Sangre de Cristo Audubon Society
Santa Fe & Northern New Mexico

We are a recognized chapter of the National Audubon Society. Our membership region covers most of north-central New Mexico and includes  Placitas, Santa Fe, Raton, Taos and all points in between. We take our name from the iconic Sangre de Cristo mountain range which extends from Colorado to just south of Santa Fe.

The Sangres are a familiar sight to our members and guests and host some of the best birding in the Southwest.

 

Mission

The mission of the Sangre de Cristo Audubon Society is to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats for the benefit of humanity and the Earth’s biological diversity.

Education

Sangre de Cristo Audubon Society has focused its efforts on educational offerings for adults and conservation activities. We are cognizant of the need for nature education opportunities for children, particularly in the underserved areas of Santa Fe and surrounding communities. The Randall Davey Audubon Center and Sanctuary of the National Audubon Society does provide these opportunities—though the need is always greater than the supply—and we have chosen to financially support the efforts of the Davey Center in this work, particularly with some of the local Pueblos.

Our educational offerings for adults have three major thrusts: the Mountain Chickadee quarterly newsletter, evening programs on conservation and nature appreciation topics, and the field trip program. To receive electronic notifications of events and for the latest edition of the Mountain Chickadee,  subscribe here.

© Photo Heikoop

Conservation

The Chapter’s conservation work covers a broad range of activities, from citizen-science efforts through our field trips and bird counts to direct grassroots advocacy work at the local, state and federal levels of government  for birds and the natural world.  For example, we participated in the development of Forest Plans on both the Santa Fe and Carson National Forests and in the planning for the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument. We have provided feedback on recovery plans for state-listed birds and testified on their behalf when energy projects threaten their populations. Our chapter has been actively involved in the Climate Watch community-science program to track the response of birds to climate change.

The Chapter has advocated for the highest level of protection under the Clean Water Act for the Pecos River and a moratorium on oil and gas leasing on Bureau of Land Management property within 10 miles of Chaco Canyon National Historic Park. We were supporters of both the acquisition of the Valles Caldera National Preserve by the government and the transfer of the management of the property to the National Park Service. We continue to monitor the great public lands in our communities and speak up for the scientific management of those lands for the benefit of the wildlife and the surrounding communities.

.