The Illinois Audubon Society will be celebrating a milestone in conserving the natural resources of Illinois with a reception marking its 120th anniversary on Wednesday, June 28 at the Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in Chicago in 1897 for the protection of birds, the Society is the oldest nonprofit conservation organization in the state. Illinois Audubon Society Board Director Doug Stotz will make a presentation on climate change effects on birds as part of the brief program that will focus on the Past, Present and Future of Bird Conservation. The reception begins at 6:00 p.m. Members and nonmembers are invited to attend and the cost is $75 per person. Cocktails and light hors d’oeuvres will be served, and Rice Hall of Birds will be open for viewing
“As a result of the dedication and commitment of our members, the Society has worked for more than a century to promote the perpetuation and appreciation of native plants, animals and habitats of Illinois,” explained Jim Herkert, Illinois Audubon Society Executive Director. “We’ve played an integral role in strengthening state wildlife laws, expanding state parks and forest preserves, and banning DDT in the state. The Society also has worked to protect birds of prey, conserve prairie-chickens and reintroduce peregrine falcons to Illinois.”
Over its history the Society has raised $11 million for land acquisition, and current owns nearly 2,000 acres of land managed as wildlife sanctuaries throughout the state. These include the 485 acre War Bluff Sanctuary in the Shawnee Hills of southern Illinois, the 203 acre H&B Bremer Wildlife Sanctuary near Hillsboro, the 302 acre Amboy Marsh Nature Preserve and the 400 acre Gremel Wildlife Sanctuary in the Green River Lowlands of northern Illinois and the Adams Wildlife Sanctuary located within the city of Springfield.
“We have entered an era where the role of non-governmental conservation organizations is becoming more and more important every year and the Society looks forward to continuing to do our part in conserving and protecting the natural resources of the state” Herkert said.
Rservations can be made online here.