Audubon

U.S. center-left, environmentalist

Background

The Audubon name in publishing traces to 1887, when conservationist George Bird Grinnell founded the first Audubon Society and launched The Audubon Magazine, though that effort folded within three years for lack of funds. The National Audubon Society was formally incorporated in 1905, named for 19th-century naturalist John James Audubon, and the modern magazine grew out of Bird-Lore, a bi-monthly publication founded in 1899 as the official organ of the Audubon Societies. Under longtime editor Les Line, who took charge in 1966, the publication shifted from a genteel bird-watching journal written largely by non-journalists to a vehicle for environmental advocacy reporting, covering habitat destruction, pollution, and ecological threats at a time when mainstream outlets paid them little attention. Over the following decades the magazine expanded its scope to include environmental justice and social equity topics alongside traditional conservation coverage—a direction that has periodically drawn reader complaints asking the editors to avoid politics and 'stick to birds.' The magazine has won numerous journalism awards for its photography, design, and long-form reporting. It is distributed bi-monthly to National Audubon Society members as a core membership benefit, keeping its funding base tied to the broader organization's donor and dues revenue. While the National Audubon Society issued a diplomatic statement after the 2024 election pledging to work with the incoming Trump administration, the magazine's own editorial coverage has consistently framed the administration's environmental deregulation and rollbacks as threats to birds and their habitats.

Sources

1. About Audubon Magazine | Audubon
2. Audubon (magazine) - Wikipedia
3. Why 'Audubon' Magazine Covers Politics and Environmental Justice | Audubon
4. Are the Environmental Rollbacks of the Trump Administration Built to Last? | Audubon
5. National Audubon Society Commits to Working with New Trump Administration | Audubon
6. Reports & Financials | Audubon
7. National Audubon Society Inc - Nonprofit Explorer - ProPublica
8. A Rich History of Award-Winning Journalism | Audubon

Profile compiled 2026-07-11; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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