The Audubon Campus Chapters program started, fittingly, with a student speaking out. During a Q&A at the 2017 Audubon Convention with the organization’s leaders, she stood up and said she and her fellow students were already engaged with conservation—but they could achieve more if they had support.
Later, students and Audubon staff met to plan a new program inspired by that goal. The idea grew rapidly: About 10 out of 15 invited schools signed on when the program soft-launched in 2018, and by fall 2019 it had 50 chapters in the works. Each campus chapter could be adapted to student interests, encompassing birding trips, native plants, or political advocacy.
Audubon staff and local, adult-led chapters provided mentorship and grant resources; the clubs completed regular check-ins and at least one conservation project per school year. By early 2020 the…
