President's Corner

Photo: Pileated Woodpecker, John Troth/Audubon Photography Awards

Northern Virginia Bird Alliance logo

We are proud to announce our new name – the Northern Virginia Bird Alliance. Members at our June 9 meeting voted overwhelmingly to adopt the name. We have some work to do to complete the transition, but have already adopted a new logo. We hope you like it as much as we do.

I commend my fellow Board members, our legions of dedicated volunteers, our many thousands of members, and the community groups that worked with us and provided input – for their valuable perspectives and insights, their steadfast encouragement, and their patience as we undertook this long and deliberative process.

Why Northern Virginia Bird Alliance?

We now have a name that we feel better communicates our mission and our focus on birds! The name feels welcoming and inviting and is free of the negative associations the Audubon name raises for some people. The new name identifies people and partnerships as essential to our work. It delineates our geographic reach. And it aligns us with a nationwide network of organizations which also are adopting the Bird Alliance name. 

We remain an active chapter of the National Audubon Society. And we will continue to collaborate with other chapters and with local, regional, and state organizations to advance our conservation objectives. Our Wildlife Sanctuary (formerly Audubon at Home) and Stretch Our Parks programs remain collaborative programs with the aim of creating and conserving wildlife habitat.

It was not an easy decision to remove “Audubon” from our name, but we learned first-hand that John James Audubon’s legacy of racism and scientific fraud was a barrier to many individuals, especially in younger and more diverse groups, who might otherwise join our efforts. Because conservation requires the cooperation and effort of many people to protect the environment for future generations, and because northern Virginia is increasingly diverse and under rapid development pressure, our Board of Directors felt the best way to achieve our mission was to adopt a more welcoming and inclusive name. We are grateful our membership agreed.

By changing our name, we are not erasing history. Audubon’s positive contributions remain regardless of our name. We also celebrate all the wonderful work done under the Audubon name over many decades by our organization and its people. In fact, we feel that our new name will enable us to build on all of that passion and hard work to deliver a brighter future for nature.

What does this mean for us going forward?

In addition to changing our name, we also have chosen a tagline that will often accompany our name, “Conserving and Enjoying Nature.” The tagline recognizes that we work to preserve more than birds; it identifies conservation as our first priority so that we can help provide access to and enjoyment of birds and nature now and into the future.

We are at an exciting turning point. We are making plans to move forward vigorously with our mission, with renewed focus on finding ways to engage all of northern Virginia’s communities in our efforts to protect birds and nature in our region. We hope our new name enables more people to enjoy, participate in, and improve our shared work. 

We recognize this is a significant change for our organization. We have a strong, decades-long history of conservation, education, and advocacy, but we believe the change will enable even greater success. We recognize that there are those who felt that we should not change our name, but we hope that our commitment to our mission and our shared love of birds and nature will unite us all in moving forward toward a more joyous, bird-filled future. Thank you for being an ally. If you want to volunteer to work with us, visit our website here.

Please Vote to Change Our Organization’s Name to “Northern Virginia Bird Alliance”

Photo: Pileated Woodpecker, John Troth/Audubon Photography Awards

On Sunday, June 9, 2024 at 1:00 pm at the National Wildlife Federation Building in Reston, ASNV will hold a meeting for members only, to vote on whether to adopt “Northern Virginia Bird Alliance” as its new name.

ASNV’s Board of Directors voted to recommend this new name and urges you to vote to adopt it. This is an important step in our 12-month long process in which we have partnered with our communities to find a name that clearly communicates what we do, what we value, and how we welcome all who want to conserve and enjoy birds and nature in northern Virginia.

We chose “Northern Virginia Bird Alliance” because it makes clear that our focus is on birds, and that working with people is important. We voted in January to drop the Audubon name because our survey results indicated that it was a barrier to participation for some groups in our increasingly diverse northern Virginia area; younger people felt especially strongly that a name change was necessary. We strive to welcome all in our region to help protect and enjoy birds and wildlife. In fact, given the dire threats that development and climate change pose to birds and wildlife, we feel that we can only achieve our mission now and into the future if we increase participation from across all northern Virginia communities.

Another factor in the Board’s decision was that the “Bird Alliance” label has been adopted by a number of large chapters of the National Audubon Society with tens of thousands of members, including San Francisco, Chicago, Detroit, New York City, and Washington, DC. Therefore our new name will ally us with those organizations in a common objective of conserving birds, their habitats, and the environment.

We acknowledge the sizable impact that John James Audubon had on American ornithology, and in the coming months we will be recognizing the positive contributions that he and others have made to U.S. ornithology, bird art, and bird conservation.

To make the new name official, we need to have a vote of the current members of ASNV. There are two ways to vote: you can attend our special members-only meeting at 1:00 PM on Sunday, June 9, at 11100 Wildlife Center Drive, Reston VA; or you can fill out a proxy form and give it to a member who will attend the meeting (with a paper copy of the proxy vote.) The proxy form is here. You can give the proxy form to any member you choose, but please make sure the member plans to attend before assigning your proxy.

Of course, you can vote either “yes” or “no” on adopting this new name. But we hope you will vote to change our name to “Northern Virginia Bird Alliance.” We are eager to move forward with this new name and re-energize the organization’s conservation efforts here in northern Virginia. A no vote will not overturn the Board’s decision to drop the Audubon name but will require further deliberation on a new name.

President's Corner

Photo: Pileated Woodpecker, John Troth/Audubon Photography Awards

Libby Lyons

I am pleased to announce that our Board of Directors has recommended a new name for our organization – Northern Virginia Bird Alliance! We are excited about moving forward with this new name because it better matches our mission, our communities, and our values. At the end of this letter, I describe the next steps in adopting this new name, to be taken at a June 9 meeting when ASNV members can vote on the Board’s recommendation.

Why are we changing our name?

As many of you know, the ASNV board decided in January 2024 to change our organization's name so that it better reflects our values of being inclusive and welcoming. The board sees a new name as an opportunity to re-energize and grow new support for our conservation mission at a time when our region’s population is rapidly diversifying and when we need “all hands on deck” for conservation in the face of climate change and rapid local development.

How did we choose this name?

We asked for suggestions from those who took our survey about changing our name and from our membership more broadly. We received more than one hundred great ideas – thank you for your many creative suggestions! We met several times and considered all of the suggestions as well as the names being adopted by other Audubon chapters around the country.

Why did we choose Northern Virginia Bird Alliance?

Our choice of name supports our mission. Including “bird” in our name makes it crystal clear to everyone that birds are our main focus, which sets us apart from many other conservation organizations. “Northern Virginia” reaffirms our commitment to serving the entire region. And “alliance” signals that people are integral to our mission and that we work cooperatively with members, partners, and other Audubon groups to achieve our shared conservation goals.

Another compelling reason for our choice is the growing trend among Audubon chapters to rename with a common moniker to fortify brand recognition. Many responses to our survey about the name change identified the loss of Audubon’s brand recognition as a major concern. Our choice answers that concern. More than three quarters of the 22 chapters that are changing or that have changed their names include “Bird Alliance” in their adopted or proposed names. They stretch across 10 states, have tens of thousands of members, and include some of the largest chapters in the country, including Golden Gate (San Francisco area), Portland-Oregon, Chicago, and Detroit. Just across the Potomac, DC Audubon has announced it is changing its name to DC Bird Alliance. And the board of New York City Audubon announced it is seeking member approval to become the New York City Bird Alliance. Choosing this name means we will add momentum to its wider adoption and we will benefit from the increasing recognition as this new brand spreads. 

Can a tagline help?

One challenge that we faced in choosing a short, recognizable name was how to convey the breadth of what we do. This range of our activities was clear from the names many of you suggested– your passion for nature comes in many flavors! Our solution was to agree on a primary tagline. A tagline is a short, memorable phrase that succinctly describes who we are and what we value. The Board felt that “Conserving and Enjoying Nature” best captures this. At our core we are a conservation organization. We also are dedicated to providing our northern Virginia communities access to and enjoyment of nature. And by broadening from “bird” in our name to “nature” in our tagline we recognize and celebrate that in our ranks are lovers of birds, insects, other wildlife, plants, and our local natural ecosystems. We also discussed the order of the words “conserving” and “enjoying” in the tagline. One board member made the compelling argument that with climate change bearing down on us, many members, particularly our younger members, feel the urgency of emphasizing conservation now so that we can continue to enjoy nature in the future.

What are the next steps?

Because changing our name means altering the organization’s Articles of Incorporation, the State of Virginia requires member approval of the new name. On Sunday, June 9 at 1:00 PM at the National Wildlife Federation building, we will convene a meeting to vote on the adoption of this new name. 

Only current members can vote on the name. They can vote in person or by giving their proxy vote to another member who can deliver a paper copy of the proxy vote at the meeting.

What happens after June 9?

The board hopes that our members will adopt the recommended name; if they do, we will dive into implementing the change. With your support, we look forward to forging ahead with renewed commitment to bird conservation and to addressing issues raised by our communities during the consideration of a name change. In future newsletters we will describe our ongoing efforts to engage with new communities, to build intergenerational and intercultural links among our many participant groups, and to provide material about the wide range of individuals, including John James Audubon, who have made major contributions to U.S. ornithology.

Weigh In On Our New Name

Image: Tundra Swans, John James Audubon

After deciding to move forward with changing our organization’s name, we’re asking for your suggestions on a new name. You still have time to send us your recommendation on a new name for ASNV. We continue to take suggestions through March 6. If you want to offer your idea for a new name, please leave your suggestion (and a brief explanation) here. We will consider all suggestions we receive.

The Audubon Name, Our Board’s Decision

Image: Tundra Swans, John James Audubon

Over the past six months, ASNV has been exploring whether we should change our chapter's name, removing its reference to John James Audubon. We surveyed our members and people who participate in our activities to learn their views. We reached out to a dozen or so Audubon chapters that are considering a name change or that have already changed their name to gain their perspectives.

Throughout, we have been impressed by the passionate commitment to conserving birds and nature shown by ASNV members and other survey participants. Thank you to all who took the survey for caring and for helping the Board decide this complex issue. 

A total of 481 of you responded to our survey. We learned that our community is evenly split on the question of whether to change ASNV’s name. Younger respondents had a much stronger preference for name change than older ones. Respondents from racial or ethnic minorities also tended to prefer a name change. We were gratified to learn that the plurality of respondents said their involvement in ASNV would not be affected one way or the other by a change in name.

We found the reasons respondents gave for favoring or opposing a name change to be heartfelt, thoughtful, and compelling. Many important concerns were raised by both supporters and opponents of a name change. These include the need for the organization to be inclusive and welcoming to all northern Virginians, the potential loss of name recognition and connection with the National Audubon Society and other Audubon chapters, and not erasing the many positive contributions that John James Audubon made to American ornithology, while also not honoring Audubon’s ownership of enslaved people, collaboration with eugenics research, and scientific dishonesty. While some respondents saw changing the name as a distraction, many saw it as an opportunity to look forward, redouble our conservation efforts, undertake new outreach, and build intergenerational and intercultural bridges to increase our impact and advance our mission.

The Board of Directors held a special meeting on January 21, 2024 to decide whether or not to move forward with changing our organization’s name. The organization’s mission to engage all northern Virginia communities in enjoying, conserving, and restoring nature for the benefit of birds, other wildlife, and people was paramount to all our deliberations. The question we came back to repeatedly was, “What action will most help us achieve our conservation mission, in the short term and in the long term?” Because conservation is by its nature a forward-looking endeavor and fighting the threats of development and climate change will require as many supporters as possible from all northern Virginia communities for many years to come, the Board was particularly moved by the strong support for name change voiced by younger and other underrepresented groups of survey respondents.

After discussing all that we learned and considering the implications of either action, the Board of Directors approved a measure to move forward with changing the name of the Audubon Society of Northern Virginia. 

We recognize that as we move forward with this decision we must address the concerns raised by survey respondents. While our focus remains steadfastly on conservation of birds and nature, we also need to strengthen our efforts to bring younger and more diverse groups into our activities. We must, in a very visible way on our website, recognize Audubon’s many contributions to ornithology. We must find a new name and undertake a public awareness effort to build recognition of that name. We must find a way to convert our community’s resounding support and passion for conservation into greater protection of nature in northern Virginia. 

What are the next steps? We must first identify a new name. More than 100 survey respondents made suggestions and gave us helpful guidance on this effort:

• don’t name your organization after a person (which is also consistent with the American Ornithological Society’s decision to remove all human names from North American birds);

• choose a name that makes our mission clearer, and include the word “bird”;

• don’t use the word “society,” which seems elitist or old-fashioned to many; and

• for increased brand recognition, adopt a name that is being used by other Audubon chapters (especially nearby ones) that are changing their names.

The Board will decide on a name, recommend that name to our members, and convene a meeting in which members vote on the adoption of that name. If you want to offer your idea for a new name, we will consider all suggestions we receive.

We welcome your help in the days, months and years ahead – as we choose a new name, as we engage our communities with this name, and as we move forward with renewed enthusiasm to conserve birds and nature in northern Virginia.

The Audubon Name: An Update on Our Survey

Image: Tundra Swan, John James Audubon

Earlier this fall, we conducted a survey to learn how our members and friends feel about the possibility of changing the name of the Audubon Society of Northern Virginia. If you participated, thank you!

We want to provide you with a high-level summary of what we learned from the survey and let you know the next steps in our decision-making process. From the 481 responses to the survey, we learned that our community is almost evenly split on the question of dropping “Audubon” from the name. People younger than 60 showed a significant preference for a name change. However, given how even the overall preferences were, we are now focusing on understanding and addressing the concerns behind the preferences. 

Respondents gave thoughtful comments to explain their views. Whether they oppose or support a name change, many respondents recognize both Audubon’s major contributions to ornithology and the public’s appreciation of birds and nature, as well as the troubling aspects of his legacy, including his ownership of enslaved people and his scientific dishonesty. Those supporting a name change give more weight to the negative aspects of his legacy and see them as a barrier to involving young people and people of color in the organization and in the larger cause of conserving birds and nature. Those opposing a name change give more weight to Audubon’s positive contributions, and see a name change as costly in terms of the time, effort, and money to make the change, and are concerned with the loss of brand recognition and the association of the Audubon name with birds and conservation. 

We thank all of you who took the time to respond to the survey and share your views. We have learned a lot from your passionate and thoughtful responses. We also have been in touch with Audubon chapters across the country, including some that have decided to change their name and others that decided not to change. Their experience has provided considerable insight into the costs and benefits of this choice.

The next step is for the ASNV Board of Directors to meet early in 2024 to decide whether to change the name of the organization. Then, no matter what we decide, we will communicate clearly the outcome and use the understanding we have gained to strengthen our organization’s ability to carry out its conservation and community engagement missions. And if we decide to change our name, we’ll need to come up with a new name. Stay tuned, and we will keep you posted.

Tell Us Your Thoughts (by October 15) on Keeping or Changing Our Name

Image: King Rails, John James Audubon

John James Audubon’s vast contributions to American ornithology are well known. In recent years, however, it has come to light that, like some others of his era, he was a slave owner and collected skulls for another’s eugenics research, practices that are now universally condemned. He also copied another artist’s drawing of a bird that did not exist, using it to promote his own publication -- scientific fraud by any era’s standards.

ASNV, like many other Audubon chapters, has embarked on a process to decide whether to keep the Audubon name. The National Audubon Society in March of this year decided not to change its name, but is allowing its many chapters to decide for themselves. 

Our Board of Directors will make this decision – and it is a complex one. More background information is available in this essay on the Audubon Name, and in this series of Frequently Asked Questions. On the one hand, some feel that changing the name will help remove the taint of racism associated with Audubon. And as Christian Cooper wrote in the Washington Post, we can’t adequately protect birds and other wildlife from the immense challenges ahead without the participation of non-Whites, a large and growing part of the population. Having a name that honors Audubon could deter such participation; this is especially relevant for northern Virginia, a part of the country that has recently become a majority-minority region. 

On the other hand, Audubon did make significant contributions to ornithology, art, and natural history. Changing our name could weaken the Audubon “brand recognition.” A name change could alienate some members and also would be expensive, draining funds away from important conservation work.

Because we are a membership organization and have long benefited from your generous involvement and support, we are now in a listening and learning phase. We ask for your input – please use this link to take our brief survey. We are keeping it open until October 15. We also will consult other groups in northern Virginia communities that are not well-represented in our membership and other Audubon chapters around the country.

We look forward to hearing from you – about the name change issue – and about other suggestions that you have to help us protect the birds and nature that we all treasure.

President's Corner

Photo: Tundra Swan illustration, John James Audubon

Libby Lyons

Looking back across the last year, I saw ASNV came out of the pandemic energized and ready to take on some big challenges. To counter the threat of continued massive losses of birds from North America (estimated at 3 billion, or one in four, since 1970), of rapid urban development in northern Virginia, and of climate change, we have developed our Stretch Our Parks initiative.

We also are adopting a proactive approach to our mission of engaging all northern Virginia communities in enjoying, conserving, and restoring nature for the benefit of birds, other wildlife, and people. Our recently hired Volunteer Coordinator is increasing our volunteer engagement, we are reaching younger audiences with our NextGen Birders for Conservation events, and we continue to reach out to all communities in our chapter territory through our diversity and inclusion initiatives, which are now featured on our website. 

It is in this context of how we fulfill our mission, today and for years to come, that we now consider whether to change our organization’s name. John James Audubon’s vast contributions to American ornithology are well known. In recent years, however, it has come to light that, like some others of his era, he was a slave owner and collected skulls for another’s eugenics research, practices that are now universally condemned. He also copied another artist’s drawing of a bird that did not exist, using it to promote his own publication -- scientific fraud by any era’s standards.

ASNV, like many other Audubon chapters, has embarked on a process to decide whether to keep the Audubon name. The National Audubon Society in March of this year decided not to change its name, but is allowing its many chapters to decide for themselves. 

Our Board of Directors will make this decision – and it is a complex one. More background information is available in this essay on the Audubon Name, and in this series of Frequently Asked Questions. On the one hand, some feel that changing the name will help remove the taint of racism associated with Audubon. And as Christian Cooper wrote in the Washington Post, we can’t adequately protect birds and other wildlife from the immense challenges ahead without the participation of non-Whites, a large and growing part of the population. Having a name that honors Audubon could deter such participation; this is especially relevant for northern Virginia, a part of the country that has recently become a majority-minority region. 

On the other hand, Audubon did make significant contributions to ornithology, art, and natural history. Changing our name could weaken the Audubon “brand recognition.” A name change could alienate some members and also would be expensive, draining funds away from important conservation work.

Because we are a membership organization and have long benefited from your generous involvement and support, we are now in a listening and learning phase. We ask for your input – please use this link to take our brief survey. We also will consult other groups in northern Virginia communities that are not well-represented in our membership and other Audubon chapters around the country.

We look forward to hearing from you – about the name change issue – and about other suggestions that you have to help us protect the birds and nature that we all treasure.