Draft:Birds Georgia
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| Predecessor | Atlanta Bird Club; Atlanta Audubon Society; Georgia Audubon |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1926 (as the Atlanta Bird Club) |
| Type | 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization |
| Focus | Bird conservation, habitat restoration, environmental education |
| Headquarters | Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
Region served | Georgia |
| Members | More than 2,500 (as of 2024) |
Key people | Adam Betuel, Executive Director |
| Affiliations | National Audubon Society (independent chapter) |
| Website | www |
Birds Georgia is a statewide bird conservation nonprofit organization based in Atlanta, Georgia. It is an independent chapter of the National Audubon Society and describes itself as the largest bird-focused conservation organization in Georgia.[1] The organization was established in 1926 as the Atlanta Bird Club and later became an independent chapter of the National Audubon Society under the name Atlanta Audubon Society. It adopted a statewide focus and the name Georgia Audubon in 2020, before rebranding as Birds Georgia in late 2023.[1]
The organization conducts conservation, education, and community-engagement programs across Georgia, including monitoring of bird-building collisions, a residential and commercial habitat certification program, and an annual statewide birding festival.[2] Birds Georgia remains an independent chapter of the National Audubon Society.[3]
Its 2023 decision to drop "Audubon" from its name drew coverage from Georgia news outlets, as the change was part of a broader movement among local Audubon chapters distancing themselves from the legacy of naturalist John James Audubon, who enslaved people and held white supremacist views.[4][5]
History
[edit]Origins as the Atlanta Bird Club (1926–1972)
[edit]The organization was founded in 1926 as the Atlanta Bird Club.[1] According to the organization's own historical materials, dues for the club in 1965 were two dollars for adults and one dollar for students.[1] In 1968, the Atlanta Bird Club voted to become a branch or chapter of the National Audubon Society.[1]
Atlanta Audubon Society (1972–2020)
[edit]In 1972, the club voted to change its name to the Atlanta Audubon Society, with Wally Dreyfoos serving as its first president.[1] Sources differ slightly on the exact year the chapter affiliation became formal, with the organization's history page citing 1973 in some materials.[6] During this period the organization developed several of its longer-running programs, including a Master Birder training program established in 2002 and an annual Backyard Sanctuary Tour, also begun in 2002.[1] The organization launched Project Safe Flight in 2015, a community-science effort to document bird collisions with buildings in the Atlanta area.[2] Jared Teutsch was named executive director in October 2019.[7]
Expansion to Georgia Audubon (2020)
[edit]On August 1, 2020, Atlanta Audubon became a statewide organization known as Georgia Audubon.[1] The renaming reflected an expansion of the organization's programs and advocacy beyond the Atlanta metropolitan area to cover the state as a whole.[1]
Rebranding to Birds Georgia (2023)
[edit]In late 2023, the organization's board of directors voted to drop "Audubon" from its name, rebranding as Birds Georgia.[4] The push to reconsider the Audubon name began around 2021, as part of a wider national reckoning over American racism, when birders—including some within the Georgia chapter—called on local Audubon chapters to disassociate from the Audubon name because John James Audubon was an enslaver and a promoter of white supremacist views.[8] Birds Georgia stated that the renaming process followed a task force that spent six months researching the issue and consulting stakeholders.[9]
The board of directors announced the rebranding in late November 2023, with then-board chair Paige Martin stating that the change reflected member feedback and that the new name more intuitively conveyed the organization's purpose.[5] Executive Director Jared Teutsch said the name change had support from the organization's membership, many of whom indicated in surveys and listening sessions that "Audubon" was alienating both because of the historical figure's record and because most Americans did not recognize the name or know what the organization did.[3] Teutsch was quoted in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution describing the name as "not a reflection of what the organization is centered on."[3]
Reporting on the decision connected it to a broader reckoning in birding communities over racial exclusion, following the widely circulated 2020 incident in which a Black birdwatcher was harassed in New York City's Central Park.[3] Birds Georgia was among several independent Audubon chapters that changed their names following public scrutiny of John James Audubon's history, alongside chapters in Seattle, Portland, Madison, Chicago, the San Francisco Bay Area (which became the Golden Gate Bird Alliance), Detroit, and Washington, D.C.[3][10] The National Audubon Society's national board separately decided to retain the Audubon name at the national level, while leaving the decision to individual local chapters.[3]
According to a spokesperson, the rebranding did not affect the organization's governance, fundraising structure, or logo.[3] The organization stated that it would remain an independent chapter of the National Audubon Society following the name change.[10]
Centennial (2026)
[edit]Birds Georgia has stated that it considers itself the oldest continuously operating conservation organization in Georgia, and the organization marked the 100th anniversary of its 1926 founding in 2026.[6] The organization held a year-long centennial celebration that included guided birding trips, habitat restoration workdays, and community events, and in January 2026 donated a historic scrapbook documenting its early history to the Cherokee Garden Library at the Atlanta History Center.[11] As part of its centennial celebration, the organization announced plans to launch the Georgia Birding Trail, a planned statewide network of more than 400 birding sites intended to protect habitat, expand access to birding, and support nature-based tourism.[8][11] The centennial year culminated in a Centennial Bird Fest beginning in April 2026.[8]
Programs
[edit]Project Safe Flight
[edit]Birds Georgia launched Project Safe Flight in 2015 to document and reduce bird mortality caused by collisions with buildings, with the longer-term goal of supporting legislation requiring bird-friendly building construction and reduced light pollution.[12] Independent researchers have ranked the Atlanta metropolitan area, which lies along a major migratory flyway, as one of the most dangerous cities in the United States for migrating birds, citing a ranking of fourth-most dangerous during fall migration and ninth during spring migration.[12]
Through the program, volunteers patrol designated routes in the early morning during spring and fall migration periods, documenting birds that have been killed or injured in collisions with buildings.[13] As of recent program updates, volunteers had collected more than 6,000 birds representing 141 species since monitoring began in fall 2015, with the program later expanding beyond metro Atlanta to include the coastal cities of Brunswick and Savannah.[2] A related initiative, Lights Out Georgia, encourages homeowners and commercial property managers to reduce outdoor lighting during peak migration periods, given that artificial light can disorient migrating birds and increase collision risk.[14]
Birds Georgia has collaborated with researchers and students at the Georgia Institute of Technology to develop data tools intended to help translate collision data into evidence for proposed bird-safety policies and building regulations.[12]
Wildlife Sanctuary Program
[edit]Birds Georgia operates a certification program, the Wildlife Sanctuary Program, through which residential and commercial properties can be certified as bird- and wildlife-friendly habitat.[15] To qualify, a property must meet minimum standards for native plant cover, food sources, water sources, and shelter, and may not maintain or feed outdoor cats; certified areas must be at least 50 square feet and no larger than three acres, with a separate process available for larger properties.[16] Certified properties receive a sign identifying them as a Birds Georgia Wildlife Sanctuary and are added to the organization's network of certified sites; certification must be renewed every five years.[15] A related Habitat Stewardship Program serves larger public and private landholdings of ten acres or more.[15]
Georgia Bird Fest
[edit]Georgia Bird Fest is described by the organization as Georgia's largest bird and nature festival, consisting of a month-long series of guided field trips, workshops, and guest speaker events held each spring across the state.[17] The festival, held for the tenth time in 2025, has included field trips to sites such as Phinizy Swamp near Augusta, Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge near Savannah, and Cumberland Island, alongside webinars on topics including nature photography and bird-friendly gardening.[18] All proceeds from the festival support the organization's conservation, education, and community engagement programs.[18] The festival typically culminates in a one-day Bird Fest Summit featuring breakout sessions and a keynote speaker.[17]
Other programs
[edit]The organization also operates youth and educational programs, including a Youth Birding Competition, a coastal birding and nature camp for teens known as Camp Talon, and curriculum resources for K-12 educators.[1] It maintains a Master Birder training program for adult volunteers and participates in Bird City Georgia, a certification initiative for municipalities that adopt bird-friendly policies.[1]
Governance and operations
[edit]Birds Georgia is structured as a member-supported 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation and, as of 2024, reported more than 2,500 members across the state.[1] The organization operates as an independent chapter of the National Audubon Society rather than as a direct subsidiary, meaning it sets its own governance, programming, and branding while remaining affiliated with the national network.[10]
The organization's headquarters is located at 825 Warner Street SW, Suite B, in Atlanta.[19] Jared Teutsch served as executive director from 2019 until his departure from the role; Adam Betuel, the organization's longtime director of conservation, subsequently became executive director.[20] As of 2026, Betuel holds the title of executive director, having previously served as the organization's first director of conservation beginning in 2015.[20][1]
Reception and coverage
[edit]Coverage of the organization's 2023 rebranding decision appeared in Georgia outlets including the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, WABE, Georgia Public Broadcasting, the Georgia Recorder, and SaportaReport.[3][4][5][9][10] News coverage characterized the renaming as part of a broader pattern of debate over renaming institutions and public memorials associated with historical figures with records of racism, and noted that proponents framed the move as an effort to make conservation and birding spaces more welcoming to people of color.[9] The organization's collision-monitoring work has also drawn separate coverage, including a 2025 WABE feature on volunteer patrols and Georgia Institute of Technology's own reporting on a data-tool collaboration with the organization.[13][12] Subsequent profiles, including a January 2026 article in Rough Draft Atlanta and an April 2026 feature in Atlanta Magazine, covered the organization's centennial and described continued growth in birdwatching participation alongside broader challenges facing bird populations from habitat loss and climate change.[11][8]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "Our History". Birds Georgia.
- 1 2 3 "Project Safe Flight". Birds Georgia.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Lutz, Meris (2023-12-08). "Georgia Audubon to rebrand as Birds Georgia, ditches slaveholder's name". Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
- 1 2 3 "Georgia conservation group drops 'Audubon,' changing name to Birds Georgia". WABE. 2023-12-01.
- 1 2 3 "Bird enthusiasts at Georgia Audubon distance themselves from enslaver's name with new rebrand". Georgia Public Broadcasting. 2023-12-04.
- 1 2 "FAQ Birds Georgia". Birds Georgia.
- ↑ "Press Room". Birds Georgia.
- 1 2 3 4 "Birding is booming as Birds Georgia celebrates 100 years". Atlanta Magazine. 2026-04-10.
- 1 2 3 "Georgia Audubon going the way of the dodo as bird enthusiasts distance themselves from enslaver's name". Georgia Recorder. 2023-12-01.
- 1 2 3 4 "Georgia Audubon Is Now Birds Georgia". SaportaReport. 2024-01-09.
- 1 2 3 "Birds Georgia celebrating 100 years in 2026". Rough Draft Atlanta. 2026-01-24.
- 1 2 3 4 "Students Collaborating with Nonprofit to Reduce Bird Collisions with Buildings". Georgia Tech Research. 2025-12-12.
- 1 2 "Atlanta volunteers research birds colliding into buildings during spring migration". WABE. 2025-05-23.
- ↑ "Georgia Audubon receives grant to boost programs reducing bird-building collisions". SaportaReport. 2023-02-17.
- 1 2 3 "Wildlife Sanctuary Program". Birds Georgia.
- ↑ "Wildlife Sanctuary Requirements". Birds Georgia.
- 1 2 "Georgia Bird Fest". All About Birds / Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
- 1 2 "Georgia Bird Fest Returns for 2025". SaportaReport. 2025-04-21.
- ↑ "Other Georgia Birding Clubs". Georgia Ornithological Society.
- 1 2 "Birds Georgia names Adam Betuel as new Executive Director". Birds Georgia.
Category:Environmental organizations based in Georgia (U.S. state) Category:Bird conservation organizations Category:1926 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) Category:Organizations established in 1926
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