On Wednesday, June 24th from 7 - 9:30 pm, we are hosting our first annual fundraiser to support the education and conservation work done at the Prospect Park Audubon Center, the nation's first urban Audubon Center and one that serves over 75,000 community members and students annually. Come on out to Brooklyn for an evening full of Audubon—from bird walks and boat rides to live birds of prey! The reception will also feature cocktails and hors d'oeuvres.

Ticket prices start at $85 for Individuals. Tickets purchased at the Supporter ($125), Sponsor ($250), and Patron ($500) level provide increasing levels of support and help underwrite our valuable programs. All donations will be matched through a generous grant from the LuEsther T. Mertz Charitable Trust to help build the Center's endowment.

To purchase tickets online, go here.
For more information, please call Jessica Wells at 212-979-3177 or email us.

Ithaca, NY May 29, 2009 – Fueled by habitat loss from suburban sprawl and industrialized agricultural practices, populations of New York’s grassland bird species are plummeting faster than any other habitat specific group of birds. To guide new and ongoing efforts to curb these precipitous declines, Audubon New York released a comprehensive Plan for Conserving Grassland Birds in New York. This groundbreaking assessment finds that private landowners and farmland preservation hold the key to the future survival of these species.

"This new plan provides the right ‘recipe’ for the state and private landowners to follow in protecting and properly managing habitat for grassland bird species before it’s too late." said Albert E. Caccese, Executive Director of Audubon New York. "As the majority of grassland bird habitat is in private ownership, individual landowners can play a crucial role in their conservation. Providing incentives and landowner education is critical to promote healthy wildlife populations that support local economies through outdoor recreation and ecotourism in rural New York."

Click here to read the rest of the release visit.
Also visit the DEC’s website for more details on the Land Owner Incentive Program.

New York, NY April 16, 2009 – To celebrate the continued recovery of Long Island Sound, two of the most prominent leaders in the restoration efforts, Congressman Tim Bishop and Christopher O. Ward, The Executive Director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, were honored as the 2009 recipients of the Sound Guardian Award. This Award is given on an annual basis to outstanding policy makers whose actions have made a difference in the protection, restoration and stewardship of Long Island Sound.

The 2009 Sound Guardian Award was presented by Congressman Jerrold Nadler on behalf of the Clean Water/Jobs Coalition. Congressman Tim Bishop received the 2009 Sound Guardian Award for his leadership in urging Congress to prioritize the restoration of Long Island Sound’s water quality and beaches. Christopher O. Ward, received the 2009 Sound Guardian Award for his legacy of restoring Long Island Sound while serving as Commissioner of the NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and Managing Director of The General Contractors Association of New York, Inc..

For a copy of the press release and photos on the event, Click here

Assemblyman Robert K. Sweeney Awarded Audubon New York’s Prestigious William Hoyt Environmental Excellence Award

On March 27-29, 2009, over 50 Chapter leaders from across the state joined Audubon New York and the Audubon Council of New York State at the Spring Audubon Assembly. In addition to finalizing their annual conservation agenda, and field trips to the Fort Edward Grasslands and Saratoga Battlefield IBAs, members were treated to a presentations by renowned author and ornithologist Kenn Kaufman, who provided a riveting account of bird conservation efforts in coffee producing regions of the world; and Lauren Hierl, Alaska policy associate for National Audubon Society who spoke about Audubon’s conservation efforts in Alaska.

This year, Audubon New York and the Audubon Council of New York State selected Assemblyman Robert K. Sweeney (D-Lindenhurst), as the 2009 recipient of the William Hoyt Environmental Excellence Award. Assemblyman Sweeney, Chair of the Environmental Conservation Committee, was chosen for his steadfast leadership on critical environmental issues including; preserving the Environmental Protection Fund, sponsorship of the Bigger, Better Bottle Bill and Wetlands protection measures, and securing passage of the Great Lakes Compact.

In addition, Gladys Goldmann was awarded the 2009 Norm Stotz Award for her dedication to the Audubon Council and Audubon Mission in New York, and Jane Graves was awarded a Meritorious Service Award for her volunteer bird conservation efforts with Audubon.

Click here for more information on the 2009 Audubon Assembly.

The Friends of New York's environment Coalition, of which Audubon New York is a part, just released a new report which celebrates several of the successes of the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) over the last 15 years of its existence. This report was unveiled this week and included as one of the success stories was the Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary and Audubon Center’s use of the ZBGA (Zoos, Botanical Gardens and Aquaria) funds for connecting children to nature! This report is now being used to make the case of why investing in the EPF is important even in these tough fiscal times.

The report includes projects from every corner of New York, including working farms, wildlife preserves, community gardens, the historic restoration of the Ephesus Seventh-day Adventist Church in Harlem, and businesses that have successfully leveraged EPF resources to create jobs and reduce waste, among other critical investments.

We want to make sure that this report goes far and wide so that the average person, municipal officials, and state legislators see and understand the essential work that the EPF does all around New York and why investing in the Fund is an investment in our future. Please check it out and pass it on.

Click here for a copy of the full report.

On February 3, Audubon New York and other members of the Coalition of Living Museums gathered at the New York State capital to talk with legislators about the importance of the EPF and ZBGA funding. Sean Mahar, Audubon New York Director of Government Relations and Communications (far right), and Aaron Virgin (center), Director of the Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary and Audubon Center, brought an American Kestrel with them when they met with Senator Antoine Thompson, Chair of the Senate Environmental Conservation Committee.

Audubon New York has been working together with seven Long Island Audubon Chapters and a growing list of other partners to protect significant grassland habitat on eastern Long Island. The property, known as the Enterprise Park at Calverton (EPCAL), is part of the Long Island Pine Barrens IBA and contains one of the last remaining expanses of grassland habitat on Long Island. In addition to supporting breeding populations of grassland dependent species, the site also provides critical wintering habitat for the state threatened Northern Harrier and endangered Short-eared Owl.

The Town of Riverhead is proceeding with plans to develop the 2,900 acre site with major development projects already moving forward. As part of the Coalition for Open Space at EPCAL, Audubon is closely monitoring the process and working to ensure that proper environmental review protocol is followed while advocating for protection of this critical site. To learn more about what Audubon and the Coalition are doing, and how you can help visit the Coalition’s website at http://www.calvertongrasslands.org.

Vivid Publishing, Inc. is the exclusive publisher of Professor Higbee's® Stream and Lake Maps. They are the only highly detailed maps of their kind, showing virtually every stream and lake in a state. 40% of all sales made through this link will be donated to Audubon New York.

Support Audubon New York every time you search the web. Start your websearches from iSearchiGive.com. Register Audubon New York as your charity and each time you do a web search from iSearchiGive.com instead of another search engine, $.02 goes to Audubon New York. Those pennies really add up for conservation. Spread the word to your friends and really help us feather our nest.

Audubon New York thanks you for your efforts.