As Audubon California celebrates 30 years as a state workplace, we’re reflecting on the milestones that formed our work, the partnerships that made them doable, and the legacy of conservation that stretches far past the previous three many years.
Few persons are higher positioned to assist inform that story than Andrea Jones, Vice President of Nationwide Audubon Society for California. Over her 20 years with Audubon, Andrea has helped advance a number of main conservation successes throughout the state. We just lately spoke with Andrea about a number of the work she is most pleased with and what offers her hope for the longer term.
As Audubon California turns 30, what are you feeling most pleased with?
Actually, I noticed after studying by our timeline that I had forgotten so many massive wins that we’ve achieved over time! It’s arduous to select only a few. Prime of thoughts are a number of the massive initiatives with lasting impacts, like Owens Lake, the Salton Sea, the lead ban to save lots of California Condors, and our wonderful youth management packages—in addition to how a lot our conservation work has advanced since I began in 2006.
We had been a a lot smaller state program then. We had a small coverage store and we didn’t but have the sort of statewide science experience now we have at the moment with Geospatial Science capability, or the extent of hen experience now we have now. A variety of our focus was on our facilities and sanctuaries, with much less on-the-ground packages and group engagement across the state.
We’ve actually grown to satisfy the environmental challenges we face at the moment, together with local weather change, and we’ve diversified each what we do and who we work with. Policy work has at all times been extremely essential and it stays a core half, and now we’re additionally doing extra community-based conservation—within the deserts in Southern California, in San Francisco Bay, within the Central Valley. We’ve got workers and powerful partnerships in these locations. We’re partaking on the bottom with communities.
And we’re doing tons extra nice science, extra partnerships with non-public landowners, and extra landscape-specific work the place birds and communities are experiencing change on the bottom.
You point out local weather change, which we all know is the best problem going through birds proper now, together with biodiversity loss. How has our work advanced to sort out that twin disaster?
Local weather resilience has at all times been a significant precedence, and we stay deeply dedicated to it. You may see that in so many locations—in our work to revive wetlands and coastal habitats, corresponding to our tidal marsh restoration venture at Sonoma Creek in partnership with San Pablo Bay Nationwide Wildlife Refuge, eelgrass restoration in Richardson Bay, and partnerships with working lands by packages like BirdReturns, offering habitat for birds in locations the place it’s disappeared, particularly during times of extreme drought.
And you may see it in our advocacy to assist California put together for a warmer, drier, and extra unpredictable future—together with our help for Proposition 4, the 2024 $10 billion local weather bond.
That’s actually thrilling to me. We’re not simply responding to local weather impacts after they occur; we’re working with companions throughout the state to guard the habitats birds and other people want now whereas proactively constructing a extra resilient future.
You’ve mentioned Owens Lake is without doubt one of the initiatives you might be most pleased with. Why does that stand out?
I hadn’t been in California very lengthy when I discovered myself in the midst of a significant controversy with one of many greatest water powers within the state, the Los Angeles Division of Water and Energy. It was a sophisticated, tough situation, and it required bringing collectively individuals who didn’t essentially need to sit on the similar desk, to get them to agree on a future for Owens Lake that works for everybody. And we did it. We got here up with an enduring plan that balanced hen habitat, water conservation, and public entry. But it surely was actually, actually arduous work!
There have been moments once I felt like I used to be crusing uncharted and turbulent waters. Dan Taylor, Audubon California’s Coverage director on the time, was backing me up, and the native Audubon chapter (Eastern Sierra Bird Alliance) was deeply concerned, but it surely was usually simply three of us on the market collectively dealing with negotiations to help birds—simply two chapter volunteers and me.
I nonetheless keep in mind one particularly pivotal assembly with DWP management at an previous steakhouse in Burbank. It felt like a scene from a film—darkish inside, purple vinyl seats, the sort of place the place you could possibly think about lots of offers had been made over time. It was simply me, Dan Taylor, and two LADWP leaders.
It was surreal, and it additionally felt like an actual turning level—a type of conditions the place you’re feeling just like the work may actually change one thing for the higher. We talked about soccer and households, after which we acquired all the way down to enterprise. Finally, they mentioned, “Inform us what Audubon desires.” So I laid it out for Owens Lake. Not lengthy after that, an settlement arrived by FedEx. I’ll always remember driving dwelling that day, filled with adrenaline, considering, “I can’t consider that simply occurred.”
Now Owens Lake is a spot the place mud management, water administration, and habitat planning for birds are all a part of the dialog. The truth that birds are a part of that future is one thing I’m very proud that we did collectively.
Tejon Ranch is one other main conservation milestone. What does that story signify to you?
Tejon Ranch is a giant one, and I feel it’s typically straightforward to overlook how important that settlement was.
Audubon was one of many unique conservation organizations concerned within the settlement to guard a lot of Tejon Ranch from growth. It’s the largest non-public landholding in California and one of many greatest within the West, so the size alone is big. It’s additionally Condor nation, which I’ve seen on the market, together with so many different uncommon birds.
One of many moments that stayed with me is from considered one of our early hen surveys after the conservation plan was in place. Birders hadn’t been on the market a lot but, so we didn’t absolutely know what to anticipate. We began doing massive spring birding days in April and breeding hen surveys in Might and June.
On one June morning, a gaggle of us drove out to one of many canyons on the Antelope Valley aspect of the ranch, the place the panorama shifts from desert and Joshua bushes into the Tehachapi Mountains. There are these massive oaks on the mouths of the canyons, and because the solar got here up, my husband, Tom, within the automotive forward of me radioed again and mentioned, “Birds are falling out of the sky.”
At first, I laughed. However then we acquired out of the automotive and realized that was precisely what was occurring. Tons of of migratory birds had been coming off the desert and dropping into the oaks, rabbitbrush, and canyon habitat, exhausted. There have been tanagers, MacGillivray’s Warblers, so many others, swooping by the arroyo out to no matter shelter they might discover.
That was once we actually understood how essential this place was for migration. For lots of these birds, it was the primary place they might cease and relaxation after crossing the desert.
It was a sophisticated settlement, and it was not with out compromise. Tejon Ranch remains to be privately owned, and a part of the land can nonetheless be developed. That was controversial then, and for some individuals, it nonetheless is. However the settlement additionally protected an enormous panorama by conservation easements and helped be sure that considered one of California’s most ecologically essential locations would stay largely intact. Audubon remains to be related to that work at the moment by the Tejon Ranch Conservancy.
To me, Tejon Ranch is a reminder that typically the most important wins are sophisticated. They require negotiation, compromise, and long-term accountability. They received’t at all times be excellent, however they will nonetheless defend habitat for birds and biodiversity at a scale that may be virtually inconceivable to realize in any other case.
And that’s a part of Audubon California’s legacy, too: being prepared to remain engaged in arduous conversations when the stakes for birds and habitat are extremely excessive.
Trying forward, are you able to share a selected program that provides you hope for the longer term?
I’m actually excited concerning the BirdReturns mannequin.
The thought of working with non-public landowners within the Central Valley to create short-term wetlands for migratory birds – at first look it’s not intuitive. However when you concentrate on it, it makes excellent sense. It is a sensible solution to meet birds the place and once they want habitat, particularly in a altering local weather the place water and wetlands are more and more unsure.
It’s additionally a mannequin that may very well be echoed past California, in locations like Texas and Louisiana, the place agricultural fields and different non-public lands can and do present essential habitat, and presumably even in other countries.
That’s the sort of work that provides me hope: work that’s sensible, collaborative, and large enough to satisfy the size of the problem.
As Audubon California appears to be like to the subsequent 30 years, what message would you share with individuals who would possibly need to become involved?
I need individuals to know that there’s house for everybody right here.
One of the best ways to construct the conservation motion we want for the longer term is to broaden and diversify it, bringing everybody we are able to into it. That’s one thing I actually consider. We have to construct a stronger conservation motion the place extra individuals can see themselves on this work and discover a approach in.
I take into consideration packages like our Coastal and Salton Sea Leadership Programs, the place younger, good group leaders are constructing relationships and deeper connections to the birds and habitats the place they dwell. At any time when I’ve an opportunity to satisfy with them or see their capstone initiatives, I’m so impressed by their creativity and new massive concepts.
This work relies on individuals who discover what’s altering, perceive their communities, attempt new issues, and preserve exhibiting up.
I’m enthusiastic about what comes subsequent. There’s nonetheless a lot work to do, and a lot we nonetheless have the possibility to form collectively.
