Weekend Recap
by Laura McCarthy, Senior Manager, Network Engagement, Audubon Connecticut and New York
Audubon’s advisory board and council meetings combined this past weekend in Southbury, CT with over 70 participants including advisory board members, community and campus chapter leaders, and Audubon staff! Participants at our regional gathering enjoyed an informative trip to our Bent of the River center, brainstormed about Audubon’s forest conservation work and hemispheric partnership opportunities, and discussed youth engagement and other topics top of mind for chapter leaders. The Friday-Sunday event also included cocktails, costumes, live music by Orange County Audubon chapter leader Walter Jahn (known for his whimsical bird tunes), an award presentation honoring North Shore Audubon leader Peggy Maslow with the Norm Stotz award for outstanding chapter leadership and with the council’s customary bird trivia, led by Dennis Riordan. Jess Hoey, Audubon’s new VP for conservation action, chapters joined for the full meeting, and announced the next Audubon leadership conference, taking place March 30 to April 2, 2028 in Orlando, Florida. Big thanks go to all the Audubon council board, Audubon staff, campus chapters from Skidmore and Yale, representatives from community chapters, and the CT/NY advisory board for joining and making this a fantastic Audubon gathering.
Presentations and Notes
Click on the images below to view or download the presentation PDF.
IMPORTANT: PLEASE CLICK HERE TO COMPLETE AND SUBMIT THE SURVEY!
Your input helps us continue to refine our Council Meetings so that our attendee experience can always be as valuable as we can make it.
If you would like to help with planning, you can reach out to Susan with an email to s.ohandley@doas.us .
Forest Bird Conservation at Bent of the River Audubon Center – Presentation by Suzanne Treyger, Senior Manager, Forests, Audubon CT & NY
Bird-Friendly Forestry and the Wood Thrush Project – Presentation by Suzanne Treyger, Senior Manager, Forests, Audubon CT & NY
Breakout Notes – Forestry Project Ideas – Chapter Discussion/Ideas for Hemispheric Conservation – Compiled by Martin Van Der Grinten, Chemung Valley Audubon Society.
Policy Potluck – Template program – Presented by Rochelle Thomas, Greenwich Audubon Center Director and Robert LaFrance, CT Policy Director
Birds of a Feather Chapter Roundtable – Notes compiled by Shannon Schiesser, Menunkatuck Audubon Society.
Hemispheric Conservation and International Partnerships – Work being done by Chapters; Pilot Chapter Matching Program.
CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT A PILOT MATCHING PROGRAM PROJECT (This downloads the Word File for the Fact Sheet Handout)
Hemispheric Bird Conservation Project Opportunities
compiled by Russ Comeau, President, South Shore Audubon Society
REMINDER: COUNCIL FUND FOR MOTUS BUILDOUT IN LATIN AMERICA/CARIBBEAN REGIONS
The Audubon CT and NY Council will host a fund of contributions from chapters to help build out MOTUS infrastructure. We invite all chapters to contribute $350 to this fund in 2026. (Our first deadline is June 15.)
Please note MOTUS in memo section and mail your chapter’s contribution by check to:
Martin Van der Griten, Treasurer
Audubon Council of NY
219 Chemung St.
Corning, NY 14830
SAVE THE DATES:
Fall Council Retreat at White Eagle Conference Center, Hamilton, NY – September 25-27, 2026
National Audubon Leadership Conference in Orlando, FL – March 30-April 2, 2028
