In March of 2023, the National Audubon Board of Directors voted on changing the organization’s name to something that did not include the name Audubon. Despite increasing evidence that John names Audubon was both a slave holder and racist, as well as producing some questionable science (see the book, The Birds That Audubon Missed), National Audubon decided that the name Audubon was so tightly linked with successful conservation that changing the name would hurt the organization’s ability to achieve its mission, and they voted to keep the name.

Since 2023, nearly one third of all the 500+ local Audubon Community and College Chapters have changed their name. The most common name change includes “Bird Alliance.” The Sacramento Audubon Board of Directors has been discussing a name change since April 2023, publishing articles in The Observer and providing links on our webpage to inform our members about the status of a potential name change.

About a year ago, the Sacramento Audubon Board decided to pursue a name change and ultimately put it before the membership for a vote. The first step in that process included changing the bylaws to allow electronic voting as well as in person voting (this bylaw change was made in June 2025).

How could a name change, or lack of a name change, have an impact on the ability of Sacramento Audubon to achieve its mission?

The mission of Sacramento Audubon is to:

Promote the protection and scientific study of wild birds.
Foster the enjoyment and appreciation of wild birds through community outreach.
Encourage, support, and provide environmental educational opportunities.
Advocate for the conservation of open space in the Sacramento region.

Similar to National Audubon’s concern, the biggest impact from a name change could be the lack of organizational recognition, and include people not being able to contact us, and/or confusion as to why there is no longer a Sacramento Audubon. This could negatively impact all four aspects of the Sacramento Audubon mission. However, the impacts would likely be short term as people become more aware of the organization’s name change over time and with an active campaign to get that new name publicized.

Keeping the Audubon name could have a negative impact on the organization’s ability to achieve all four aspects of its mission. However, the organization’s ability to effectively conduct community outreach and education (as well as recruit new members and younger members) might be impacted the most. Whether one believes John James Audubon was a racist or not, or whether the topic is even important in today’s world, a simple google search asking that question “was John James Audubon a racist” provides a lot of information to support the view that he was both racist and actively involved in degenerating black people. While I know not everything one reads on the internet is true, it is likely that someone that has heard that Audubon may have been racist may take this action to learn more.

One could argue that the discussion of Audubon’s racist views distracts from our mission and may discourage someone from joining or supporting the organization. This may be especially true for young people. A name change to remove Audubon is also consistent with the American Ornithologist’s decision to remove people’s names from the names of birds.

If the membership approves a name change, the Board has approved using the name Sacramento Bird Alliance. In a society that is increasingly disconnected from nature, including the word Bird in the organization’s name could increasingly benefit the organization. Calling out the word Bird in the name identifies that we work with birds. Most of the Sacramento Audubon Board has experienced someone asking, “what’s an Audubon” after hearing our name, or saying “oh Audubon, you must be in to cars.”

The Sacramento Audubon Board recognizes that there are people on both sides of this issue that are very passionate about changing or keeping the name. While we recognize the societal and potentially political arguments about a name change, our focus is on our mission and how the name impacts our ability to best achieve our mission and serve our members. We would benefit from hearing your opinion on the name change, and most importantly the organization would benefit from your vote on the name change.

Please feel free to contact me directly at sacaudubonconservation@gmail.com about the name change, and look for information on our website and through email about when the name change voting opens and closes (coming in April).

—Cliff Feldheim, Conservation Chair

Name Change Update

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