The Hartford Audubon Society, founded in 1909, is nonprofit organization dedicated to wildlife conservation and education. Hartford Audubon manages several wildlife sanctuaries, participates in conservation advocacy, conducts bird censuses, and offers field trips, lectures, and other programming. It is a partner in the Hartford Urban Bird Treaty and the Connecticut Bird Atlas.

History

The Hartford Audubon Society was founded in 1909 as the Hartford Bird Study Club. The club's initial aims included advancing ornithological knowledge, protecting birds, and "interesting the general public" in the welfare of birds. The club began offering lectures on birds and conservation in 1909 and guided walks in 1911. It started the Hartford

Christmas Bird Count The Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is a census of birds in the Western Hemisphere, performed annually in the early Northern-hemisphere winter by volunteer birdwatchers and administered by the National Audubon Society. The purpose is to provide popu ...

in 1909. The club has participated in conservation advocacy since 1909, including advising senator

George P. McLean George Payne McLean (October 7, 1857 – June 6, 1932) was the 59th Governor of Connecticut, and a United States senator from Connecticut. Biography McLean was born in Simsbury, Connecticut, one of five children of Dudley B. McLean and Mary ( ...

on the

Migratory Bird Treaty Act The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 (MBTA), codified at (although §709 is omitted), is a United States federal law, first enacted in 1918 to implement the convention for the protection of migratory birds between the United States and Canada . ...

. Club members began

bird banding Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweight ...

in the 1920s, which flourished under

E. Alexander Bergstrom Edward Alexander Bergstrom (March 11, 1919 – March 21, 1973) was an ornithologist, scientific journal editor, and conservationist, doing all of his work in these fields as a volunteer. Life Edward Alexander Bergstrom was born in Boston, Massa ...

’s leadership in the 1940s–1960s. The club changed its name to the Hartford Audubon Society, Inc. in 1965. The organization's mission has broadened beyond birds to emphasize wildlife conservation.

Wildlife sanctuaries

Hartford Audubon manages four wildlife sanctuaries. * Station 43, nine acres, a freshwater wetland marsh located along the Connecticut River in South Windsor. Station 43 is an

Important Bird Area An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations. IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...

, a Connecticut Natural Area, and a special focus area of the

Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge was established in 1997 to conserve, protect and enhance the abundance and diversity of native plant, fish and wildlife species and the ecosystems on which they depend throughout the Connecticut Ri ...

. * Greenstone Hollow Nature Preserve, 38 acres, East Granby. * Lewis Farm Bird Sanctuary, 90 acres, Suffield. * Tobacco Valley Wildlife Refuge, South Windsor. Former sanctuaries: * Idlenot Farm, Ellington and South Windsor. * Cedar Mountain Preserve, 2,500 acres, Newington, organized with the Connecticut State Fish and Game Commission in 1916.

Members

* John Hall Sage (1847–1925), the first honorary president of the Hartford Bird Study Club and a field trip leader following 1911. *

(1919–1973), president of the Hartford Bird Study Club from 1953 to 1955 and chair of its bird banding committee.

References

{{reflist

External links

Hartford Audubon Society records finding aid
- Wood Memorial Library. Environmental organizations based in Connecticut Ornithological organizations in the United States Bird conservation organizations Nature conservation organizations based in the United States Organizations established in 1909