An in-depth look at the first 100 years of Seattle Audubon with historic photos, interviews, and moving stories about our history of working to protect birds and nature in Washington.
On April 17, 1916, a few dedicated bird-watchers, teachers, and scientists gathered in a room in downtown Seattle to hatch a plan. They wished to form a society of like-minded people with whom they could enjoy birds and learn more about them. They hoped a community could magnify their efforts to save the birds they saw were fast disappearing and the nature they believed they were losing. The work they did that day resonates down through the decades to us.
History lives in this book, through the stories of the women and men who have shaped Seattle Audubon over the last century. Told in their own words, these people's stories bring each person vividly, poignantly, passionately to life. Through them we hear what it is like to work for a decade to save a river, win a great victory, then realize the battle you won is not over. It will take two decades more of your life. We learn how inspiring it is to teach a child the wonders of the natural world right on her doorstep. We meet naturalists who spend months in harsh conditions to observe and record birds for the sake of science.
These are people with grit and imagination, integrity and commitment. They never give up, because they care. They use science, education, law, and persuasion to help birds and nature and thereby help all of us who live in the natural world, too. Come hear their voices and share their adventures.