SEATTLE — The Seattle Audubon is changing its name. The organization has already dropped Audubon and starting in June will be known as Birds Connect Seattle.
The organization was originally named after John James Audubon, a French ornithologist and slave owner. The organization's website says that the name change will help the group focus on inclusivity and that their new name “represents an open door for new communities.”
The organization was founded in 1916 as the state’s first conservation organization. The organization focuses on urban conservation of birds, increasing tree canopy, reducing toxic pesticides, and stopping bird-structure collisions. The Seattle organization is the largest independent Audubon chapter with over 4,000 members.
With the help of volunteers, the organization teaches the larger Seattle area about birds and the environment. The group also organizes field trips, community outings, and science projects.
The organization announced in July 2022 that it would be dropping Audubon from its name and held listening sessions to hear what the community had to say.
The organization received 263 suggestions for new names in the eight months that followed. In January 2023, the group created a Name Selection Committee to help them pick a name. The committee was composed of internal and external stakeholders and included four representatives from BIPOC community groups. The committee ruled out any names that used “Audubon” or scientific terms to describe birds such as “ornithology.” The committee also discarded suggestions that used “society.”
The organization wanted its name to reflect its values of inspiration, interconnectedness, equity and inclusion, diversity, humility, collaboration, and science. The organization now believes that its new name eliminates previous barriers and expresses its focus on connecting people through birds.
On Tuesday, the organization started the process of updating its name, including logo and website re-designs.