The Chicago Audubon Society will soon become the Chicago Bird Alliance.
The bird conservation organization decided to adopt a new name after grappling with the legacy of John James Audubon, the namesake of Audubon societies but not the founder.
Audubon was a well-known early American birdwatcher and a wildlife artist during the 1800s who created “The Birds of America,” a collection of 435 life-size prints of various bird species.
He was also a slave owner who opposed emancipation and who was accused of academic fraud and plagiarism, stealing human remains and sending human skulls to a colleague to claim white people were superior, according to the National Audubon Society.
Two other bird groups in the region will also change their names for the same reason. The Detroit Audubon and Madison Audubon will become the Detroit Bird Alliance and Badgerland Bird Alliance, respectively.
“Our chapters believe that bird conservation should center birds and collaboration, rather than celebrate a historical figure that is aligned with systemic racism,” Judy Pollock, president of the Chicago Audubon Society, said in a news release about the name change.
“We are happy to be part of a new group of chapters using this name, and welcome other chapters, community members, and partners to join us in our work.”
The new name also intends to focus on the group’s collaborative work on behalf of birds to inspire appreciation for them.
“Our approach has always been to bring nature and people together in a way that serves both,” Gretchen Abrams, executive director of the Detroit Audubon, said in the release. “It was important for us to collaborate with other Audubon chapters — especially those in our region — in adopting a name that unifies our members and unifies us as organizations.”
The three organizations will continue to be affiliate chapters with the National Audubon Society. The national group announced earlier this year in March that it would retain the “Audubon” name.
The three new Bird Alliance groups follow the footsteps of other Audubon groups that changed their names after reckoning with John James Audubon.
The Golden Gate Bird Alliance, based in the Bay Area, dropped Audubon from its name in August. Seattle’s chapter was the first to pursue a name change in July 2022 and was renamed Birds Connect Seattle in March 2023.
“When you recognize John James Audubon’s environmental legacy, you also have to grapple with his full legacy,” Matt Reetz, Badgerland Bird Alliance executive director, said in the statement.
“After talking to community members and partners, and listening to our members, we learned that for some groups, Audubon simply meant ‘birds’ — but for many others, it meant harm. It’s not enough to just put an asterisk next to the name. We needed to have our name promote our work: bird conservation that includes everyone.”