“We seek to cultivate the next generation of environmental stewards, one Angeleno at a time, striving to inspire an appreciation for and love of the natural world for itself.”

Connecting people with nature in the city.

The mission of Los Angeles Audubon Society is to promote the study and protection of birds, other wildlife, and their habitats throughout the diverse landscapes of the Los Angeles area, and to stimulate popular interest in and access to nature for all Los Angeles communities by:

Engaging youth and adults in conservation and education activities
Providing opportunities to learn about birds and their habitats
Advocating policy and legislation that protect and promote birds

Our story

This is our story

The Los Angeles Audubon Society was created in 1911, in our beautiful city of contrasts.

Early LA

At its founding, the Los Angeles Audubon Society found itself in a city much like the one depicted. This is the earliest known photo of Los Angeles, looking towards what would become Chinatown, circa 1890.

Read on to discover the early years Los Angeles Audubon Society, before urban sprawl...

Early activities

Monthly public programs covered a variety of topics, even as today, but with much heavier emphasis on trees, wildflowers, and butterflies.

The very first entry in the files of the Society, as stated above, reports that on June 4, 1914, an Audubon Field Day was held at Laughlin Park. From the park, the group walked to the Western Ave. entrance to Griffith Park. Twenty-four species were sighted and each bird and its actions described in detail in the report dated September 22, 1914 and signed by Carrie Fargo Bicknell.

Local nature & community

In 1921 subscriptions were made to the John Burroughs Memorial Fund and the Junior Audubon Society, and a Western Bird Guide was given to the McKinley Home for Boys.

In October, 1930, the Society wrote the Los Angeles Council favoring the planting of shade trees on city streets.

May, 1934. Gave the bird nest collection to the University of Southern California and later received a letter of thanks from President Von Kleinsmit who reported it had been placed in the Science Building.

For more about our early history, please click here.

The Western Tanager Archive

A full archive of the Western Tanager newsletter documents the history of the chapter.

Visit the Western Tanager Archive

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Thank you to our partners and sponsors! We couldn’t do this important work without you…

Los Angeles Audubon Society is an independent 501(c)(3) organization.

Any contributions made to National or California Audubon, or Debs Park do not reach Los Angeles Audubon (and vice versa).