Conservation in Washington

Audubon’s presence in Washington started in 1916 with the creation of the Seattle Audubon Society, now Birds Connect Seattle, and was intentionally expanded as a grassroots network. In the late 1960s and 1970s, conservation leaders Hazel Wolf and Helen Engle organized chapters across the state to expand public engagement and build durable conservation influence. Engle described this strategy as “multiplication,” and described a deliberate effort to grow a statewide constituency capable of shaping policy and protecting habitat at scale.

This model has delivered lasting conservation outcomes for Washington. Audubon leaders and chapters played a central role in helping establish the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge in 1974 and Hanford National Wildlife Refuge, protecting Grays Harbor and other critical coastal habitats, and conserving thousands more acres of forests, wetlands, and shorelines. The Audubon network in Washington advanced community-based efforts such as seabird monitoring, shrub-steppe restoration, and the protection of at-risk species including marbled murrelets and sage-grouse.

The Audubon Washington state office, created in 1981 thanks to chapters spearheading statewide presence of National Audubon, has supported a coordinated voice for conservation, combining grassroots engagement, science-based policy, and strategic partnerships to protect birds and the ecosystems on which they depend across Washington State.