Organized in 1904 and formally incorporated in 1905, Michigan Audubon is the state’s oldest conservation organization. The early history of the organization was dedicated to securing protective legislation for birds at a time when the millinery industry was harming songbird populations and habitat destruction continued to threaten habitats throughout the state. Through the dedicated work of the organization’s conservation-minded founders, Michigan Audubon is a grassroots organization that has grown to national recognition for its advocacy and education work as well as for its statewide bird sanctuary and Whitefish Point Bird Observatory field site and migration monitoring station.
Today, Michigan Audubon’s commitment to birds remains steadfast through our mission, our pillars, and our programs that allow us to respond as a community and a nonprofit leader to the needs of birds and their habitats. Michigan Audubon’s expansive network of protected grounds, or bird sanctuaries, continues to grow mindfully and protects in perpetuity habitat from Jackson County to Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula.