The Three Levels of Audubon

People often get confused when they learn about Montana Audubon. “Is that part of National Audubon?” or “I’m a member of my local Audubon Chapter – is that the same thing?” This is what we refer to as the three levels of Audubon – National Audubon, Montana Audubon and local Audubon Chapters. Regardless of the organization, the Audubon “movement” was started by Harriet Hemenway and Minna B. Hall in Massachusetts and George Bird Grinnell in New York. Grinnell was also an influential force in establishing Glacier National Park, so we feel he has an even greater connection to Montana Audubon!

In 1976, the local Audubon chapters in Montana came together to establish an independent organization that could deal directly with important conservation issues across Big Sky Country. Thus, Montana Audubon, an independent entity from both National Audubon and its local chapters, was born. While each “Audubon,” national, state, and local, shares nearly identical mission statements, they play different roles on the broader conservation stage.

National Audubon works on a national scale as they carry the heavy political clout one would expect from a big, more than century-old organization. Audubon chapters are often characterized as local “birding clubs” that are, for the most part, volunteer-run and engage in community conservation projects as well as helping to spread the joy of birding by offering local and regional field trips. Montana Audubon’s niche in the “Audubon family” is to protect the wildlife and landscape qualities that we cherish throughout our magnificent state through our conservation policy, avian research, citizen science, conservation ranching and education programs.