National Audubon Society

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2025	Salton Sea Water began flowing into the first phase of the SCH complex of shallow ponds.
2025	Palmyra Atoll The Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument was renamed to Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument.
November 2024	Salton Sea Salton Sea Management Program annual report measured salinity ranging from 68,000 to 86,000 mg/L, which is double the salinity of the Pacific Ocean.
October 2024	Salton Sea Announced expansion of the SCH project with $70 million in federal funding for improving drought infrastructure.
September 2024	Palmyra Atoll Guam Kingfisher was introduced to Palmyra Atoll as part of conservation efforts.
2023	Salton Sea A report was published measuring the Salton Sea's surface area at 318 square miles
November 29 2023	Audubon Georgia Audubon changed their name to Birds Georgia.
August 24 2023	Audubon San Diego Audubon changed their name to San Diego Bird Alliance.
August 13 2023	Audubon Golden Gate Audubon (San Francisco area) changed their name to Golden Gate Bird Alliance.
June 19 2023	Audubon Charleston Audubon and Natural History Society changed its name to Charleston Natural History Society.
March 20 2023	Audubon NYC Audubon announced their name change to New York City Bird Alliance.
February 2023	Audubon An internal Board of Directors vote resulted in a decision to retain the Audubon name for the national organization, leading to the resignation of three board members.
February 2023	Audubon The union representing Audubon employees renamed itself The Bird Union.
February 28 2023	Audubon Portland Audubon (Oregon) announced their name change to Bird Alliance of Oregon.
February 17 2023	Audubon Madison Audubon renamed to Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance.
November 2022	Salton Sea The federal government committed to spending $250 million over four years for the Salton Sea restoration project.
October 20 2022	Audubon Audubon Naturalist Society (Washington, DC) announced their name change to Nature Forward.
July 21 2022	Audubon Seattle Audubon announced they would change their name to Birds Connect Seattle, effective June 2023.
November 2021	Audubon Elizabeth Gray was appointed as the new CEO of Audubon.
April 2021	Audubon David Yarnold stepped down from his presidency following an internal audit into workplace culture and toxic workplace complaints.
March 2021	Audubon Audubon union organizing drive went public, involving approximately 400 workers, amid layoffs and concerns about diversity and inclusion programs.
January 2021	Salton Sea Construction began on the Species Conservation Habitat (SCH) Project at the small delta of the New River, creating ponds and wetlands to control salinity and support aquatic life.
2020	Salton Sea Greg Bassenian released the documentary 'Miracle in the Desert: The Rise and Fall of the Salton Sea', exploring the sea's origin, real estate history, and current environmental crisis.
2020	Francis Beidler Forest A new woodland and grassland trail system was opened, expanding visitor access and exploration opportunities at the Francis Beidler Forest.
2020	Francis Beidler Forest Four Holes Swamp was added to the National Park Service's Underground Railroad - Network to Freedom program, recognizing its historical and cultural importance.
June 2020	Salton Sea A fire in Niland caused significant damage, displacing 112 people and reducing the town's estimated population to 500.
March 2020	Audubon Arkansas chapter of Audubon Society announced a plan to invest $80,000 in solar panel installation, aiming to make their Little Rock office the state's first nonprofit to use 100% solar energy.
February 2020	Salton Sea The California Natural Resources Agency completed the Bruchard Road Dust Suppression Project, the first dust suppression project under the Salton Sea Management Program.
2019	Palmyra Atoll The Nature Conservancy (TNC) partnered with Island Conservation and Fish and Wildlife Service to restore native rainforest by removing dominant coconut palms from former copra plantations and military areas.
November 2019	Salton Sea An emergency was declared due to the heavily polluted New River that empties into the Salton Sea, with hopes of accelerating restoration projects and obtaining federal funding.
September 2019	Salton Sea A report revealed a dramatic decline in fish population, noting that 20 years earlier there were 100 million fish, but now over 97% of those fish are gone due to increasing salinity.
2018	Audubon Sir David Attenborough received the Audubon Award, recognizing his lifelong dedication to natural history and conservation.
December 2018	Salton Sea National Geographic Society released a report highlighting concerns about the Salton Sea's reducing water input, increasing salinity, and potential negative impacts on migratory bird populations.
August 2018	Salton Sea The Salton Sea Management Program: Phase 1: 10 Year Plan was initiated.
April 2018	Salton Sea Bombay Beach was reported to be experiencing a rebirth, with an influx of artists, intellectuals, and hipsters transforming it into a bohemian playground.
April 2018	Salton Sea The first state-funded project, the Torres-Martinez Wetland Project, was completed, restoring shallow wetlands along the northern edge of the sea that were destroyed by a massive storm in 2012.
January 1 2018	Salton Sea Water flow into the Salton Sea reduced by 40% as the 15-year mitigation period ended per the 2003 water transfer agreement.
2017	Salton Sea Deadline approached for ending additional mitigation water to the Salton Sea under the water transfer agreement.
2017	Salton Sea Birdwatchers reported a significant disappearance of American white pelicans, double-crested cormorants, and eared grebes from the Salton Sea ecosystem.
March 2017	Salton Sea The Natural Resources Agency released the Salton Sea Management Program (SSMP), proposing habitat restoration and dust suppression projects by 2028.
2016	Salton Sea Two works featuring the Salton Sea were created: the short documentary 'The Useless Sea' and Weyes Blood's album 'Front Row Seat to Earth', which had a cover photographed at the location.
2016	Salton Sea The dystopian film The Bad Batch used the Salton Sea area as a filming location for its surreal wasteland setting.
2015	Salton Sea The Salton Sea Task Force was formed by Governor Jerry Brown's administration to address the sea's environmental challenges.
2014	Salton Sea Imperial Irrigation District and Imperial County petitioned the California State Water Resources Control Board to address water replenishment obligations for the Salton Sea.
2012	Salton Sea A storm churned the biomass on the sea bottom, causing odors that reached the Los Angeles Basin.
2012	Palmyra Atoll Rat eradication program was completed, successfully eliminating the estimated 30,000 rats from the atoll. Systematic searches and residue analysis were conducted, with brodifacoum toxicant detected in 84.3% of animal samples.
2011	Salton Sea Bombay Beach and surrounding areas began to be reinvented as a destination for desert art.
2011	Audubon Audubon created a new model for positioning energy transmission lines along the East Coast to help preserve bird and wildlife habitat.
2011	Palmyra Atoll Fish and Wildlife Service, TNC, and Island Conservation began an extensive program to eradicate non-native rats that had been present on Palmyra since World War II.
September 2010	Audubon David Yarnold became the 10th president of Audubon, focusing on conservation work along migratory flyways and improving life for birds and people.
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