Our Vision
We envision our communities becoming more sustainable through good stewardship of the natural
environment where people live, work, and recreate.

Our Mission
We provide people with the education and assistance needed to practice responsible management of land,
water, wildlife, and natural resources.

Principles For Sustainable Resource Management
The guidelines for our programs, services, and initiatives.

Our Core Beliefs

• The healthy functioning of our planet’s ecosystems—our air, water, and land, and the vast diversity of
  life on Earth—is worth preserving. 

• There are places on Earth where human activity should be limited.

• Maintaining healthy and functioning ecosystems begins at the local level with policies and practices
  that protect watersheds, promote biodiversity, and sustain natural resources. 

• Not only must people take steps to minimize negative impacts to the environment in human-dominated
  areas of the world, but also strive to enhance the health and functioning of ecosystems where we live. 

• Finding a sustainable balance among environmental, economic, and social systems is key to sustaining
  the quality of life for all of Earth’s inhabitants.  Our human communities can and must be balanced
  within the limits of the natural world. 

• By becoming good stewards of the environment, people and organizations can help to protect and
  sustain the land, water, wildlife, and other natural resources around them.

• Scientific information, in conjunction with public participation, should be used to guide the planning,
  design, development, and management of human communities.

• While laws, rules, and regulatory approaches have been, and can be, important tools for protecting
  and enhancing our natural environment (ecosystems), voluntary efforts are an effective and essential
  means to protect and enhance the natural environment as well.

• Effective collaboration and partnerships among nonprofits, governments, businesses, and the public
  can lead to better environmental decision-making and can improve the quality of our human and natural
  communities.

A word from Kevin Fletcher, Ph.D. Executive Director, Audubon International

Twenty years ago, the Audubon Society of New York State was born—or, perhaps more accurately, reborn.  First established nearly 100 years earlier by conservation giants Theodore Roosevelt, Frank Chapman, and John Burroughs, this “original” Audubon group from New York ceased meeting by the mid-1930s.  In 1987, the organization was re-established under a broader banner of environmental education, outreach, and sustainability.  Very quickly, the reach of our environmental education and certification programs warranted a name change, to Audubon International.

After more than twenty years of education, partnering, and cooperative action yielding real results, there is a lot to be proud of.  Yet, the pace of change needs to be quickened.  To help do just that, we are focusing our time and effort on four distinct areas:

Through our Community Engagement, Planning, & Action Initiative we are helping community leaders and stakeholders to embrace environmental stewardship and sustainability as a central element of planning, policies, and practices—primarily through our Sustainable Communities Program for cities, towns, counties, and large-scale private developments and resort communities and our Green Neighborhoods Program for neighborhoods, community associations, and homeowner associations.

Through our Eco-Design & Development Initiative we are leveraging innovation and best management practices to create models for the proper siting, design, construction, and management of new developments—through our Audubon Signature Program for new land developments and Audubon Classic Program for land development renovation projects.

Through our Environmental Stewardship & Management Initiative we are fostering an ethic of environmental stewardship and help people improve the way they manage resources so that they make a positive difference in contributing to a more sustainable world.  We are meeting this goal through our Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for businesses, municipal parks, and other properties, through our Audubon Greenleaf Eco-Rating Program for Hotels, and by engaging people of all ages to participate in environmental improvement projects through our Audubon Partners for the Environment.

Finally, through our Golf & the Environment Initiative we are working to assist golf courses in becoming a valuable part of our conservation landscape, while building support for more eco-friendly golf throughout the golf industry.  Our award-winning Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses educates golf course professionals and improves practices on the ground to help us meet the goals of this Initiative.

These four “Initiatives” provide us with plenty of work and much reward.  In the end, however, we rely on you and others like you to make real change happen in the places where you live, work, and play—through your support, involvement, and action. So, I invite you to learn more about Audubon International and what you can do to take action.

Sincerely,

Kevin Fletcher, Ph.D.
Executive Director

We Work With You

Across the world, Audubon International is working with people who can make a difference to obtain measurable conservation results. The people and groups we work with serve as models of sustainability promoting resource conservation, planning, and innovative leadership. Check out our interactive map or the list below to see where we work. We work in a lot of places so please be patient while the map points load.

Audubon International Headquaters
46 Rarick Road,
Selkirk, NY 12158

Signature Office
230 Second Street, Suite 311,
Henderson, KY 42420

Jennifer Batza

Joshua Conway

Jessica DesLauriers

Kevin Fletcher, Ph.D.

Mary Jack

Fred Realbuto

Paula Realbuto

Nancy Richardson

Jim Sluiter

Linda Snow

Suzi Zakowski