In Move Away From Namesake’s History, Chicago Audubon Society Announc…

(Courtesy of the Field Museum)

After a 52-year run, the Chicago Audubon Society is no more.

The chapter, founded in 1971, has officially adopted Chicago Bird Alliance as its new name, the organization announced Friday.

Detroit Audubon and Madison Audubon (based in southern Wisconsin) have likewise dropped Audubon and will now be known as Detroit Bird Alliance and Badgerland Bird Alliance, respectively.

For more than 100 years, the name Audubon has been associated with one of the most respected conservation organizations in the U.S. But as a more complete and complex portrait has emerged of John James Audubon, birders and ornithologists have struggled to reconcile their missions with the troubling aspects of his legacy, which include buying and selling slaves, plagiarism and the exploitation of natural resources.  

“Our chapters believe that bird conservation should center birds and collaboration, rather than celebrate a historical figure that is aligned with systemic…