National Audubon Society

This proposed general support grant to the National Audubon Society is in recognition of the outstanding work Susan Bell performed while vice president of the Hewlett Foundation. With a passionate interest in bird conservation, Susan is now a highly effective Audubon board member. This grant would support its advocacy efforts on behalf of bird conservation.

Sage grouse populations have been declining across the intermountain West due to new energy development and poor livestock grazing practices. This grant would support the Society’s work to protect sage grouse habitat in a 60 million-acre area encompassing parts of six western states.

This grant supports Audubon's work to protect habitat for sage grouse in the Northern Rockies from the impacts of energy development. The national organization has developed an innovative, scientific mapping strategy that has led to the state of Wyoming and the Bureau of Land Management adopting new plans to protect sage grouse habitat in the state and across the West. This grant would support efforts by Audubon to ensure the new strategy is applied to the remaining states that provide vital habitat for the sage grouse (CO, OR, UT, NV) and is implemented properly, obviating the need to list the bird as endangered under the Endangered Species Act.