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Who We Are

Connecting people to birds and nature since 1916

Mission

Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania (ASWP) connects the people of southwestern Pennsylvania to birds and nature through our programs, projects, and places.

Who we are

We are an environmental education and conservation engagement organization that serves a seven-county region surrounding Pittsburgh. Through our programs, projects, and places we educate and inspire the people of southwestern Pennsylvania to be effective stewards of the natural world and to help create more bird-friendly communities.

Each year, we engage more than 17,000 students–from pre-K through college–in formal, hands-on, natural history programs. We also reach more than 8,000 adults and families through programs that create environmental literacy and excitement for the natural world.

Our projects enable people to participate in meaningful conservation activities and/or help to improve and maintain important habits and resources throughout the region.

Our nature centers and reserves — Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve, Buffalo Creek Nature Park, Succop Nature Park, and Todd Nature Reserve — offer more than 12 miles of trails through more than 500 tranquil acres that provide an oasis for individuals, families, and groups to explore and reconnect with nature at their own pace.

ASWP is a member-supported, legally and fiscally independent, 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.

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Public facilities

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Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve

Headquarters & Nature Reserve
614 Dorseyville Rd.
Pittsburgh (Fox Chapel), PA 15238

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Buffalo Creek Nature Park

154 Monroe Rd.
Sarver (Butler Township), PA 16055

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Succop Nature Park

185 West Airport Rd.
Butler (Penn Township), PA 16002

Sign reads: Todd Nature Reserve

Todd Nature Reserve

367 Kepple Rd.
Sarver (Buffalo Township), PA 16055

  • 220 acres
  • Just over 5 miles of trails

Why birds matter

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Why do birds matter, and why should people, businesses, organizations, and government officials all work to protect the bird species and habitat found here in western Pennsylvania?

There is strong interdependence between all living things. Birds are arguably the most visible and measurable indicators of environmental health in our natural areas and of the faraway places from which they migrate. The “canary in a coal mine” is as true now as it was during the early days of mining. Birds are often the first indicator that something is amiss in our environment — noting a change before it impacts humans. A decline in bird numbers tells us that we are in some way damaging the environment through habitat fragmentation and destruction, pollution, and pesticides, introduced species – all of which affect our homes, our communities, and our lives. Where birds thrive, people prosper!

ASWP offers expertise and technical assistance in these areas:

  • Environmental education and programs
  • Birding
  • Bird feeding
  • Community science programs
  • Important bird areas
  • Outdoor and feral cat issues
  • Native plant species
  • Invasive plant management
  • Pollinator habitat management
  • Stormwater management and rain gardens
  • Bird friendly building design
  • Outdoor classrooms
  • Habitat enhancement and preservation
  • Unstructured play
  • Endangered and threatened species issues
  • Watershed and wetlands conservation

Relationship to National Audubon Society

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Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania is your local Audubon chapter—we are out in your community making a difference and connecting people to birds and nature.

We know that National Audubon Society (NAS) members are committed to preserving the natural world around us. While NAS concentrates on important national and international conservation issues, Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania, your local Audubon chapter, concentrates on local education and conservation issues in your own backyard.

Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania is one of the largest and busiest Audubon Chapters in the eastern United States. Much of this would not be possible without the support of our members.

Membership support helps us to:

  • Maintain four picturesque locations and nature trails.
  • Provide local individuals with enriching outdoor environmental experiences.
  • Immerse children in fun, hands-on outdoor discovery programs.
  • Conduct meaningful conservation and research projects throughout our region.

We know that experiencing and preserving natural environments is important to you. Please consider joining Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania.

Position statements

For more than 100 years, Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania has connected people to birds and nature—and we’ll continue that work for generations to come. We’ve created an organization dedicated to conservation, inclusion, education, and family-friendliness. Our nature trails are open and welcoming to everyone.

Our name

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For the past few years, we’ve been sharing information about the troublesome legacy of John James Audubon – a man with whom we share a name. Through public programs, printed materials, and postings on our website, we have detailed his history of being an enslaver, anti-abolitionist, and plagiarizer, among other misdeeds. We have had long and thoughtful internal discussions and engaged graduate students from the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs to research the issue and develop case studies. All of this has helped to inform our decision regarding whether we should continue to use ‘Audubon’ as part of our name.

In March 2023, National Audubon Society, after completing its own lengthy decision-making process, announced that it would retain Audubon as part of its organization’s name. Conversely, a handful of chapters around the country have decided to drop Audubon from their names. Our board has made the decision to retain our current name. There were many considerations that factored into our decision and two stood out the most.

First, we were not named for the man, we were named for the movement his artwork engendered. When Harriet Lawrence Hemenway and Minna B. Hall (the founders of the first Audubon Society) began their campaign to stop killing birds for feathers to adorn hats, they needed a word that had an association with birds. “Audubon” was an obvious choice. It is hard to appreciate now, but the images in Audubon’s Birds of America had such an impact on people that multiple towns and counties—and hundreds of streets and parks—were given the name Audubon. By the time ASWP was formed in 1916, the word had become shorthand for bird conservation and respect for nature.

Even more importantly, ASWP has worked tirelessly since 1916 to provide the very best in environmental education, habitat protection, and all things bird to people in our region. What we’ve discovered during this process is that our organization, Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania, is highly regarded—not just here but across the country. Few people are aware that there even was a John James Audubon.

We’ve created an organization dedicated to conservation and education work and family-friendly events. Our nature trails are open and welcoming to everyone. We’ve spent more than 100 years connecting people to birds and nature and making Audubon a positive word—and we’ll continue that work for generations to come.

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Racism and Title VI

Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania is a welcoming, diverse, growing organization working to meet the needs of today’s birdwatchers and nature lovers.

ASWP is committed to promoting access to everyone for all of its programs, activities, and facilities; including access to board, staff, and volunteer positions; without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, physical or intellectual disability, socioeconomic status, or any factor which denies the essential humanity of any person.

You have the right to engage in ASWP’s programs, projects, and places free of harassment or discrimination. If you have a complaint of discrimination or harassment at an ASWP property or event, please complete this form and return it to complaintform@aswp.org so that we may conduct an investigation.

If you have any questions about this policy or the complaint process, please reach out to our Civil Rights Coordinator, Betsy Monroe, at 412-963-6100 or at complaintform@aswp.org.

Accessibility information

For accessibility needs or questions about any of our sites, please contact Brian Shema at 412-963-6100 or bshema@aswp.org.

For accessibility needs or questions about any of our programs, please contact Chris Kubiak at 412-963-6100 or ckubiak@aswp.org.

All other questions regarding accessibility or inclusion can be directed to Jim Bonner at 412-963-6100 or jbonner@aswp.org.

Counties we serve

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Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Washington, and Westmoreland.

Financials

ASWP in the news

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