Madison Audubon chose a new name this week. The organization is now Badgerland Bird Alliance.
The name change is in response to concerns about John James Audubon’s racist history. Badgerland Bird Alliance is one of several local chapters of the National Audubon Society to complete a name change.
“Our previous name was creating significant barriers for people to really benefit from and enjoy our work and for our work to benefit from inclusion of all people,” Reetz said.
According to executive director Matt Reetz, paraphrased from this article by Wisconsin Public Radio, the word badger was used because it is the state mammal and combined with land because the organization is an accredited land trust and works on restoring native habitats. The word bird was included because a majority of the organization’s work is with birds, and the word alliance resonated with the naming committee, the board, and its members.
The National Audubon Society considered changing its name, but ultimately voted not to in March.
Read more in this article by the Wisconsin State Journal.
Photo by Grayson Smith/USFWS Midwest.
