Bird Alliance of Oregon facts for kids
The Bird Alliance of Oregon is a special group that works to protect birds and their homes (called habitats) all across Oregon in the United States. It's a non-profit organization, which means it uses all its money to help its cause, not to make a profit.
This organization is one of the oldest groups working to protect nature in the world! It started way back in 1902. In February 2024, they changed their name from Portland Audubon to Bird Alliance of Oregon. They made this change to better show that they work all over Oregon, and also because of some past issues connected to the name "Audubon."
The Bird Alliance of Oregon was first created to help set up important places like the Malheur, Klamath, and Three Arch Rocks National Wildlife Refuges. Today, they work on many important things. These include protecting animals that are in danger, helping to fight climate change, looking after and fixing natural areas, and making sure everyone can enjoy nature.
The Bird Alliance of Oregon owns a big area of woodland, about 172 acres, right next to Forest Park. This area is a nature sanctuary, which is like a safe home for plants and animals that naturally live there. You can even find some very old Douglas Fir trees! The best part is that this sanctuary is open to everyone for free. A stream called Balch Creek runs through much of the sanctuary. There are more than 4 miles of hiking trails that connect to the bigger trail system in Forest Park.
Inside the sanctuary, there's a nature center. It has classrooms, a store, displays of stuffed animals, an auditorium, and a special wildlife care center. The care center helps injured and orphaned wild animals. Experts and over a hundred volunteers work there. Each year, more than 4,000 animals are brought to the center for help!
Next to the care center, you can see some live educational birds. These birds have injuries or other issues that mean they can't go back to living in the wild. They help people learn about birds up close. Right now, you might see a Great Horned Owl and an American Kestrel. There's also a Western Painted Turtle that was saved from a pet store and now lives in a tank inside the Care Center.
In 2023, over 450 volunteers helped the Bird Alliance of Oregon. They did many different jobs, like greeting visitors, keeping trails clear, working in the nature store, helping with office work, and taking care of wildlife. This group is known for being very good at what it does and using its resources wisely.
People often ask the Bird Alliance of Oregon for advice. They are experts on how to help wild animals and manage natural areas.
History of the Bird Alliance of Oregon
The story of the Bird Alliance of Oregon began a long time ago. In 1898, some bird lovers in Portland started a group called the John Burroughs Club. Then, in 1901, bird lovers in Astoria (which was a big city back then) formed the Oregon Audubon Society.
In 1902, the Portland group joined with the Astoria group, and they all became the Oregon Audubon Society. Later, in 1966, the name changed again to the Audubon Society of Portland when they became part of the National Audubon Society.
This group has always worked to make good laws for nature. They often wrote letters to leaders to make a difference. In 1903, they helped pass a law called the Model Bird Law. This law made it illegal to shoot and sell native birds. In 1925, they wrote letters to President Calvin Coolidge, which helped create the Hart Mountain Antelope Refuge.
The society is proud to have helped create many important wildlife refuges. These include the William L. Finley NWR, Three Arch Rocks NWR, Klamath NWR, Ankeny NWR, Baskett Slough NWR, and Malheur NWR. These refuges are safe places where animals can live and thrive.
See also
- List of Oregon birds
- Chapman swifts, a large group of birds that gather each autumn in a school chimney that the Bird Alliance of Oregon helps look after.
