Audubon Society, National

Audubon Society, National,

one of the oldest and best-known U.S. environmental organizations; founded 1886 by George Cird Grinnell and named for John James AudubonAudubon, John James
, 1785–1851, American ornithologist, b. Les Cayes, Santo Domingo (now Haiti). The illegitimate son of a French sea captain and plantation owner and a Creole chambermaid who died months after his birth, he was educated in France and in 1803 came to live
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. The nonprofit organization, which has a membership of 550,000, operates 100 wildlife sanctuaries and nature centers, as well as camps and other educational programs. Current high-priority projects include protection for wetlands, ancient forests of the Pacific Northwest, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and the Platte River, an important migratory bird stopover. Its publications include American Bird and Audubon, the society's official magazine.