Photo: Pileated Woodpecker, John Troth/Audubon Photography Awards
Libby Lyons
I am pleased to announce that our Board of Directors has recommended a new name for our organization – Northern Virginia Bird Alliance! We are excited about moving forward with this new name because it better matches our mission, our communities, and our values. At the end of this letter, I describe the next steps in adopting this new name, to be taken at a June 9 meeting when ASNV members can vote on the Board’s recommendation.
Why are we changing our name?
As many of you know, the ASNV board decided in January 2024 to change our organization's name so that it better reflects our values of being inclusive and welcoming. The board sees a new name as an opportunity to re-energize and grow new support for our conservation mission at a time when our region’s population is rapidly diversifying and when we need “all hands on deck” for conservation in the face of climate change and rapid local development.
How did we choose this name?
We asked for suggestions from those who took our survey about changing our name and from our membership more broadly. We received more than one hundred great ideas – thank you for your many creative suggestions! We met several times and considered all of the suggestions as well as the names being adopted by other Audubon chapters around the country.
Why did we choose Northern Virginia Bird Alliance?
Our choice of name supports our mission. Including “bird” in our name makes it crystal clear to everyone that birds are our main focus, which sets us apart from many other conservation organizations. “Northern Virginia” reaffirms our commitment to serving the entire region. And “alliance” signals that people are integral to our mission and that we work cooperatively with members, partners, and other Audubon groups to achieve our shared conservation goals.
Another compelling reason for our choice is the growing trend among Audubon chapters to rename with a common moniker to fortify brand recognition. Many responses to our survey about the name change identified the loss of Audubon’s brand recognition as a major concern. Our choice answers that concern. More than three quarters of the 22 chapters that are changing or that have changed their names include “Bird Alliance” in their adopted or proposed names. They stretch across 10 states, have tens of thousands of members, and include some of the largest chapters in the country, including Golden Gate (San Francisco area), Portland-Oregon, Chicago, and Detroit. Just across the Potomac, DC Audubon has announced it is changing its name to DC Bird Alliance. And the board of New York City Audubon announced it is seeking member approval to become the New York City Bird Alliance. Choosing this name means we will add momentum to its wider adoption and we will benefit from the increasing recognition as this new brand spreads.
Can a tagline help?
One challenge that we faced in choosing a short, recognizable name was how to convey the breadth of what we do. This range of our activities was clear from the names many of you suggested– your passion for nature comes in many flavors! Our solution was to agree on a primary tagline. A tagline is a short, memorable phrase that succinctly describes who we are and what we value. The Board felt that “Conserving and Enjoying Nature” best captures this. At our core we are a conservation organization. We also are dedicated to providing our northern Virginia communities access to and enjoyment of nature. And by broadening from “bird” in our name to “nature” in our tagline we recognize and celebrate that in our ranks are lovers of birds, insects, other wildlife, plants, and our local natural ecosystems. We also discussed the order of the words “conserving” and “enjoying” in the tagline. One board member made the compelling argument that with climate change bearing down on us, many members, particularly our younger members, feel the urgency of emphasizing conservation now so that we can continue to enjoy nature in the future.
What are the next steps?
Because changing our name means altering the organization’s Articles of Incorporation, the State of Virginia requires member approval of the new name. Thursday, June 9 at 1:00 PM at the National Wildlife Federation building, we will convene a meeting to vote on the adoption of this new name.
Only current members can vote on the name. They can vote in person or by giving their proxy vote to another member who can deliver a paper copy of the proxy vote at the meeting.
What happens after June 9?
The board hopes that our members will adopt the recommended name; if they do, we will dive into implementing the change. With your support, we look forward to forging ahead with renewed commitment to bird conservation and to addressing issues raised by our communities during the consideration of a name change. In future newsletters we will describe our ongoing efforts to engage with new communities, to build intergenerational and intercultural links among our many participant groups, and to provide material about the wide range of individuals, including John James Audubon, who have made major contributions to U.S. ornithology.