Our Mission

Detroit Bird Alliance fosters the appreciation and conservation of birds and the environment we share.

Who We Are Today

The primary focus of Detroit Bird Alliance is to protect birds and their habitats by engaging people, communities, and policymakers in conservation. We strive to bring nature and people together, in a way that serves both.

The work of Detroit Bird Alliance supports local activities that foster the preservation of birds and the clean air, water, wetlands, grasslands, woodlands and other natural resources upon which they depend to survive and thrive.

Our History

Detroit Bird Alliance was founded as Detroit Audubon in 1939 and incorporated as a 501(c)3 non profit corporation in 1957. In 2023, Detroit Audubon board of directors voted to change the name to Detroit Bird Alliance. As a chapter of National Audubon Society, we have more than 6,000 members in areas stretching from St. Clair County to the north, Ann Arbor to the west, and down to the Ohio State Line.

Explore our timeline below:

1940-1959

  • 1940

    Detroit Audubon Society begins weekly radio program on WWJ radio.

  • 1940

    First Detroit Audubon Christmas Count. 28 birders cover over 100 miles, and record 1,943 birds of 40 species.

  • 1948

    Protesting the effect of oil pollution on waterfowl. Detroit Audubon members and others leave hundreds of dead, oil-soaked ducks on the lawn of the capital building in Lansing. Arguably the most effective environmental protest in the US contributed to the start of the Citizen Environmental Protection Movement.

  • 1949

    DAS member Walter Nickell leads a hike at Cranbrook Institute of Science with Roger Tory Peterson during National Audubon Society’s Annual Meeting, the first national meeting to take place outside of New York City.

  • 1950-1954

    DAS advocates for the protection of hawks and owls. In 1957 Governor Milliken signed protection into law.

  • 1952

    DAS begins 20-year campaign against the aerial spraying of pesticides. Research conducted by DAS members on the effects of DDT on birds became background research for Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring.

  • 1957

    DAS incorporates as a 501(c)(3).

1960-1979

  • 1960

    Dr. Herbert Friedman of the Smithsonian Institution requests nesting data DAS had been recording since 1945.

  • 1962

    Advocacy to extend 1940 federal Bald Eagle Protection Act to cover Golden Eagles successful.

  • 1967

    Kirtland’s Warbler designated endangered. Advocacy for its protection begins.

  • 1975

    DAS establishes its first Rare Bird Alert reporting system, providing birders with a standardized procedure for reporting unusual sightings.

  • 1978

    DAS purchases its first sanctuary, St. Clair Woods.

  • 1986

    Bald Eagles return to Belle Isle.

  • 1989

    44th consecutive year DAS volunteers surveyed SE Michigan birds’ nests. Cornell University sent DAS a letter of commendation for having contributed more than 15,000 cards to the project.

1980-Present

  • 1987

    DAS participates in acid rain studies monitoring five collection sites in metro Detroit.

  • 1991-1994

    DAS works to protect 35 acres of forest and wetlands in Southfield. This parcel, now known as Bauervic Park, is protected under the Michigan Natural Resources Trust.

  • 1994

    DAS celebrates 50 years of Flyway, member magazine.

  • 1998

    DAS begins work to save the last mile of undeveloped Humbug Marsh on the Detroit River. The Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge was signed into law in 2001.

  • 2004

    DAS member and field trip leader Neil Gilbert, age 12, wins American Birding Association’s Young Birder of the Year Award. Currently, Professor Gilbert teachers Integrative Biology at Oklahoma State University.

  • 2006

    Safe Passage program initiated to work with building owners and municipal governments to reduce window collisions for birds. Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm issues a state proclamation declaring migration dates “Safe Passage Great Lakes Days.”

  • 2013

    DAS research on Black Terns, a species of high concern, launches.

  • 2017

    Detroit becomes 29th US city to sign an Urban Bird Treaty with the US Fish & Wildlife Service and is recognized as a treaty city. First Detroit Urban Birding Station installed on Detroit Riverfront.

  • 2019

    First Detroit Bird City meadow planted at Callahan Park.

  • 2022

    Member Diane Cheklich receives Michigan Environmental Council’s Petosky Prize.

  • 2023

    Board of Directors votes to change the name of DAS to Detroit Bird Alliance.