enhance urban biodiversity and to advocate for wild birds remains. No new name has been picked yet.
New York City Audubon will be doing away with the word “Audubon” following a months-long review process and vote by the NYC Audubon Board of Directors on March 20. The organization said that operating under the name of the 19th-century naturalist John James Audubon known for owning and selling slaves, no longer aligned with the conservation group’s mission. The rebranding initiative will not impact NYC Audubon’s affiliation with the broader National Audubon Society or its work to promote urban biodiversity.
The March 22nd announcement came a week after the National Audubon Society said it would keep the Audubon name. After a year of deliberation, Audubon CEO Dr. Elizabeth Gray stated in an open letter, “the organization transcends one person’s name.” Local chapters of the ornithology society have since determined which route they will take. New York City’s decision to change its name came in close behind groups in Seattle, Madison, Portland, Chicago, and Washington DC.
“Names may be symbolic, but symbols matter,” said Jessica Wilson, NYC Audubon Executive Director, in an email announcing the decision to members. She emphasized the implications of the divisive name matter to NYC Audubon’s staff, volunteers, members, and the larger conservation community. “We collaborate widely with our partners across the five boroughs, and want this name change to signal how much we value and seek broadly cooperative efforts to save wild birds,” said Wilson.
Who was John James Audubon?
Conversations about John James Audubon’s controversial past began to be discussed in depth by NYC Audubon’s staff and board members in 2020. By engaging with hundreds of supporters, members, and partners, the conservation group found the name to be “a barrier to entry for many,” and the actions of the society’s namesake “harmful and offensive.”
Born in 1785, Audubon was a self-taught painter who documented the birds of North America in a collection of 435 life-size watercolors titled “Birds of America.” The illustrator advocated for the protection of habitats and bird species, promoting the establishment of bird sanctuaries and America’s first natural history museum. His work inspired the founders of the first bird conservation groups to adopt his name.
To achieve his legacy, Audubon owned and sold slaves. When the Northern states enacted laws to abolish slavery, Audubon continued to defend slavery. Furthermore, the naturalist has been associated with a collection of human skulls that either found or acquired by Audubon, made their way into the hands of Dr. Samuel George Morton. The specimens were used by Morton to develop racist theories on skull size and intelligence which permeated American society.
In NYC, a diversity of birds and people
The decision to refocus the society’s mission under a new name comes at a critical time for the city’s avian occupants. New York City sits on the North Atlantic Flyway, making urban green spaces like Central Park a hot spot for birds on their migratory journeys. Traveling birds face an increasing threat of crashing into glass windows and veering off course at night from artificial lighting, which NYC Audubon tackles in their monitoring and research program Project Safe Flight.
Climate change is a significant concern for New York birds as warming temperatures and worsening weather stifle their ability to reproduce and feed. Habitat loss due to urbanization has also affected species’ survival. “North American bird populations have dropped by nearly a third since 1970,” said Karen Benfield, NYC Audubon Board President, in the announcement. “That is a crisis.”
Birds and their habitats benefit New Yorkers from all walks of life, and the decision will gather “as many voices as possible” to support imperiled urban wildlife. “A diversity of birds depends on a diversity of people,” said Christian Cooper, NYC Audubon Board Vice President in response to the name change. “Instead of letting our name be a barrier to reaching more people, we’re seizing this opportunity to tell ever-wider audiences who we are and what we do.”
A new name has not yet been announced, but NYC Audubon has said it will be chosen through a “robust” selection process. Some groups that have recently changed their names include the staff union of The National Audubon Society now known as “Bird Union” and the Audubon Naturalist Society in Washington DC (not affiliated with the National Audubon Society) has adopted, “Nature Forward.”
NYC Audubon will continue its signature bird outings in city parks along with talks and other free programming. To further expand the city’s birding community, they will be offering bird outings in public housing developments in partnership with the New York City Housing Authority and publishing a Spanish-English bird guide this spring.