A group of young birders is looking up at a bird in a forest.

A New Chapter for Outings

This fall, we are delighted to share that a dedicated core group of Outings Volunteers will begin leading outings again, with strict COVID protocols in place that we are confident will keep participants safe while enabling us to enjoy one another’s company together again.

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Bird Alliance of Oregon monument sign

Reimagining Our Signage and Educational Displays

The current signage and displays at our sanctuary have served us well for years, but they are overdue for an upgrade. Many are faded, some are broken, and the messaging needs to be updated. A small team, made up of representatives from Education, Conservation, Sanctuaries, our Board Equity Committee, and Communications, have joined together to reimagine what new signage and interpretive displays could look and feel like, and we’re excited by the possibilities.

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Three Green Leaders sitting at welcome table

Green Leaders Initiative

This spring, Bird Alliance of Oregon launched a brand-new, paid, nine-month youth leadership program in partnership with Hacienda Community Development Corporation. Through our new Green Leaders program, five young adults from Hacienda will act as educators and organizers, developing hyperlocal outdoor education in response to their neighbors’ pressing needs during the pandemic.

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Wilson's Warbler on diagonal branch with green leaves in the background

Rethinking Bird Names

Of the 149 birds of North America that have honorific names, all of them are named after white people. Whether they were named after the “discoverer” of the birds (Wilson’s Warbler, for example, named by Alexander Wilson) or in honor of someone else (like Franklin’s Gull, named in honor of the leader of a scientific expedition), these birds were all named in a time and place where only white men were allowed to be in these positions of power and privilege.

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Black and white residents from the town of Maxville gathering for a group photo1924-33

Oregon Black Pioneers

Today it is hard to find evidence of those trailblazing Black settlers. Oregon Black Pioneers (OBP), Oregon’s only statewide African American historical society, is working to change that.

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