Become a Member: Welcome to the Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance!
We’re thrilled you want to join this community of bird enthusiasts and nature lovers
Birders on a field trip use binoculars to search for birds. One birder uses an outdoor all-terrain wheelchair from Access Ability Wisconsin (photo by Lesley Haven).
Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance (SoWBA, formerly Madison Audubon) works to protect birds, plants, mammals, insects, and everything in between throughout the 10 counties we serve in southern Wisconsin.
Inclusive Birding
Our staff and volunteers work hard to be an inclusive community, welcome folks of all birding levels, all nature-inspired interests, and all races, sexual orientations, gender identities, and physical abilities. We offer binoculars for loan, many of our field trips are designed for accessibility, and we are proactively working to be an anti-racist organization. Birding is for EVERYONE!
A tale of two organizationS
Did you know that National Audubon and Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance are two separate organizations? SoWBA is a chapter of National Audubon and we do have similar missions, but we have separate sanctuaries, programs, events, memberships, staff, and funding. Your support for SoWBA supports local birds, local habitats, and local communities. Thank you!
To our current and prospective members—
Our membership structure will be changing in January 2025, including a small increase in dues. Did you know that our membership price of $20 annually is the same as it was in 1985? Our organization has been able to achieve so much for birds, thanks in large part to the generosity of our members, but the fact is, the work we do (and the cost of doing it) has increased dramatically since then. In the past few years alone, our sanctuary lands have expanded immensely, creating more permanently protected habitat for wildlife and more places for people to enjoy nature. We’re also providing members with new ways to learn and connect with fellow bird lovers—we now offer more classes, events, free field trips, and volunteer opportunities than ever before.
When you become a local member or renew your membership, every single dollar benefits birds and directly supports our mission. You help ensure that our work is sustainable and can continue for generations to come. If you have questions about this change or other membership questions, contact Liz Pelton, membership & development associate, lpelton@swibirds.org.
If you searching for membership with National Audubon, visit their website to become a member.
Only $3 of your dues to National Audubon come back to your local chapter.
Learn more about the differences between our separate organizations here.
Cover photo by Arlene Koziol. Female Wood Duck with her ducklings.
