TALK PRESENTED TO AMERICAN FEDERATION OF AVICULTURE LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, AUGUST 22, 1980

Members of rhe Arnerican Federauon of A vicu lrure. ladies and gentlemen. and guests I am honored to he hen: codJ1 repre-cnung the Nauonal Audubon Socrery Also. on a personal note. I am pleased to appear here among so man} friends to accept from the AFA rhis handsome plaque mu have av. a rd ed to the Audubon Society for “Creauve Leadership in Preservation of A vian Species.” I assure you that all of us at Audubon. from our president Russell Peterson. on down. are deeply appreciative of your recog nit ion of Audubons efforts over past decades in the preservation of wildlife. Bur just co show you we are nor resting on our laurels. including this most recent one. let me tell you a little more about Audubon and some of our current con- . . servanon acuvincs. The National Audubon oocierv rs a conservation organization founded.ar the cum of the century primarily in response to rhe slaughter of wading birds for the rrullinerv trade ‘.\:ow. in our -)ch vear. we iml~dc +l- chapters in )0 ‘tares. and over .. JO- .000 members. Our concerns continue to encompass many species ot wildlife such as whooping cranes. condors. gnzzly bears. whales and wolves. Bur a’ v e have become 1mreasingly aware of the interconnectedness of all life. \\C have become deeply 1111ol1ed wuh such addinonal subjects as environrncrual pollution. toxic c hemualv. radianon. land use and energv production and use. Our emerging mvolvcrncru in these fields docs not mean we have vlackencd our efforts in wildlife conscrva- rion or. more specrfically, our commitmerit to the preservauon of endangered species and their habitats Rather. these newer efforts are a logical extension of I! Bur work on species and habitat remains the core of our efforts, and I would like to acquaint \’OU briefly with some of our work in that field. To carry our our work. the Society has developed a wellcoordinated effort in three independent fields-research. education and action. let me describe firsr some of our educational efforts. Much of our rime and energy is directed to educating the public to the value of endangered and other species of wildlife. We support four Environmental Education Centers, all located near major population centers, which frequently feature programs on endangered animals. For example, our Western Education Center has conducted and published a series of four national symposia, on peregrine falcon popular ions. O\\ Is of the \X’esc. the Califorrua condor and. most recently. birds of Mexico. The Society ‘s rnagazrnc. Audubon. 1. vent to all members. It enjoys a repurauon for journalism excellence and reaches an audience far beyond the membership. Our film department has recently produe ed “Time for Survival.” a film d isl ussinj; the conserv anon of endangered speues. Audubon also produces TV and radio spots on such species as the bobcat, wolf. bald eagle and ocher birds of prey. We are now in the midst of making a major docurnenrarv film on the unique winter concernrauon of bald eagles in Alaska. the largest assembly in the world of America’s national svrnbol. Since the early 19-os. Audubon’s,lobbving and scie~ce scaff in Washing to~. D.C has quadrupled. In addicion to their lobbying work. much of their rime is devoted to educating members of Congress and the executive branch on the topic of endangered species. For example. Audubon was instrumental in convincing congress to appropriate $)00.000 for a California Condor Recovery Program; chis money was added to the Interior Department· s bud gee last year. You may be inreresred to know chat a pan of the condor recovery program calls for captive propagation. This controversial provision was iniriared and has been strongly defended by the National Audubon Society. We are convinced that the institution we have selected, the San Diego Zoological Park. under Dr. Arr Risser ‘s direction. will be successful in this lase-ditch effort to save the California condor. Audubon’s top priority for land use and wildlife legislation at chis rime is enactment of an Alaska Lands bill If this lcgrslauon passes this year. rt will protect habirar for a number of endangered species-wolf. bald eagle. peregnne falcon and the bowhead whale. More rmportanrly, ir will prevent the addinon of countless species of plants and animals to the endangered list as the Arctic and subarctic is opened to development. The Society has long conducted a research program on endangered species. This produced classic studies on birds such as the flamingo. whooping crane, ivory-billed woodpecker and California condor. Recenrly our efforts have broadened. For example. in 1979. Audubon began a cooperative research effort with the Fish and Wildlife Service, Forest Service. BLM and the Scace of Alaska co make a thorough study of the ecology of the bald eagle concentrations on the Chilkac River. An Audubon research biologist is on the recentlyassern bled ream now studying the California condor. For many years Audubon has stationed a biologist at Rockport, Texas. to conduct research on the remnant whooping crane population that winters on the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge near there. These are but a few of our research projects on endangered species. The Socierv also maintains a national system of sanctuaries, many of which provide habitat for endangered species. The Society has just acquired about 6,000 acres in central Florida, the Kissimmee Prairie, which contains wood storks, Florida panthers, alligators.