Just, diverse, equitable, inclusive conservation.
As the saying goes, the best time to do something was yesterday; the second best time is now. The time for us to take a hard look in the mirror both personally and as a conservation community is long overdue and much needed. Condemning racism, injustice, and inequity is the start. We do that wholeheartedly. But if all we ever do is start the engine, we will never go anywhere.
Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance (formerly Madison Audubon) has been committed to making our organization and its work more inclusive, welcoming, and representative. Let’s face it, conservation really hasn’t been those things. We have made some progress on this, but frankly it’s not enough.
So we’re holding ourselves accountable to do better. In 2022, our board of directors voted to change our organization’s name to center birds and our community rather than a historic figure, and our membership agreed. We are proud to be moving forward as the Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance (SoWBA).
Our staff and board are critically reviewing our day-to-day practices, seeking broader representation at all levels, actively learning, and engaging in dialogue to create tangible change. This isn’t an initiative or a short-term program, it’s core identity. We have a lot to learn, it will be challenging, and there are many barriers to remove. We will stumble along the way. But we are committed to living this work. It is central to our mission — and just plain right.
Conservation without representation is flawed. Black, Indigenous, and people of color are heirs and stewards to this planet also, and without the change needed to embrace that truth, conservation has neither a solid nor just future.
I hope you will join us on this essential, difficult, and fruitful journey and welcome your thoughts and your active participation in doing this together.
Matt Reetz, PhD
Executive Director
SoWBA
Put into Action
Words matter. We acknowledge that the land our sanctuaries are on are the ancestral home of the Ho-Chunk Nation, that Black Lives Matter, and that safety and inclusivity of all bird- and nature-enthusiasts of any skin color, gender or non-gender, sexual orientation, religion, or physical ability is profoundly important to us.
To help advance our shared mission of bird conservation, we offer our organization’s core values: Respect, Community, Curiosity, and Accountability. Explore our values document here, which outlines our guiding principles, as well as how we weave a love of nature and a respect for diversity, equity, inclusion, and access into all of our work. You will learn what these values mean for us within our organization, as well as what they mean for you as a member, volunteer, supporter, and community member.
How are we living these values? The staff at SoWBA are doubling-down on creating space for voices from all walks of life in a field that has traditionally been white-oriented. Some examples of this include:
We have seriously weighed the harms the Audubon name perpetuates. After a careful review process, our board decided to drop the Audubon name. Our membership voted to unanimously approve our new organizational name in February 2024.
Official supporter of the Bird Names for Birds movement to remove the honorific names assigned to birds (e.g., Henslow’s Sparrow, Cooper’s Hawk) and giving birds descriptive names instead. Learn more about this movement and our support here.
Our Nature Mentors series, featuring bird- and nature-lovers who are people of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, or with different physical abilities.
The Nature Up Bookshelf, previously the Nature Up Book Club, offers reading recommendations for exploring diverse voices and perspectives in conservation.
Offering opportunities for people with disabilities to experience nature, including providing an outdoor electric-powered wheelchair to participants on our field trips, and offering different ways to experience birding through “sits”, slow-birding, and birding by ear through partnership with the Wisconsin Council of the Blind and Visually Impaired.
Inviting people of color and members of the LGBTQIA+ community to share their expertise and interests as volunteers, paid course instructors, staff members, and board members.
Conducting educational lessons that are conscious of and sensitive to differences in access, equipment, safety, travel, and experiences in the outdoors.
Supporting birding groups such as the BIPOC Birding Club of Wisconsin and Feminist Bird Club through staff time, financial support, equipment loans, and more.
Addressing the need for greater partnerships with Wisconsin’s Native tribes, particularly the Ho-Chunk Nation, a land acknowledgement statement, communications plan, and signage to share the importance and legacy of Wisconsin’s First Nations in this area and in particular on our sanctuary lands.
Staff professional development, including webinars, readings, an in-house book club reading and journaling with titles like Me and White Supremacy and Indian Nations of Wisconsin, in-depth conversations dedicated to diversity, equity, inclusion, and access in conversation, and more.
A thorough and rigorous review of our organization’s current diversity, equity, and inclusion practices, including hiring, board representation, communications, and more.
SoWBA photos
