WHO WE ARE



Audubon Minnesota is the state office of the National Audubon Society, and thus shares Audubon’s nationwide mission to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats. However, we operate as a separate management and budgetary unit, designing our own programs and initiatives to protect and restore Minnesota’s environment, and seeking to support those efforts entirely through local funding.



We were founded in 1979 as a collaborative effort of several Audubon Chapters who pooled their resources in order to hire a staff person to help advocate for better conservation practices in the State. Since then the office has evolved into its current structure as a state office of the National Audubon Society. We share staff, office space, and conservation initiatives with Audubon’s Upper Mississippi River Campaign, which works to improve the Mississippi River ecosystem throughout a five-state region.



Our statewide operations focus on three primary strategic directions:

* Bird Conservation and Science

* Environmental Policy and Advocacy

* Environmental Education and Audubon Centers



Our work is led by a professional staff, with support from the State Board and many other volunteers. We work closely with the 14 Audubon Chapters in Minnesota, which are annually chartered by the National Audubon Society and share many conservation goals with Audubon Minnesota. Each Chapter is a legally separate 501[c]3 non-profit organization, so their operations and activities are not directly controlled by Audubon Minnesota.



Our 13,000+ members are the National Audubon Society members who live in Minnesota. However, their membership dues support Audubon’s national operations and thus do not directly fund Audubon Minnesota’s work in the North Star State. Instead, Audubon Minnesota’s programs are funded through special contributions, grants, and other local fundraising activities.