

ey a oN 

ILLINOIS 

AUDUBON SOCIETY 
Gield Museum of Natural MHistory 
ROOSEVELT ROAD AND LAKE SHORE DRIVE - CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60605 



ESTABLISHED 1897 






















ORGANIZED FOR THE PROTECTION OF WILD BIRDS AND 
2000 THE PRESERVATION OF OUR NATURAL ENVIRONMENT 
¢ W350 
‘AUDUBON NEWSLETTER 
m9 No, 1 Judith Joy-Editor October - 1969 
WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT, - ANYWAY? 
t and dynamic changes are taking place in the Audubon movement all over the County. Bite is 
rand hobby to feed birds in one's back yard and to travel around the countryside to sight 
Birds. There is a great source of satisfaction in sitting in a blind on an April morning, 
ching the booming of the Prairie Grouse, especially when you have made a generous donation 
preserve tnearenabitat, The Sight of a Bald Eagle along a river roost can give one great 
asure, especially when he realizes that his membership in the American Bald Eagle Club is 
ping to fight the pesticide menace which threatens the very existence of the National Emblem, 
many Audubon people-have now gone beyond merely collecting life lists and the feeding of 
kyard birds. The apathy of the fifties has now been met by the concern of the sixties. The 
J's will see "Enivronmental Pollution" become our greatest domestic issue. How prepared are 
in Illinois to face this ecological crisis? 
alifornia Audubon leader told me recently, that "dickey bird" clubs on the west coast have 
b the way of the Dodo bird. They have their field trips and their picnics and their coffee 
3, but now every single California club is seriously engaged in the campaign against air and 
2r pollution, roadside blight and the pesticide menace, he said. The architects of corporate 
lence and bureaucratic Stupidity depend upon citizen apathy. To succeed, we in the conser- 
lon movement must depend on greater involvement and concern and participation, 
tudubon conservation leader from Southern California told me her club's vigorous effort to 
2 Mineral King Valley from the clutches of another Disneyland, their efforts to preserve 
‘Francisco Bay against pollution and fill-ins and other conservation activities, have caused 
seat increase in local memberships. New members-almost all unsolicited-have been pouring 
it the rate of 100 a month. She remarked, "those who simply look at birds, and do nothing 
7, are sleeping through a revolution. Out here we care about our environment. If we can 
1eth society nothing more than a few bird lists, we are no more effective than the 
*sday bridge club." 
here in Illinois, there is evidence that we are making some progress. We tip our hats to 
Cardinal Audubon Club which took to the byways to inform the community in Bloomington that 
Hawks and Owls are protected by Illinois law: to the McHenry county chapter which rolled 
m incredible 10,000 names on the Allerton Park petition; to the Ridgway chapter which has 
‘working feverishly to save Bird Haven. We are grateful to the many members of our IAS 
mteer Corps who have given countless hours of effortto advance the cause. We are thank- 
to those who have responded so nobly to our appeals for funds and a higher membership 
us. However, compared to the task before us, if we'would be honest, our response has 
ie 
_ Inadequate. 
THE LIBRARY OF THE 
a0) BURRILL HAI j 
WONLESTS OF Ldn 


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